The Sports Leigh-Out Jan. 26-30, 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.

NMIBF brings Next Play Basketball Program to Rota

The NMI Basketball Federation brought the Next Play Basketball Program to Rota on Jan. 23-25, giving local youth a chance to work on shooting form and basic fundamentals at the Sinapalo Basketball Court with the help of the Office of the Mayor of Rota Aubry Hocog.

During the sessions, participants went through form shooting and skill-development drills with NMIBF’s Mikki Kautz and Marlene Lumabi. They were also able to run a few 3x3 games.

The weather was a challenge throughout the weekend, with rain forcing some cancellations and even moments where organizers and players had to dry the court using pinnies. Finding a schedule that works for the community, the program staff, and the weather remains one of the main logistical hurdles, said Kautz.

For girls who may feel shy or unsure about trying a new sport, the message is simple, said Kautz: “It may feel difficult at first, but what if you end up loving it, or discovering you’re good at it? Every great athlete starts somewhere, even if the beginning is slow. You’ll never know what you’re capable of unless you give it a chance.”

Kautz said they plan to bring the program back to all the islands once it’s more polished, ideally for a longer period than just a weekend. “Our goal is to grow basketball as a whole, not only through player numbers but with coaches and officials as well, and hopefully create confident athletes that want to pursue competition in our national program,” she said.

The Office of the Mayor of Rota Aubry Hocog provided tents and tables to give shade, with additional support from the Division of Community and Cultural Affairs, which allowed use of the Youth Center restrooms during the sessions.

In November, NMIBF brought the program to Tinian, with their first program held in Saipan in October.

Back-to-back volleyball titles for Lady Knights

The Mount Carmel School Lady Knights successfully defended their kingdom in the PSS-NMIVA Girls Middle School Volleyball League in dominant fashion, claiming their back-to-back championship over the Grace Christian Academy Lady Eagles during the 2025-2026 school year with a three-set sweep in the best-of-five finals, 21-12, 21-16, 21-18 on Saturday, Jan. 24.

GCA entered the finals from the winners bracket after beating MCS earlier in the playoffs, and held a one-set advantage, needing just two more to secure the title. But the Lady Knights—who finished as the top team in the regular season—showed why they were still the team to beat.

MCS held down their fortress, shut the door early, controlled all three sets, and sealed their second championship in as many years.

MCS’ starters eighth graders Miana Dela Cruz, Page Muna, Adelle Kautz, Khylee Santos, Victoria Terlaje, and Heaven Deleon Guerrero opened the second set with a roar. Dela Cruz and Kautz set the tone with multiple aces, giving them an almost double digit lead halfway through. The Lady Eagles returned fire with a few aces of their own, but MCS held strong and won.

The third set saw more strong serves and unhittable returns by the Lady Knights. GCA’s C.K. Figueroa, Mikhaela Kim, and Audrey Reyes tried to give their team a good run, but it wasn’t enough to hold back a relentless MCS team. With now a two set win, MCS needed just one more to clinch their second title.

Just like the two previous sets, MCS controlled the lead, but GCA tried to push a late game rally in the last set. They were down by at least seven points and MCS just needed two more to win as GCA closed the gap, 18-20. But, MCS regrouped and got the final point from a diving dig by Muna.

With Muna, Dela Cruz, Kautz, Santos, Terlaje, and Deleon Guerrero were Mikayla Guerrero, Cali Cabrera, Aiyana Pangelinan, Chloe Taimanao, Aliyani Basa, Precious Rubia, and Friella Dela Santa are returning to try to make a run for a three-peat.

The Lady Eagles’ roster with Figueroa, Kim, and Reyes were Gaby Arriola, Celine Mondido, Stacey Ramos, Adele Raho, Hanbyul Jang, Elaine Zhuang, Nalani Takeda, Theia Castro, Bolei Mendez, Olivia Park, and Diva Torres.

Third place went to Dr. Rita H. Inos Junior High School after losing to MCS in the semis.

Anne Lee sweeps U18, women's divisions in SIS tourney

Saipan International School’s Anne Lee stole the spotlight with a dominant performance in both the adult and juniors divisions as SIS’ annual tennis tournament neared its conclusion. The tournament has nearly wrapped up, with only a few matches remaining after rain delays disrupted play.

The adult and high school divisions were contested over the rainy weekend of Jan. 23-25, while the junior division was completed earlier, from Jan. 16-18, at the American Memorial Park and Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan tennis courts.

Lee swept both the Women’s and U18 girls divisions, capturing the Women’s 5.0 Singles title over Stella Choi after clinching the U18 girls championship ahead of Vivian Chung.

The younger Choi put up an impressive fight, battling through a tough first set, but ultimately falling, 6-7. Gassed out, Choi’s momentum dropped and Lee took advantage to seal her win with a convincing 6-0 final set.

In the adult divisions, Cody Park claimed gold in the Men’s 4.0 Singles after winning all three of his matches, while John Kenneth Casauran grabbed silver. John Bradley topped the Men’s 3.0 Singles field, with Tim Watson finishing second.

In the Mixed 3.0 Doubles play, Jacky Chen and Yoyo Han took first place, followed by the team of John Bradley and Miki Zhou. The Mixed 5.0 Doubles title went to June Yu and Vivian Chung, edging out Siwoo Lee and Amy Park.

The Mixed 4.0 Doubles, High School Doubles, and Men’s 5.0 Singles divisions remain unfinished and are scheduled to be completed this week, weather permitting.

