The Sports Leigh-Out January 3-9 2026

Hafa Adai and Tirow sports fans, this is Leigh Gases with this week’s Sports Leigh-Out brought to you by Joeten Motors!

Let’s take a closer look at what our athletes have been up to in off-island competitions and on their home turf—whether it’s on the pitch, mat, courts, fields, track, pools, or the beautiful ocean.

PSS sports is back

After the holiday break, classes and sports are back in session starting with the NMIVA-PSS Girls Middle School Volleyball League on Tuesday, Jan. 6 at the Koblerville Gymnasium. Defending champions Mount Carmel School kept their momentum with another win this time over Francisco M. Sablan Middle School in three tough sets, 14-21, 25-24, 15-11. Meanwhile, the Co-Ed Elementary School Basketball League’s playoffs are underway at the Agape Christian School Gymnasium. The championships are set for today.

New bullpen brings Korean WBC team as CNMI baseball continues to grow

The completion of the new pitcher’s bullpen at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field on Thursday, Jan. 8, brings international teams back to CNMI, beginning with the Korean World Baseball Classic team and marking a return to hosting international training camps and competitions.

Before Typhoon Yutu tore through the Oleai Sports Complex in 2018, the CNMI regularly hosted regional tournaments and training camps for several professional baseball teams. While the bleachers and press box were later renovated and put back into use just in time for the 2022 Mini Games and ongoing local leagues, the absence of a bullpen prevented the CNMI from hosting off-island teams at the same level it once did.

Now complete after a little more than a month through a collaboration with the Department of Corrections Community Outreach Program, the Marianas Visitors Authority, and the Northern Marianas Sports Association, the bullpen is reopening those opportunities. This will boost sports tourism and give local players more chances to develop alongside higher-level competition.

Marianas Visitors Authority chairman Warren Villagomez confirmed that from Jan. 10-22, the Korean national team will hold their training camp in Saipan. According to the Korea JooAng Daily, Los Angeles Dodgers utility player Kim Hye-seong will join the team during the camp.

Villagomez said that this new bullpen just adds on to the CNMI as a sports tourism destination. “We hope there will be more sports related interests—not just in Saipan, but in Rota and Tinian as well,” he said. They are also looking at promoting the track and field to host training camps or more competitions.

Saipan Baseball League board member Herman Kintol said the CNMI will also host the 2027 WBSC U15 Baseball Oceania qualifier tournament and said that the newly built pitching bullpen is a welcome addition to the facilities. He added, “Having a team come to train here is great for our economy. We’re really excited. It helps attract former and new teams from Japan and Korea. We have beautiful weather year-round, a facility that’s up to par, and more importantly, we have a huge baseball community.”

Heaven on Earth, Pantheon are Agape Christmas V-ball champs

The year started with a bang, and it felt like fireworks exploded on the court with each point in the Annual Agape Christmas Volleyball Tournament at the Agape Christian School Gymnasium on Saturday, Jan. 3.

The women’s division saw Heaven on Earth toppling defending champions Lady Starz in a five-set championship showdown, 25-15, 25-16, 13-25, 21-25, 16-14.

It was a fiery game in an even hotter gym with two evenly matched teams—Heaven on Earth, made up of veteran players Michelle Masga, Somia Quan, Kathy Winkfield, Regene Palacios, Caydince Masga, Toni Kasilyn Olopai, Charnessa Lizama, Trina Palacios, Kaia Travilla, Rae Rogolofoi, Serafina Rogoyawa, Dayna Macaranas, and Naiomi Billimon. The young Lady Starz squad was composed mostly of national team players Aiko Rasiang, Katriel Saures, Veralei Hapdei, Vinalei Hapdei, Jasmine John, Ha’ani Passi, Triana Sablan, Yasmeen Younis, Erica Zandueta, and Mei Rengiil.

The battle-tested Heaven on Earth team fought their way to the finals against top-seeded Lady Starz and carried their momentum into the championship, winning the first two sets and looking to ascend quickly to the title. However, Lady Starz showed why they were the defending champions with a loud comeback in the third set, 25-13. With hard kills and strong serves, Lady Starz forced a winner-take-all fifth set after narrowly winning the fourth, 25-21. The final set turned into another nail-biter and went into deuce, with Heaven on Earth finally clinching the win through well-placed touches, 16-14.

Olopai said of their win, “It was exciting. Just continuing to push through even though we were tired playing the whole day coming out of the loser’s bracket.” With losing the third and fourth set, she said that in the fifth set, they talked more and dug for every ball. “Instead of going for power, it was more placement,” she said of their strategy.

She added, “overall, it was a really nice tournament. We appreciate Agape for hosting this every year and it was really fun. I would like to encourage more people to come out even if you’re not a volleyball player, it helps build the sport, and it’s fun—it gets us all moving.”

Meanwhile, the men’s division also went the distance in another five-set battle, with Pantheon defeating 4 Starz, 25-22, 25-14, 25-27, 19-25, 15-11.

O’Sullivan cooks up 3-peat in annual mile race

While the world waited for the clock to strike midnight to welcome the new year, some kicked off the last day of 2025 with a bang—an early morning run in the Run Saipan Run From ’25 1-mile race at the Oleai Sports Complex.

Just like clockwork, one runner won it again. Chef Jody O’Sullivan clocked the fastest time on the new course, which started on the track and field and headed north toward Modern Stationery and back. O’Sullivan has now won the one-miler three years in a row, finishing this time in 5:34. Victor Neil Santos took second at 5:47, while Dave Odicta placed third with a time of six minutes flat.

After the race, O’Sullivan said, “I’m really happy to have done a decent time and really happy to have won as well.” On the new course, he added, “It’s actually lovely. The last few ones have been down at Peace Park, but this is lovely. There was kind of a change of scenery, change of terrain—it was good. As usual, Run Saipan put on a really tight event.”

In the women’s division, Tammy Ackerman finished first at 6:24. Nelly Min took second at 7:59, and Errica Long rounded out the top three with a time of 8:44.

Along with celebrating the end of the year, a few runners also used the race to mark a milestone after completing another full year of running every day. Sheila Isla and Marjorie Ganacias completed their 1,096th day—marking their third year of running daily—while Northern Marianas College President Galvin Deleon Guerrero wrapped up his fourth year.

Deleon Guerrero said, “Run Saipan puts on a lot of great events. It helps keep everyone healthy. There’s great camaraderie among the runners, and you don’t have to be a hardcore runner to do Run Saipan events. Today’s event was just one mile. It was a different route, but still invigorating.”

During the awards ceremony, Run Saipan also presented its Excellence Service Award to one of its officials and photographer Jonathan Sugatan. Robin Sapong said, “We want to shout out a special person who comes out and tells our story through photos. Most of his photos went out there without being charged. He’s been with us since we were underground, and now we’re above ground in a world-class facility.” Sapong then thanked Sugatan for his service as he continues his military service in the states.

Saipan Marathon 2026 validated, officially registered by World Athletics

Northern Marianas Athletics is pleased to announce that the Saipan Marathon, scheduled for March 7, 2026 has been validated and officially registered by World Athletics.

The event will be published on the World Athletics Global Calendar and is recognized as a World Athletics World Rankings Competition, further elevating the Saipan Marathon’s international profile.

This achievement reflects the strong partnership between Northern Marianas Athletics and the Marianas Visitors Authority highlighting Saipan as a welcoming and unique destination for runners from around the world.

We look forward to welcoming athletes and visitors to Saipan for a globally recognized race experience in 2026.