NMASA awardees take spotlight

NMASA/TSL Foundation Student Athletes of the Year Kensuke Kimura and Carol Lee pose with their trophies and cut-out photos during the NMASA Awards Banquet last week at the Seaside Hall of Kanoa Resort. ( PHOTOS BY ROSELYN B. MONROYO )

Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association’s awardees were on center stage last week.

The honors list included Male and Female Athletes of the Year Russ Quinn and Leina Kim, NMASA/TSL Foundation Student Athletes of the Year Carol Lee and Kensuke Kimura, the CNMI Junior Tennis Team, Mili Saiki, and CNMI Sports Hall of Famer, Class of 2014 Michael White, Melvin Sakisat, Bertha Chong, and Maggie Taitano-Olopai.

The CNMI Junior Tennis Team was named Team of the Year for dominating the 2013 North Pacific Regional Championship and the Pacific Oceania Junior Championships, while Saiki was selected Coach of the Year for leading Saipan International School to victories in volleyball competitions both in the private and public school leagues.

The four top athletes were honored for their notable performances in their respective sports. Quinn was cited for his successful comeback in cycling after undergoing an operation, while Kim was recognized for her outstanding rookie season in collegiate golf. Kimura shared the student honors with Lee for his record-breaking swims in on and off-island tournaments, while the latter earned NMASA’s nods for her impressive showings in local and international tennis tournaments.
White, Sakisat, Chong, and Taitano-Olopai were inducted to the elite group of CNMI athletes and officials for their contribution to the Commonwealth sports for decades.

Meanwhile, other notable events last week were the pro-am competition in the 2014 Marianas Cup Beach Volleyball Festival and the opening of the 2014 Sun Palace Singles and Doubles Badminton Tournament.

Saipan-raised Misaki Cramer teamed up with pro Paul Baxter in winning the men’s championships against Guam’s Manny Guarin and Japanese pro Hiroshi Murakami. In the women’s division, Miki Oyama and Erika Habaguchi prevailed in the all-Japan finale against Miyu Sakamoto and Anna Miyakawa.

In the Sun Palace badminton tournament, which was the season-opening event of the Northern Marianas Badminton Association, over 80 players are competing in the singles and doubles events and favored players delivered in the opening week of the annual contest.

Other ongoing leagues on Saipan continued with the Major division games in the Saipan Little League Baseball taking place at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Ballfield and the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield hosting matches in the Junior, Senior, and Big League divisions.

The NMIFA youth league had its football games at the Oleai Sports Complex Field and Hopwood Junior High School Field, while MISO concluded the regular season of its boys basketball and girls volleyball leagues at the Marianas High School Gymnasium.

Still in football, the CNMI had a visitor last week in former World Cup player Joo-Sung Kim of Korea. Kim, who is the general secretary of East Asian Football Federation, met with local football players and officials.