The Sports Leigh-Out Aug 2-8

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.

Crowne Plaza Open 2025 underway

The first of two international competitions—the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2025 is well underway at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

The competition, now nearing its end with the championship rounds scheduled for tomorrow, features 17 participating countries and hundreds of players competing for the $17,500 prize pool.

On Day three last Thursday, the NMI bagged its first win of the tourney as mixed doubles partners Jude Mallari and Genelyn Lansangan stunned Germany’s Devereux/Toepffer in a thrilling three-game match. The juniors from the Northern Marianas held their nerve to clinch the win, 21-18, 17-21, 21-16.

In other results, top seed Tanya Hemanth made a strong debut, overcoming Japan’s Nodoka Sunakawa 21-18, 21-9 after a tight first game; third seed Park Ga Eun survived a marathon match against Yuan Chi Liao, eventually prevailing 21-19, 19-21, 22-20 in a contest that tested both players’ endurance and composure; Oceania Champion Shaunna Li exited the tournament after a hard-fought three-game loss to Japan’s Ririna Hiramoto, 15-21, 21-18, 12-21; top seed Jeon Hyeok Jin showed his class with a dominant 21-12, 21-10 win over Jewel Albo; Yudai Okimoto upset third seed Misha Zilberman to secure a 21-19, 21-17 win; the day’s longest match saw Choi Jihoon edge out Koya Iwano in a 73-minute thriller. After dropping the first game, Choi rallied to win 17-21, 21-14, 21-19.

Prime, G Rollers take 2025 APEC ‘ship

The undefeated teams of the 2025 APEC U18 Boys’ and Women’s Basketball League capped off the season by claiming the coveted championship titles, as Prime defeated the Hericanes, 44–34, in the women’s division, while Turnkey Solutions–G Rollers edged out the Hardt Eye–MP Raiders, 39–36, in the U18 finals at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium late Thursday night.

In the first championship game of the night, the young and dynamic Prime squad—composed of middle school and high school players—never took their eyes off the trophy. Riding the momentum of a dominant, undefeated regular season and playoffs run, they brought their energy and grit into the finals.

The Hericanes, a veteran-heavy team, didn’t go down without a fight, but their only lead came in the first half by just two points. Prime quickly tied it up and eventually pulled away after leading 19–17 at halftime.

Hericanes’ Rachel Langu held it down in the paint, using her height and strong post play to finish with 14 points. But Prime's Azzy Fatialofa matched that output, while Jahsmin Ramon chipped in nine of her own. In the second half, Prime built a commanding lead—up by as much as 14 points at 38–24. A late-game spark from the Hericanes, with back-to-back threes from Kaia Travilla and Shaina Malonzo, brought them within 10 points. Still, Prime stayed composed, locked down on defense, and sealed the win, as the Hericanes couldn’t quite stir up the storm they needed to overcome the deficit.

In the much-anticipated boys’ finals, both teams were evenly matched, and the game delivered everything fans could ask for—drama, heated calls, technical fouls, and undeniable passion for the sport.

The Raiders came out strong from the tip-off, executing plays smoothly while the G Rollers scrambled to find their rhythm. The Raiders quickly built a 10-point lead, 17–7, and seemed in full control. But just before the first half closed, things began to unravel. The Raiders stalled at 17 points, while the G Rollers surged back with a nine-point run fueled by Jairus Pangilinan, Michael Mercado, and Kian Helgen, pulling within one at 16–17. The half ended with the Raiders holding a narrow 19–17 lead.

From there, the game became a back-and-forth battle filled with multiple ties, keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats. Tension ran high with the championship on the line—emotions flared, scuffles nearly broke out, and some injuries were sustained. Technical fouls were called on both sides more than once, as intensity boiled over in key moments.

