Photo finish for SIS, DMS in track & field champs

The Oleai Sports Complex was bustling with electric energy once again as middle school and high school track stars from Saipan, Tinian, and Rota put on a final show stopping performance during the two-day PSS-McDonald’s All Schools Athletics Championship 2024-2025. Despite the blazing sun and sudden downpours, the student-athletes dug deep, left everything on the track, and delivered performances packed with grit, heart, and high-octane action.

When the final baton was passed and the last spikes crossed the finish line, Saipan International School dominated the leaderboard.

The Geckos clinched triple gold, powering their way to the top of the high school girls division with 129 points, sprinting ahead in the high school boys division with 76 points, and steamrolling the middle school girls division with a commanding 134 points.

In the middle school boys division, it was Dandan Middle School that ruled the lanes, racking up a massive 190 points to take home top honors and bragging rights.

Second to the Lady Geckos’ high school team were Agape Christian School at 115 points, while Marianas High School claimed third place at 45 points. ACS were also second place in the high school boys division with 67 points, and MHS placed third again with 64 points.

In the middle school girls division, second place as DMS at 61 points, while Tinian Jr. High School was third at 50 points.

Second to DMS in the middle school boys division was Hopwood Middle School 45 points, while Chacha Ocean View Middle School was third at 29 points.

SIS coach Angela Taflinger said of their school’s championship run, “Super excited. This group of kids are not only academically challenging themselves and pushing themselves, but they do sports, all the activities, and they really put forth a lot of effort. I’m incredibly blessed to be their coach and push them and challenge them throughout this whole season, so it’s been pretty awesome.”

The SIS counselor and teacher said that they’re building a new team as they have a lot of new sprinters and field athletes, so she’s looking forward to the team competing again next year. As for the competition this year, she said, “continues to grow… track and field and running has just exploded here on island."

Below are individual results from each championship track and field event:

14U boys 800m:

• Francisco M. Sablan Middle School’s Jonny Hossain was first at 2:24.30.

• DMS’ Jacob Encabo ran into second place at 2:26.50.

• SIS’ Andre Guerrero was third at 2:33.34.

14U girls 800m was a clean sweep by SIS:

• Faith Arriola was first at 2:49.88.

• Neveah Arriola clinched second with 2:56.58.

• Windsor Gross came in third at 2:58.28.

18U boys 800m:

• SIS’ Landen Taflinger was first with 2:09.96.

• Saipan Southern High School’s Simon Tang was second at 2:10.15.

• MHS’ Michael Miller was third at 2:11.79.

18U Girls 800m:

• SIS’ Kaithlyn Chavez was first with 2:25.95.

• SIS’ Addalee Taflinger was second at 2:29.85.

• ACS’ Sablina Chen came in third at 2:47.91.

14U boys 100m:

• FMS’ Johnny Villanueva was first at 12.81 seconds.

• HMS’ Zuriel Abejo claimed second at 12.92 seconds.

• DMS’ Manuel Villagomez was third at 13.18 seconds.

14U girls 100m:

• Tinian Jr. High School’s Ysabelaa Lenteja (unattached) was first at 14.19 seconds,

• SIS’ Beatrice Gross came in second at 14.56 seconds.

• HMS’ Anica Aquino sprinted into third at 14.75 seconds.

18U boys 100m:

• Grace Christian Academy’s Theodore Rodgers was the fastest at 11.97 seconds.

• SSHS’ Christopher Cruz clocked in at 12.08 for second place.

• MHS’ James Mercader was third at 12.10 seconds.

18U girls 100m:

•Iris Rasa from MHS claimed the top spot at 14.03 seconds.

•SIS’ Aubrey White was second at 14.26 seconds.

•ACS’ Mary Zhu came in third at 14.58 seconds.

14U boys 400m:

•Abejo claimed first place again with a time of 1:01.11.

•Jpiel Calsita from DMS was second at 1:06.23.

•Jeffrey Pangelinan from DMS ran into third place at 1:04.49.

14U girls 400m:

•Lenteja was first again at 1:09.59.

•Faith Arriola clinched second at 1:11.77.

•Third went to Alyssa Mendiola with 1:12.56.

18U boys 400m:

•ACS’ Caleb Cui won it with a time of 56.44.

•Tang came in a close second at 56.45.

•Kagman High School’s Nolan Ngewakl was third with 56.63.

18U girls 400m was a clean sweep by SIS runners:

•Chavez was first at 1:04.04.

•Taflinger was second at 1:05.54.

•White came in third at 1:11.07.

14U boys 3,000m:

•Encabo clinched first once again at 11:38.36.

•Chacha Ocean View Middle School’s Kyle Naputi was second at 11:56.22.

•DMS’ Yu Xi Lu was third at 12:10.58.

14U girls 3,000m was another sweep by SIS runners:

•Faith Arriola came in first at 13:45.10.

•Neveah Arriola was second at 13:46.69.

•Jamie Whang was third at 14:17.63.

18U boys 3,000m:

•Nash Santos claimed the top spot at 10:07.39.

•ACS’ Raffy Cai came in second at 10:08.93.

