14 to compete in Asia Pacific Cross Country champs

Fourteen of the CNMI’s cross country runners are off to compete in the Asia Pacific International Cross Country Championships on Guam today and tomorrow.

The runners are from six Saipan high schools and are competing against other high school students from Japan, Palau, South Korea, and Guam.

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

The CNMI team consists of Victor Nash Santos from Mount Carmel School; Pia Ngewakl from Kagman High School; Jireh Wang and Samuel Zhu from Agape Christian School; Deseha Mendiola and Summer Manahane from Saipan Southern High School; Serin Chung, Kaithlyn Chavez, and Landen Taflinger from Saipan International School; and Takeru Jim, Rex Pixley, Pony Tang, Michael Miller, and Jian Chun from Marianas High School.

They will go up against runners from schools at Palau XC, Guam Adventist Academy, John F. Kennedy High School, Seisen International School, Southern High School, Christian Academy in Japan, International School of the Sacred Hearts, Gyeonggi Suwon International School, Yongsang International School- Seoul, Academy of Our Lady of Guam, Canadian Academy, Japan, Guam High School, St. Mary’s International School, George Washington High School, Chadwick International, Cheongna Dalton School, Father Duenas Memorial School, St. John, Notre Dame High School, and Guam Home School.

Coach and SIS headmaster Dr. Ron Snyder was asked how well he thinks the team will do and he said, “The competition is very stiff and we are missing some top runners because of conflicts and injuries. Still, I think we have a great opportunity to have 2-3 students make the All-Island Award.”

The CNMI last competed in 2019 in Japan. In 2018’s championship SIS’ Anika Snyder, Malika Miyawaki, Tania Tan, Stella McCallion, and Marianas High School’s Therize Millare and Jerlyn Castillo finished third overall in the girls division. Tan was also the first CNMI runner to make it to the elite All-Island team of the 2018 championships in Guam.

There are awards for Top 15 Individual All-Island, Boys Team Championship, Girls Team Championship, and Relay Championship.

The team, including coach Snyder, left yesterday and acting Education commissioner Eric Magofna and Public School System Athletics Program director Nick Gross saw them off and wished them good luck.