Clean sweep for SIS in x-country champs

No one came out of the PSS-NMA All Schools Cross Country championships unscathed as muddy shoes of the top runners this 2026-2027 season splashed through puddles and wet grass, but Saipan International School registered a clean sweep of both high school divisions on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the CPA Airport Field.

In cross country, teams earn points based on where their runners finish, so the team with the lowest total wins, just like in golf where the player with the lowest score wins.

SIS won both the boys and girls team titles in the high school division (5K) as the SIS boys won with 20 points, followed by Marianas High School in second with 24, and Agape Christian School with 42.

In the boys race, SIS swept the field with Landen Taflinger in first place at just under 19 minutes with 18:59.19. Teammates Quido Jambor came in second at 19:52.33, and Victor Neil Santos placed third with 20:01.74.

In the girls division, SIS also won the team title with 23, followed by MHS at 27, and ACS in third with 31 points. Addalee Taflinger finished first overall with a time of 23:55.89. Sablina Shen of ACS finished second in 24:27.09, while Dainna Yu Zheng of Grace Christian Academy placed third in 25:29.52.

Landen, who is a graduating senior said of sweeping the season, “It feels great. I tried to get a lot faster by the end of the season, training very hard, but ended up not getting a PR, which is okay, but yeah, a lot more experience I’ve gained. I’ll learn from my mistakes and stuff.”

With this cross country season using the Airport field three times, Landen said that it was easier to compare his times. But he said, “I do like the different types of courses because it’s more fun with the differences and stuff.”

As for Addalee, she said, “My season went well. This season I trained a lot more and I put in more miles. And I also wanted to get a PR but I didn’t, but I think I’m at a good spot, just keep training, and I’ll be able to get a PR soon in another race.”

The rainy season caused some disruptions, with their last qualifier canceled due to Tropical Storm Choi-Wan, so Addalee said she was happy they got to finish the season. “I’m happy we were able to finish and that SIS showed up and did good.”

For Angela Taflinger, SIS coach and mother to the Taflinger siblings, she said the season was great. “My high school boys team was really big and so it was really hard to choose those top six guys, but they all pushed, encouraged each other, and it was really great.” She recalled that the track season last school year was disrupted by Super Typhoon Sinlaku so the runners came out strong and were excited to run again.”

On being both their mom and coach, she said, “I love it. They call me “coach-mom”. I love it. I’m their number one fan regardless, but I love being right there, right in the thick of it. It’s been the greatest joy being able to be their coach and push them and encourage them, and be hard on them when they need it, so it’s been great.”

She then thanked PSS Athletic Programs, NMA, the community support, her other fellow coach Daryn Roufs, and SIS.

As for the middle school divisions (2 miles), Hopwood Middle School won the boys team title with 38 points, SCS placed second with 42, and Dandan Middle School claimed bronze with 43.

DMS’s Bentley Chargualaf won the boys race in 14:17.40. SCS’s Beau Bauer finished second in 14:25.03, followed by HMS’s Nicolo Unay in third with 14:37.99.

SCS won the girls team title with 17 points, ahead of HMS, which finished second with 25.

SCS’s LoVel Speath led the girls race, winning in 15:06.67. Her teammate Nadine Van Dam finished second in 17:12.73, while SIS’ Harper Loken placed third in 17:47.77.

For the youngest of the bunch in the elementary division (1 mile), there are two age groups—U9 and U12.

Saipan Community School won the Boys Elementary School team title with 20 points. Tinian Elementary School placed second with 49, followed by William S. Reyes Elementary School in third with 60.

In U12, SCS’s Declan Spaeth won the boys race in 7:27.05. Charlee Cajes of WSR finished second in 7:32.37, and SCS’ Koen Poole was third with 8:07.91. In U9, Tinian’s Nathaniel Cruz was first with 7:42.82,SCS’s Jace Brennfleck earned silver at 7:43.02, and BSS’s Makai Owens took bronze in 7:45.59.

In the girls division, Brilliant Star School won the team title with 69 points. SCS finished close behind with 74, while Garapan Elementary School had 77.

SCS’s Iris Qin won gold in the girls race and the 12U group in 7:51.16. Mount Carmel School’s Chloe Mostales placed second in 7:59.76, and GES’s Jairie Camacho finished third in 8:56.95.

In the 9U group, GES’s Hazel Cadag took gold with 9:13.96, Koblerville Elementary School’s Erzaleah Such earned silver at 9:21.27, while BSS’s Anzhi Nie took bronze with a time of 9:42.87.