The Sports Leigh-Out Sept. 6-Sept. 12

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.

Logan, Andrew stuns in AVP circuits

NMI’s Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson have been making some serious noise on the beach volleyball scene lately — both internationally and in the U.S. After grabbing silver at the 2025 Palau Pacific Mini Games earlier this summer, the duo kept the momentum going with a big bronze medal win at the AVC Pingtung Open in Chinese Taipei from July 17–20. They battled through tough matches, including a gritty comeback in the quarterfinals, and closed it out strong with a sweep in the third-place match.

Not long after, they were back at it in Ohio for the AVP Next SandBox Open from Aug. 2–3, tearing through the competition to take second place after a close final. Mister then took things up a notch, heading to the legendary AVP Manhattan Beach Open from Aug. 14–17 with new partner Rowdy Lennon, finishing 13th after earning their spot with a strong runner-up finish at the AVP Palm Beach Open earlier in the season. With podium finishes and solid performances across multiple high-level tournaments, Mister and Johnson are proving they belong among the sport’s rising stars.

Youth talent shines at 1st Saipan Int’l Jr. Golf Open

Twenty-one junior golfers teed off at LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort for the inaugural Saipan International Junior Golf Open, showcasing skill, sportsmanship, and island spirit in a day of competitive play on Sept. 7.

Split into two age divisions—A Flight (18U) and B Flight (14U)—the tournament offered young athletes the chance to compete in a professionally organized event, complete with rules officials, guardians serving as caddies, and a touch of local flair. Sprouted coconuts were used as tee markers, symbolizing the growth and development of the next generation of golfers from the islands.

The A Flight division, composed of more experienced junior golfers, began their 18-hole round on Hole 1. In the boys’ division, Zhi Yun Li came out on top, with Kevin Tan finishing second and Aiken Norita placing third. On the girls’ side, Sarah Lim claimed first place, followed by Cyrena Ada in second.

The B Flight (14U) players started on Hole 10 and played 9 holes. In the boys’ division, William Guo took first, James Xiong earned second, and Yutaro Kitagawa rounded out the top three. For the girls, Naomi Shen led the pack, with Chloe Aquino and Sun-yul Park finishing second and third, respectively.

NMI U23 team wraps up debut in AFC tourney

NMI’s U23 national soccer team wrapped up their AFC U23 Asian Cup Qualifiers this week, taking on some of the toughest teams in the region in what turned out to be a challenging but eye-opening experience.

In their last game on Sept. 9, NMI took on Timor-Leste and ended up losing 0-6. It was another tough result, but like the rest of the tournament, it gave the team another chance to learn and grow at the international level.

In their second game on Sept. 6, the team played against tournament hosts China in front of a massive crowd of nearly 31,000 fans. Despite a 0-10 loss, it was one of NMI’s grittiest performances. They managed to hold off China for almost the entire first half, only letting in a goal during stoppage time. Their defense, teamwork, and focus under pressure really stood out. In the second half, China made some fresh subs and pulled away, but NMI kept fighting until the end.

The qualifiers started on Sept. 3 with a tough opener against Australia—one of the best teams in the tourney. The final score was 0-14, a rough start, but also a major learning moment. Playing a team of that level gave the young NMI squad a real taste of the speed, skill, and intensity that comes with top-tier international football.

Micro Games in Nauru moved to 2028

The Micronesian Games, originally scheduled for 2026 in Nauru, have been pushed back to January 2028. The decision was approved unanimously during the Micronesian Games Council’s annual general meeting, held in Nauru on Sunday.

NMI’s representative at the meeting, Northern Marianas Sports Association vice president Ramon Tebuteb, said the change is a positive one—not just for the region, which now has more time to prepare, but also for Nauru. Hosting its first-ever games, Nauru will now have more time to develop its sports facilities and leave a lasting legacy.