•MHS’ Takeru Jum was third at 10:21.86.

18U girls 3,000m:

•Chavez was first yet again at 12:45.85.

•Taflinger was second at 12:59.51.

•Shen came in third with 13:14.28.

14U boys long jump:

•Villagomez jumped the farthest at 4.85m.

•Kaleb Reyes was second at 4.78m.

•Encabo claimed the third spot at 4.69m.

14U girls long jump:

•Lenteja had the longest jump at 4.53m.

•HMS’ Alina Esakova came in second at 3.89m.

•Beatrice Gross was right behind at 3.88m.

18U boys long jump:

•Rodgers jumped to first at 5.46m.

•MHS’ Jasper Hall claimed second at 5.39m.

•KHS’ Austin Diaz was third at 5.38m.

18U girls long jump:

• ACS’ Joanna Zhang came in first at 3.93m.

•SSHS’ Ha’ani Passi was a close second at 3.92m.

•ACS’ Mary Zhu jumped into third at 3.90m.

14U boys javelin:

•Reyes threw the farthest at 34.74m.

•DMS’ Kunni Cepeda was second at 29.03m.

•ACS’ Tom Chen was third at 28.54m.

14U girls javelin:

•Tinian’s Ka’isa San Nicolas was first at 24.18m.

•Tinian’s Paige Sandbergen came in second at 18.24m.

•DMS’ Liana Sokau claimed third with a throw of 16.34m.

18U boys javelin:

•Tinian’s Marcial Patio was first with a throw of 38.29m.

•KHS’ Javen Camacho claimed second at 34.31m.

•Tinian’s Bonny Gonzales was third at 33.60m.

18U girls javelin:

•Tinian’s Serenity Guzman threw her way to first at 22.76m.

•SSHS’ Phoenix Gross was second with 21.79m.

•KHS’ Nana Quitano was third at 20.14m.

14U boys 200m:

•Peter Camacho from Tanapag Middle School sprinted to first at 24.13m.

•Abejo claimed second with 25.27 seconds.

•GCA’s Hyunwoo Cho was third at 28.78 seconds.

14U girls 200m:

•Lenteja was first at 29.55 seconds.

•Beatrice Gross claimed the second spot at 29.77 seconds.

•Aquino was third at 30.37 seconds.

18U boys 200m:

•Rodgers was the fastest yet again at 23.9 seconds.

•SIS’ Sean Park was second at 24.33 seconds.

•Tang came in third at 24.55 seconds.

18U girls 200m:

•Chavez was the fastest once again with a time of 27.75 seconds.

•White came in second at 29.04 seconds.

•Rasa was third place with her time of 29.56 seconds.

14U boys discus:

•Reyes hurled the discus the farthest at 36.1m.

•Peter Camacho was second with his throw of 29.72m.

•Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr./Sr. High School was third with 25.87m.

14U girls discus:

•Lenteja had the farthest throw of 25.83m.

•Ka’isa San Nicolas had the second farthest throw of 21.38m.

•Sandbergen was third at 21.26m.

18U boys discus:

•SIS’ Casey Chambers was first place with a throw of 32.82m.

•Javen Camacho was second with a throw of 31.06.

•MHS’ Dereck Rangamar claimed third place at 30.23m.

18U girls discus:

•Abby Ong from Tinian claimed the top spot with a throw of 22.92m.

•ACS’ Iris Chen was second at 21.50m.

•ACS’ Elim Luo came in third at 20.83m.

14U boys shotput:

•Cepeda was first at 11.18m.

•Peter Camacho clinched second at 9.98m.

•DMS’ Francisco Whitman was third at 9.48m.

14U girls shotput:

•Ka’isa San Nicolas was first at 9.76m.

•Sandbergen was second at 8.75m.

•Rota’s Keija Manglona came in third at 7.16m.

18U boys shotput:

•GCA’s Julian Taitano had the farthest throw at 10.33m.

•Bonny Gonzales was second at 10.16m.

•Third went to SIS’ Sui Yi at 9.8m.

18U girls shotput:

•Elim Luo was first place with a distance of 6.78m.

•Ong came in second at 6.73m.

•Iris Chen was third at 6.57m.

14U boys 4x100m:

•First place was DMS with a time of 51.25 seconds.

•Second place was FMS at 52.67 seconds.

•Third was HMS at 53.49 seconds.

14U girls 4x100m:

•First place was SIS at 58.67 seconds.

•Second place was DMS at 59.84 seconds.

•Third place went to HMS at 1:02.71.

18U boys 4x100m:

•First place was ACS at 48.30 seconds.

•SSHS came in second at 50.07 seconds.

•Third went to MHS at 50.69.

18U girls 4x100m:

•First place was SIS at 56.46 seconds.

•Second place was MHS at 59.64 seconds.

•Third place went to ACS at 1:00.90.

14U boys 4x400m:

•DMS was first at 4:22.95.

•Second went to HMS at 4:37.02.

•Third was COVMS at 4:49.6.

14U girls 4x400m:

•SIS clinched the top spot at 5:07.5.

•DMS was second at 5:07.66.

•GCA was third place at 5:29.34.