NMI team for Asia Pacific x-country champs set

The CNMI’s high school cross country team roster is set for the 2024 Asia Pacific Invitational Cross Country Championships this Oct. 20-22 in Chiba, Japan.

The runners are from five Saipan high schools and are competing against other high school student-athletes around the Asia-Pacific region, from host country Japan, as well as Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, Palau, Hong Kong, and Guam.

There will be about 34 teams with about 400 high school runners—the largest numbers the championships have had, according to Dr. Ron Snyder, the CNMI’s cross country team coach.

In the event, they will race twice—a traditional 5K course and then a relay where boys and girls will race together in 2.5K segments.

The Saipan runners were chosen based on their performance in the past two PSS/NMA All Schools Cross-Country 2024-2025 qualifiers at the CPA Airport Field and the Run Saipan Invitational at the American Memorial Park.

The boys team include Victor Nash Santos (Saipan International School), Takeru Jim (Marianas High School), Jireh Wang (Agape Christian School), Michael Miller (Marianas High School), James Fan (ACS), Raffy Cai (ACS), Simon Tang (Saipan Southern High School), Landen Taflinger (Saipan International School), Samuel Zhu (ACS), and Steve Yang (ACS), and alternatives Joseph Yang (ACS), Benny Li (ACS), Frank Lumanlan (MHS), Victor Neil Santos (SIS), and Junseo Kim (SIS).

The girls team is made up of Andrei Kaithlyn Chavez (SIS), Addalee Taflinger (SIS), Sablina Shen (ACS), Aubrey White (SIS), Lucy Hong (ACS), Mary Zhu (ACS), Julie Chavez (SIS), Catherine Pan (MHS), Jian Chun (MHS), Joanna Zhang (ACS), and alternates Jessica Chen (ACS), Joyce Ying (ACS), Megan Elayda (SSHS), Chae Eun Wendy Kim (Mount Carmel School), and Hannah Lim (MHS).

Victor Nash, who placed first in both qualifiers, said that qualifying for the championships, “It’s a great opportunity for me to compete with runners from other places. I know there are way faster runners out there, but I know that with experience, it will shape me to become a better runner, and just being able to qualify, it’s an amazing blessing and I just couldn’t be more grateful for it.”

Results of the second qualifier of the PSS/NMA All Schools Cross-Country 2024-2025—the Run Saipan Invitational—at the American Memorial Park will be posted in the next issues of Saipan Tribune.