SCS dominates elementary races

Saipan Community School dominated the elementary division of the first leg of the NMA All Schools Cross Country Series held last Saturday at the Commonwealth Ports Authority Airport Field.

Runners head out to the course during the first leg of the NMA All Schools Cross Country Series held last Saturday at the Commonwealth Ports Authority Airport Field. (Ferdie De La Torre)

SCS runners recorded four first place, one second, and three third place finishes in the boys and girls U7 and U9 and boys U11 divisions.

Hilah Bacani led SCS’ first place winners, topping the girls’ U7 with a time of 9:53 against the 10:16 submitted by teammate Yu Jie Zhang. Abbie Kim of San Vicente Elementary School came in third at 12:23.

SCS’ Drei Camacho, Jenny Zhang, and Isaiah Aleksenko also topped their respective age groups.

Camacho was the fastest in the boys U7, recording a time of 12:59 for an almost two-minute lead over SVES’ Gregory Ngotel (14:48). Soo Ho Jin, another member of the SCS Tsunamis’ 21-strong delegation, was at close third at 14:51.

Zhang ruled the girls’ U9 with her time of 9:54, beating William S. Reyes students Princess Jose (10:15) and Mikayela Arriola (10:57).

Aleksenko rounded up SCS’ top runners as he won the U9 boys’ age group with a blistering time of 6:22, followed by the 7:57 of Oleai Elementary School’s Cooper Reynolds and the 8:59 of Derick Kwon.

Seung Jin Park was the other SCS runner who clinched a podium finish after placing third in the boys U11 division with a time of 7:01 behind champion Jim Maniago of WSR (6:23) and Agape Christian School’s Frederic Guintu (6:44). Coume Kaga of WSR won the U11 girls category in 6:43, while Grace Christian Academy’s Soleil Lamar (8:00) and Janelle Saluta (8:03) placed second and third, respectively. SCS’ Sedrei Camacho missed a podium finish in the girls U11 class as she lost by just one second to Saluta.

Northern Marianas Athletics officer Elias Rangamar thanked the participants, including the 56 runners in the elementary division, for joining the weekend race and their parents and teachers who helped out in the series opener.

“Great turn out last Saturday. I would like to thank Robert Torres and several teachers and parents who assisted in the registration and meeting,” added Rangamar.

Meanwhile, the next leg will be held this Saturday also at the Airport Field with registration starting at 7am and race proper at 7:30am. The first race in the second leg will be for runners in the U18, U15, and U13 age groups, while elementary division participants (U11, U9, and U7) will take part in the second.

The third and fourth legs will be on Nov. 7 and 14 with a 3:15pm registration time, while races will start at 4pm. The order of the races on Nov. 7 will be elementary, middle, and high school divisions, while on Nov. 14 it will be middle and high school first, followed by elementary division runners. The venue for the Nov. 21 finals is still being arranged with Torres trying to get the Laolao Bay Golf & Resort as possible race site.