Torgeson, Carey are best in March

Triathletes Eli Torgeson and Mieko Carey were voted Athletes of the Month for March after splendid performances in last month’s 2008 Saipan Sportsfest and XTERRA Guam race.

Torgeson was hands down the March Male Athlete of the Month after putting together three awe-inspiring races in the XTERRA Saipan Championship, Tagaman Triathlon, and Guam XTERRA.

The anesthesiologist at the Commonwealth Health Center finished fourth in the local XTERRA race last March 8 with a time of 3:17:11. A week later, Torgeson conquered the Tagaman event in 3:15:49 to finish fourth overall. And in last weekend’s Guam triathlon, he came in second to XTERRA Saipan and Tagaman champion Andrew Noble of Australia with a time of 2:31:21.

Carey, for her part, finished second behind XTERRA Saipan women’s champion and professional triathlete Renata Bucher of Switzerland with a time of 3:33:29. In the Tagaman seven days later, the pilates instructor and Saipan Swim Club assistant coach came in third behind Bucher and fellow Japanese transplant Maimi Shimizu in 3:32:00. She then concluded her March run with a first-place finish in the Guam XTERRA, conquering the event in 2:47:15.

While triathletes swept the Athlete of the Month honors, it was the swimmers who starred in the Student Athlete of the Month category of NMASA’s monthly citation.

Kai Staal of Saipan Swim Club was adjudged Male Student Athlete of the Month after his performance in March’s Saipan International Meet, 30th Annual SSC Ocean Swim, and in the swim portions of the XTERRA Saipan and Tagaman.

Staal finished first in the boys’ 13-15 division of the international meet last March 1, scoring 72 points; and also won the age group in the 2,500-meter distance of the ocean swim the following day, March 2.

Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan’s Marystar Welch, for her part, won Female Student Athlete of the Month for March after topping the girls’ 13-14 age group of the SSC International Meet.

Other athletes nominated for the monthly awards were Rezne Wong and Sarah Johnson by swimming umbrella federation, Northern Marianas Swimming Federation; and Mili Saiki and Fred Pelisamen from Northern Mariana Islands Volleyball Association and Basketball Association of the Northern Marianas Islands, respectively.