Team NMI aims big for 2024 Micro Games

The 110-strong CNMI delegation to the 2024 Micronesian Games are off to Majuro, Marshall Islands to compete in the quadrennial event.

The Northern Marianas Sports Association, thanks to a boatload of sponsors, will be sending teams to compete in eight sports in the quadrennial event—athletics, basketball (men’s and women’s 5×5), beach volleyball, softball (women’s), swimming, tennis, weightlifting, and wrestling.

Athletics (June 19-23), beach volleyball (June 15-18), softball (June 17-23) will all be held at the Majuro Track & field; basketball (June 17-23) at the Education and Cultural Center; tennis (June 19-21) at the NCD Tennis Court/USP Tennis Court; swimming (June 17-21) at the Kwajalein Pool; and weightlifting (June 17-18) and wrestling (June 22-24) share the same venue at the International Convention Center.

The 22 sponsors of Team NMI are Joeten Daidai Foundation, Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Skechers, Marianas Express Lines Ltd. as platinum sponsors. Triple J Enterprise, E-Land, TakeCare Insurance, and D&Q International Distributors are gold sponsors. RNV Construction, Bank of Guam, IT&E, Dial-Rent-to-Own, Chinese Association of Saipan, Black Construction Corporation, GPPC, and Matson are silver sponsors. And P&A Corporation, Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, McDonald’s Jose and Ruri Foundation, Y.K. Corp., Zoom Cafe, Artman Corp., and I Love Saipan are bronze sponsors.

The following are the profiles of all eight teams bound to the Marshall Islands for the 2024 Micronesian Games.

Athletics

Northern Marianas Athletics is positive that athletes participating in track and field events in the 2024 Micronesian Games will surpass the NMI’s medal output from the 2018 edition of the competition.

Head coach Elias Rangamar said that NMA is confident of the team’s chances to win more medals in the Marshall Islands and is counting on the group’s entries in middle distance and relay races and jump events in delivering the goods for the NMI delegation. During the 2018 Micronesian Games held in Yap, the NMI won two gold medals, four silvers, and six bronzes in the athletics competition.

Zarinae Sapong handed the NMI one of the two gold medals in 2018 when she topped the 200m race, while Rachel Abrams gave the islands the other gold medal in the high jump event. Sapong will lead the NMI Athletics Team in this year’s Micro Games and will be joined on the squad by 2023 Solomon Islands Pacific Games double gold medalist (5,000m and 10K races) Tania Tan. Competing the team are Lia and Kina Rangamar, Maria Quitugua, Cheraline Epity, Casey Cruz, Takeru Jim, Daniel Joab, Alexander Camacho, Bwilitomwar Rangamar, Christopher Cruz, Jared Ayuyu, Lyle Pedro, Pony and Simon Tang, Justin Camacho, Cody Shimizu, Theodore Rodgers, and Douglas Schmidt. Ronald Olopai and Robin Sapong are joining Elias Rangamar on the team officials list.

“Our athletes are in good shape and working very hard in our training sessions. The expectations are high, especially with many of them earning experience when they competed in the 2023 Pacific Games and the Oceania Championships last year, and some are competing in this year’s Oceania meet in Fiji. I am confident we will definitely have more medal chances in this year’s Micronesian Games,” Elias Rangamar said.

The longtime athletics coach is also pleased to share that they have a bunch of high school athletes on the team.

“This is good news, as we really want to discover and train young talents and to them, this experience in the Micro Games in the Marshall Islands is a good training opportunity. Their participation in the Micro Games is also important as we prepare for next year’s Pacific Mini Games in Palau,” Rangamar said.

Basketball (Men’s)

For NMI Men’s National Basketball Team head coach Rufino Aguon said their goal is to get into the Top 4 of the hoops competition of the 2024 Micronesian Games.

Aguon, who returned from coaching the NMI national basketball team after retiring in 2010, said their biggest challenge is Guam and has always been Guam—along with the long flight to get to Majuro.

In the last Micro Games in 2018, Guam swept the men’s and women’s basketball competition. Second place in the men’s was Marshall Islands, with Pohnpei in third place. For the women’s, Marshall Islands was second as well, while Palau took third place.

Aguon said they do not have the set schedule yet, but said their strategy is, if there’s going to be a pool, they need to be first or at least second.

Even with tough competition, he said they have some additions that may be a boost to the team.

A fly-in from Oklahoma, 17-year-old and 6’5” Antoni Ogumoro—Aguon’s grandson—is part of the NMI’s 12-man roster. Ogumoro said on the chance to represent NMI in the Micro Games, “This will be my first time participating and I’m very excited.”