Tebuteb, in a phone interview said that members of the MGC were in unanimous support of this. “For me, it’s really about the legacy. The legacy of at least having all the members of the region host. Yap hosted and they didn’t have a lot of facilities but we gave them the opportunity to fix up their facilities and infrastructure. Similar to Marshalls—Nauru is simply asking to give them that opportunity. For me, it’s not all competition, it’s also the legacy for all the federations to host it,” he said.

The Micronesian Games are held every four years, but the last Micronesian Games was held in June 2024 because of the Covid-19 crisis in 2022, forcing previous host Marshall Islands to move the event forward to last year. In a story by Radio New Zealand, it said, “The island also proposed changing the cycle of the Micronesia Games to align with the Olympic calendar, beginning in 2028, to enhance strategic planning and elevate the Games' international relevance.”

At the same meeting, according to RNZ, Nauru also proposed that the 2028 Games competition schedule include boxing, cycling, darts, powerlifting and fishing trolling, as a cultural sport. The current sports in the Games include athletics, basketball (5x5 and 3x3), volleyball (beach and indoor), wrestling, judo, table tennis, tennis, weightlifting, beach volleyball, and the traditional Micronesian sports of all-round fishing and underwater spear-fishing.

Santos, Walsh are top runners in ASC Trust 401K Day 5K

Victor Nash Santos and Gabriel Walsh topped their respective divisions in the inaugural Run Saipan ASC Trust 401K Day Sunset Strides 5K starting and ending at the Garapan Fishing Base on Friday, Sept. 5.

Santos claimed first place overall with a time of 22:02.18; second was Genrev Canolo at 22:22.58 and Dave Odicta was third with 22:27.14.

In the women’s division, Tammy Ackerman finished first at 22:30.20; Lovel Spaeth came in second at 25:03, and Krista Hawley was third at 25:10.

Walsh was first in the U12 boys division with a time of 24:48.82. Declan Spaeth was second at 26:15.58 and Michael Soriano came in third at 41:17.93.

Brooklyn Jones, who placed third overall, won the girls division with a time of 27:30.92. Olivia Walsh was second with 33:22.07, and Ayana Ysabelle Jin finished third at 40:22.28.

4th Annual TTT Mix Classic set for Oct. 4

Youth fishing organization Tasi To Table announces that the 4th Annual Tasi To Table Mix Classic is set for October 4, 2025 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Smiling Cove Marina. Prizes are as follows: $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place.

Registration takes place the day before, October 3, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Smiling Cove Marina.

Registration fees include $200 for each vessel consisting of one captain and two crew members, with $30 for each additional crew member.

Each registration comes with event-exclusive sun shirts with hoods for everyone on your vessel.

The TTT Mix Classic is a fishing derby focused on targeted pelagic fish species. Qualifying pelagic species are as follows: Billfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Mahi Mahi and Skipjack Tuna.

However, in order to qualify your catch, captains/anglers that are submitting a catch must include a combination (for example, Billfish & Wahoo, Yellowfin Tuna & Skipjack Tuna, etc.) of the qualifying pelagic species.

The combined weight of two different pelagic species selected by the team in competition is their weight category to determine the winner. Two of the same species do not qualify.

TTT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the goal of passing fishing knowledge to future generations. Profits raised from TTT’s fishing derbies go towards the organization’s two-year student program for high school students. Through the program, students can earn an elective credit towards graduation, learn various fishing techniques, learn more about the various career opportunities in and around the ocean, practice environmental stewardship, and more.

For more information, email Tasi To Table at tasitotable@gmail.com or call TTT Treasurer Alex Castro Jr. at (670) 789-2539.

BASA men’s open underway

The 2025 Budweiser Belau Amateur Softball Association Open League was in full swing on Sunday at the Dandan Softball Field.

Just 4 Fun beat Brewskees, 14-8; Just Bros won over Saipal, 20-14; Belias Bat Boys trounced Kebruka, 11-1; Akkari took down Homies, 14-7; 4Mia’a defeated Shakas, 16-12; Taza Nei beat Cho’Chu Maigu, 5-3; Mamaaw toppled Kanaka 4, 10-3; and Kliq shot down Blue Jays, 18-2.

Games are played every Sunday.