In the final seconds, the Raiders had a chance to tie the game and send it to overtime. Webb Alano stepped up to the free throw line with everything on the line. He made the first shot to bring it to 36–37—but missed the second. With just four seconds remaining, the game ultimately came down to free throws. On the G Rollers’ final possession, Helgen returned to the line and calmly sank two clutch shots to seal the win, 39–36.

Swim team wraps up Singapore stint with 2 more nat’l records

NMI’s young swim team made up of Maria Batallones, Kouki Watanabe, Michael Miller, and Piper Raho wrapped up their time in the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore with two more national records.

On the final day last Saturday, Batallones set a new record in the 50m breaststroke with a time of 34.53 seconds and swam into first place in her heat. Then, the 4x100m freestyle relay team of Miller, Raho, Watanabe, and Batallones swam their way to the national record of 4:01.29.

Prior to this, more national records were set throughout the championships. Batallones reset the 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:17.38 which is also the 17-18 age group record. The youngest in the group, Raho also made a statement as she swam to the 50m backstroke national record with a time of 31.76 seconds. The team of Batallones, Raho, Miller, and Kouki Watanabe then swam their way to the national record of the 4x100m mixed medley relay with a time of 4:27.88.

As for personal bests, Watanabe recorded a best swim of 1:08.90 in the 100m breaststroke; Miller bagged two personal bests—one in the 50m butterfly with a time of 27.64 seconds, and in the 50m freestyle with a time of 25.28 seconds. Raho also reset her PB in the 200m backstroke with a time of 2:38.43, and in the 100m backstroke with 1:11.72.

Burger fest: Sports, food, beer, fun

Good food and cold beer always add up to good vibes by the beach under the summer sun—especially during Budweiser’s Burger Fest last Saturday at the Marianas Beach Resort. The day had it all, from fun games and sports on land and sea—paddleboarding, the Beer Mile with Run Saipan, pickleball with the Pickleball Federation, and cornhole. Not to mention, a King of the Grill was crowned, and the MLB Flyaway winner battled his way to a trip to New York.

Ray Salas came out on top, beating nine other finalists to win the grand prize in Marpac’s giveaway—a roundtrip ticket to New York to watch the New York Yankees take on the Boston Red Sox live on August 22.

In the King of the Grill competition, Team Chagi brought the heat with their burger, which was crowned the best out of four entries.

As for the sports happening throughout the day—from the shore to the garden and hotel courts—participants gave it their all in friendly, fun competitions that filled the grounds with high spirits and laughter.

Over on the beach, runners in the 4th Annual Michelob Ultra Beer Mile tested their limits, trying to keep their stomachs in check while chugging four beers and sprinting along the shore under the blazing Saipan sun.

After all competitors had their turn chugging beer and kicking up the sand, Matt Giovannoni came out on top with a time of 9:10, with second place Leith Pool at 9:24. The women’s first place was Tammy Ackerman at 13:19 and second place went to Robyn Spaeth at 16:51.

The corporate division winner was Marpac with a time of 7:24. The team included James Lee, Coby Santos, Chioni Dela Cruz, and John Diaz.

Run Saipan acknowledged Marpac/Current CNMI for their sponsorship of the race.

In the water, the winner of the paddleboarding competition was Jenisha Dubrall who beat out five other paddlers. Meanwhile, the garden was filled with cornhole teams, while the pickleball court was overflowing with players of all ages.

NMI U20 falls to Jordan, 1-6

The NMI Women’s U20 National Team kickstarted their stint in the Asian Football Conference U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with a 1-6 loss against Jordan on Wednesday.

The day was hot but the competition was hotter as despite a goal by Megan Elayda in the 74th minute, Jordan sealed the win with a 6-goal barrage that NMI couldn’t catch up to.

The next match is against host team Uzbekistan, then against Bahrain on Sunday, August 10.

Athletics remain undefeated in SBL

The young Athletics team outscored the Falcons, 4-1, in the continuation of the Saipan Baseball League and extended their win streak to five games on Thursday night at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.