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Runners, jr. tennis players stand out
After triathletes dominated the headlines for two straight weeks, it was the junior tennis players and runners’ turn to shine last week.
Over 500 runners joined the 2014 Saipan Marathon with the islands’ very own Mamiko Oshima-Berger leading the finishers list after ruling the women’s ultra marathon (50K) event anew. Several other Saipan runners also made it to the podium in the 10K, half marathon, and marathon events.
In tennis, the 2014 CNMI Junior Tennis Championships had it first week of competition in the girls U10, U12, U14, and U18 singles and doubles.
Girls U10 singles’ Erika Tuttle and Maria Gregoire and U14’s Isabel Heras and Julia Ishikawa survived Week 1 games to advance to the finals of their respective events, while in the boys divisions, the finalists were U12’s Ken Song and Tony Kim, U14’s Luther Lizama and Vincent Tudela, and U18’s Tommy Choi and Moris Villanueva.
Meanwhile, other notable events last week were the Girls International Youth Football Invitational Tournament held in Hong Kong and the 2014 Saipan Baseball League.
The CNMI U14 Girls National Team joined the Hong Kong tournament and drew China and the host before losing to Guam for a respectable showing in the off-island competition.
In the SBL, the Yankees (9-1) took this season’s pennant after nosing out the Northern Starz, 12-11.
Still in baseball, the playoff round in the Senior, Big, and Junior League continued last week at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Ballfield. The Enforcers and Comets advanced to the Junior League finals, the Braves and Jets made it to the Senior League title game, and the Padres and Fielders dueled for the Big League crown.
Over at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Basa Pangelinan Ballfield, the Falcons secured the pennant in the Major division, following a 9-1 victory over Laolao Bay and the lost of their closest rival Braves to the Rockies, 5-15.
In basketball, defending champion Blue Haus kept its unbeaten record in four games in the QQ caging after outclassing the Rebels, 63-60, while Toka, JP World, and Island Manpower also won their respective matches last week.