Junior division play also wrapped up with strong performances across age groups. In Mini Tennis, the youngest of the age groups at 10 years and below, James Su earned gold, followed by Annabella Zhu, then John Kim.

Isaiah Mook led the U12 boys division with Evan Zhang placing second, while Daniel Kang topped the U14 boys field ahead of Matt Zhu. In the U14 girls division, Fiona Yu finished first, followed by Scarlett Loken. Siwoo Lee took gold in the U18 boys division with Jyle Landicho finishing second, Matt Zhu claimed the U16 boys title over Daniel Kang.

In doubles action, Fiona Yu and Tim Watson won the U12 Mixed Doubles title over Gabriel Walsh and Harper Loken, while Daniel Kang and Vivian Chung captured the U16 Mixed Doubles championship ahead of Matt Zhu and Jenna Pascual.

Team Brick Layers win 3x3 Precinct 4 tourney

Team Brick Layers have won two Saipan Mayor’s Office Precinct 3x3 Youth Basketball tournaments in a row, with their recent first place win in the Precinct 4 Tournament in Tanapag on Saturday, Jan. 24. They beat out the Tanapag Warriors, 30-27.

The team, coached by John Pineda includes team captain Jerrico Pangelinan, Zayden Nekaifes, Ibrahim Ibarola, Spencer Ngiraked, Liam Wilson, Omar Ibarola, Amado Santiago, and Santiago Seman, first won the Precinct 5 tourney in Kagman and are currently leading as the tourney heads into the championship cup soon. Third place was Bombaclots.

SUPHub hosts 1st Double Trouble Mini-Tourney

The Saipan Ultimate Pickleball Hub in Tanapag hosted its first Double Trouble Mini-Tournament on Saturday, Jan. 24.

It featured competitive play in the 3.0 and 3.5 categories, with each division made up of women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and mixed doubles teams.

In the 3.0 division, Mia Ma Arriola and Shanshan Li took gold, followed by Letty Jones and George Hersberger with silver, while Fritz San Nicolas and Clarizz Palumar finished with bronze.

The 3.5 category saw Richard Asuncion and Elisha Chelsea Henzon earn the top spot, with Hector Benitez and Dong Lacbayo placing second, and Mike Manalang and Michael Jornal taking third.

SUPHub plans to hold mini-tournaments monthly and is also working toward launching the Saipan Pickleball League, a one to two month season expected to follow the Major League Pickleball style format.

NMI Basketball Fed’s search for 3x3 nat’l team coaches is on

The Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation will start its search for coaches for the men’s and women’s national squads that will be competing in the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti.

Coaches who aspire to call the shots for the CNMI 3x3 national teams are asked to submit their coaching resume to nmibasketballfederation@gmail.com. The deadline will be on February 28th and announcement of selected coaches will follow after.

With the anticipation of 2027 Pacific Games, NMIBF is inviting coaches that are interested in leading the 3x3 national team program for 2026 and manage the team at Tahiti from July 24th to August 8th. The format for the competition will be an open division category. Four athletes per squad plus one team manager, therefore the selected head coach will also be the team manager.

NMIBF is looking for candidates that have a strong background in 3x3 basketball, with previous experience, able to travel off island and have flexible time to lead in training their respective teams.

The selected head coaches will play a critical role in the success of our national program and the NMIBF knows we have people who are committed and have the ability to take on this big challenge

Information about the tryouts and other criteria for athletes that are interested in being part of the national programs will be out shortly after the selection of the 2026-2027 national coaches.

For more information about the search for national coaches or the national team program, contact NMIBF at nmibasketballfederation@gmail.com or facebook page at Northern Mariana Islands Basketball Federation.

Tan Siu Lin Foundation Donates $10K to NMC Foundation

Continuing its support for higher education in the CNMI, the Tan Siu Lin Foundation has contributed $10,000 to the Northern Marianas College Foundation as a Platinum Sponsor of the upcoming NMC Golf Open, scheduled for March 21 and 22, 2026.

“Education remains one of the strongest investments we can make in our community,” said Merlie Tolentino, Executive Director of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation. “Through our support of the NMC Golf Open, we are proud to help advance opportunities for students and contribute to the long-term growth and resilience of the CNMI.”

The NMC Golf Open will be a two-day tournament held at LaoLao Bay Golf and Resort, with a registration fee of $250 per player.

“The continued support of the Tan Siu Lin Foundation is instrumental to the success of our Foundation’s initiatives,” said Ben Babauta, Chairperson of the NMC Foundation. “Their commitment helps Northern Marianas College expand access to education and strengthen workforce development efforts across the Commonwealth.”

The tournament, which is the signature fundraising event of the NMC Foundation, aims to raise funds to build and equip modern, innovative campus facilities that will help expand the CNMI’s workforce development efforts, stimulate economic growth, and provide greater access to quality education for residents of the CNMI.

Like previous tournaments, this year’s event will feature thousands of dollars in prizes, including a $15,000 cash prize sponsored by Pacifica Insurance Underwriters, among other exciting giveaways.

Interested companies and individuals who would like to help the College with its rebuilding efforts can donate educational tax credit, cash, or in-kind contributions by visiting www.marianas.edu/golf or by contacting Helen Camacho at helen.camacho@marianas.edu, Raynard Travilla at raynard.travilla@marianas.edu, or Miguel Dandan at miguel.dandan@marianas.edu.

Golfers who would like to register for the upcoming tournament can also visit www.marianas.edu/golf. Only online payments are accepted for this upcoming golf open.

For more updates, follow Northern Marianas College on Facebook and Instagram (nmc.proa) or visit www.marianas.edu. (PR)