The Sports Leigh-Out Aug 9-15

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.

U20 Women’s National Soccer Team makes history with 1st AFC WIN

What better way to celebrate the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association than with NMI’s first-ever win in an AFC qualifier on Sunday, Aug. 10.

The U20 Women’s National Team closed out the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers in style, defeating Bahrain 3-0 in a dominant final match.

Star striker Kaithlyn Chavez led the charge with two goals and an assist, setting up Summer Manahane for the third.

The win came after a tough start to the tournament—losses to Uzbekistan, 0-8, and Jordan, 1-6, but the team bounced back with resilience, growth, and a history-making performance they’ll never forget.

Big medal haul for Trench Tech Jiu Jitsu team in Guam

NMI’s young martial artists racked up a record haul of 17 medals for Trench Tech Purebred Saipan in the 2025 Påtgon Jiu Jitsu Tournament last Saturday, Aug 9, at UOG Field House in Mangilao, Guam.

The 11 medalists were:

• Jacqueline Iris Quitugua – two silver medals (Gi and No-Gi) in Junior 1 – Male – No Max

• Jerome Camacho Cruz – bronze (Gi) in Junior 1 – Male – White – No Max

• Noel Richard Matagolai Quitugua – silver (Gi) in Junior 2 – Male – White – No Max

• Athena Quitugua Feger – gold (Gi) and silver (No-Gi) in PeeWee 2 – Female – White – 42 lbs

• Jordan Quitugua Camacho – bronze (Gi) in Junior 1 – Male – Grey – No Max

• Justo Jeremiah Quitugua – two silver medals (Gi and No-Gi) in Teen 2 – Male – Grey – 143 lbs

• Trey Manglona – silver (No-Gi) in Teen Division

• Victor Igitol – silver (Gi) and bronze (No-Gi) in Junior 1 Division

• Ava Arriola Igitol – bronze (No-Gi) in Junior 2 Division

• Gerard Naputi – silver (Gi) in Teen 2 – Male – White – 143 lbs and bronze (No-Gi) in Teen 2 – Grey – 143 lbs

• Umatalaf Naputi – bronze (No-Gi) in Junior 1 – Grey – 60 lbs

There were 13 athletes in all including Deighton Muna and Joseph Cruz Jr.

Marlene Lumabi in Tbilisi, Georgia for FIBA Coaching Program

Marlene Lumabi, basketball coach and board member of the Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation, recently took part in the FIBA Europe Coaching Certificate (FECC) program in Tbilisi, Georgia.

The FECC is a top-tier coaching development program that trains coaches working with young talent. It combines classroom sessions, hands-on learning, and live observation of European youth championships. Participants learn from elite coaches like Svetislav Pešić and Pablo Laso, covering everything from fundamentals and tactics to psychology, nutrition, and performance science.

Beyond the knowledge, the FECC offers a valuable chance to grow professionally and build connections in the international basketball community.

Champions crowned in Crowne Plaza Open 2025

Emotions on high after the finale of the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2025! After a whirlwind six days of intense action, thrilling showdowns, unforgettable performances, unexpected upsets, and hometown pride, champions were crowned on Sunday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

Japanese players came out on top in all matches—the men’s and women’s singles, mixed doubles, and men’s and women’s doubles.

In an epic comeback, Yudai Okimoto found momentum and confidence in the second set to push out South Korea's Kim Hae Deun in three sets that had everyone on the edge of their seats, 13-21, 21-15, 21-18.

Sakura Masuki redeemed herself with a first place finish in the women’s singles after taking down South Korea’s Park Ga Eun in another three-set game, 15-21, 21-11, 21-14.

In the mixed doubles, Akira Koga and Yuho Imai bested Haruki Kawabe and Kokona Ishikawa, 21-19, 21-13. As for the women’s doubles, Ririna Hiramoto and Kokona Ishikawa made light work of fellow countrymen Hinata Suzuki and Nao Yamakita 21-17, 21-15. And in the men’s double, Kakeru Kumagai and Hiroki Nishi bested Haruki Kawabe and Kenta Matsukawa, in the final three-set matchup of the tourney, 21-15, 23-25, 21-13.

Century Insurance Saipan International underway

After Japan swept the Crowne Plaza Northern Marianas Open 2025, the Century Insurance Saipan International 2025 kicked off yesterday at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium—bringing the same, if not even more, intensity, passion, and edge-of-your-seat action.

Notably, this tournament has been selected as a trial event for the proposed new Badminton World Federation scoring system. Instead of the usual 3x21 format, matches are being played in a 3x15 format. As one of the first tournaments in the world to test this new system, it offers players, coaches, and other stakeholders a valuable opportunity to provide feedback that could shape the future of the sport.

Yesterday was the semis, with the finals set for later this afternoon.

Lady Sufa, Eagle Rays wrap up BASA regular season with wins

The prolonged 2025 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association masters and women’s League finally completed their last round of makeup games last Sunday at the Dandan Softball Field, as Lady Sufa let it rain against Bat & Boujee, 6-2, while the Eagle Rays swam past Pelelliu, 22-11.

In other women’s results, Batties outscored Dirty Diamonds, 5-4, while in other masters games, Man Amigos defeated Cholos in a close game, 12-11, and Sufa beat Tokahao, 16-14.

Sinapalo II basketball court renovation completed

In a social media post by the Rota Public Information Office, they shared that the renovation of the Sinapalo II Basketball Court in Rota was completed and will reopen to the public on Monday, Aug. 18.

The Municipality of Rota is proud to announce the successful completion of the Sinapalo II Basketball Court renovation, made possible through grant funding from the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation (NMHC) Community Development Block Grant. This project included replacing the backboards and lights, resurfacing and repainting the court, and enhancing the facility to better serve our youth and community.

On August 7, 2025, the Sinapalo Youth Center and the Sinapalo II Basketball Court underwent their final inspections by NMHC officials. Today, August 14, 2025, Mayor Aubry M. Hocog officially signed the completion document for the Sinapalo II Basketball Court, signifying that the project is now ready to be turned over to NMHC and the Municipality of Rota.

The Sinapalo II Basketball Court will officially reopen to the public on Monday, August 18, 2025, offering a refreshed and improved space for recreation, sports, and community gatherings.

Looking ahead, Mayor Hocog plans to resubmit additional grant proposals for the construction of an awning to further enhance the facility’s usability. We have submitted through NMHC CDBG for the awning but the project proposal was not selected this fiscal year. We will try again or look for any other grant funding source.

We extend our heartfelt appreciation to the contractors for their dedication and quality work, and to the NMHC inspectors for taking the time to ensure the facilities meet the highest standards.

Cardinals fly to 20-0 blowout against Akkari

The Cardinals soared to their sixth straight win in the continuation of the 2025 Saipan Baseball League on Thursday at the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field.

K.J. Villagomez shut down Akkari’s lineup, while the Cardinals’ offense exploded in the top of the third with 14 runs, sealing a 20-0 blowout that ended by run mercy rule after just three innings.