Aguon, with Ogumoro’s build, said, “Of course at 6’5,” I welcome anybody with that height. If only we had a couple more… but he’s a good addition to us. It’s going to make us competitive. As for medaling, it’s all up to us once we get there and see the competition.”

Another possible addition might be Philippine Basketball Association all-star player and champion Jericho Cruz, who lived on Saipan and was a member of the NMI National Basketball Team. “It’s a 50/50 possibility because they’re in the [PBA] finals right now. If they go up to seven games, it’s way past the [Micro Games],” said Aguon.

He said that even if the final team roster is now set with Ogumoro, Lucio Aldan, Airson Atan, Aiferson Atan, Douglas Schmidt, Preston Basa, Coby Santos, Chioni Dela Cruz, Greg Sablan, Marvin Rabauliman, DJay Ong, and Jack Lizama, he can still make changes before the basketball technical meeting.

“If he can make it by the time we play on [June] 17th, then I have to make a decision who’s going to sit. If not, this is the team,” said Aguon.

Basketball (Women’s)

The NMI National Women’s Basketball Team is out for redemption in the 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Islands.

Since 1998, the women’s national team has medaled in the Micronesian Games with the exception of the 2018 Games.

After that fall in the 2018 Games in Yap, head coach Connie Camacho said she expects the team to “be competitive and to redeem ourselves by placing NMI Women’s Basketball as one of the top three teams in Micronesia.”

She said that the biggest challenge for their podium run will be the back-to-back games and the young players ability to learn quickly and adapt under pressure.

Their strengths, Camacho said, is their height with centers Azriel Fatialofa and Madeleine Alegre, and “the experience that we bring with players that have played in the past Micronesian Games.”

The final touches of training before competition were polishing up their offense and defense, as well as adjusting and learning how to play with fly-in Alliyah Fernandez, who will practice with the team for the first time today.

As for their team’s pool, Camacho said that Palau pulled out their team so they expect changes in their pool play. Basketball competitions are slated for Monday, June 17 until Sunday, June 23.

The team’s 11-woman roster with Fatialofa, Alegre, and Fernandez, are Sylvina Simram, Yasmeen Younis, Kaia Travilla, Michelle Kautz, Lia Rangamar, Destiny Pangelinan, Lalaine Pagarao, and Cassandra Camacho.

Beach volleyball

The small NMI National Beach Volleyball Team has a strong chance of a podium finish in the 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Islands.

Despite powerhouse duo Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson not being on the team, coach Tyce Mister said that Aurora Santos, Kathy Winkfield, Dylan Mister, and Jermaine Salas have a lot to bring to the Games.

“Our men’s team is young, but they both have some great volleyball experience under their belts. They are both very fast on defense and their positive attitude will also synergize. Our women’s team will capitalize on their experience,” he said about the 2024 Micronesian Games beach volleyball team.

Winkfield has many years of volleyball experience under her belt and was on the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games beach volleyball team. Dylan is the younger brother of NMPMG silver medalist and 2023 Pacific Games bronze medalist Logan.

As for training, both Winkfield and Salas have been practicing on Saipan’s beaches with coach Tyce, and assistance from Chris Nelson and Jacoby Winkfield.

Santos, on the other hand, has been training in Colorado near Denver, where there are a variety of beach courts set up, while Dylan has been training in Southern California with his brother national team pool player Logan.

The biggest challenge then, said Tyce, is that they have all been training apart from their partner. “They all are experienced and will have similar styles of play, but the lack of time to gel together on the court will be a challenge,” he said. However, he also said, “They will adapt quickly.”

Softball (Women’s)

The NMI Women’s National Fastpitch Softball Team is looking forward to seeing action in the 2024 Micronesian Games as well as what’s after following the completion of the competition in the Marshall Islands.

The excitement buildup for the Micro Games is evident, as it will be the NMI’s first to field a women’s fastpitch softball team in the regional event since 2006 when Saipan hosted the meet.

“Since this is our first since 2006, the girls are both excited and nervous. Excited because last year, they had no idea they will go to Marshalls and represent the NMI. Nervous and pressured because it will be their first time to compete outside our local leagues and they will go up against players that are way more experienced than them,” team manager Manny Sablan said.

Sablan also said that while they are definitely going all out to win a medal in the Micro Games, the team’s participation in next month’s competition means more than the hardware.

“We’re hoping that with us having a women’s fastpitch softball team in the Micro Games, this would revive the sport in the NMI and encourage more women to play fastpitch. We have many talents out there, especially the youth, just waiting to be tapped and looking for venues to showcase their talents. We need to get these women/girls out to compete in local leagues and interscholastic level,” the team manager said.

In this year’s Micronesian Games that will run from June 15 to 24, the NMI Women’s National Fastpitch Softball Team will be battling Palau, Pohnpei, and host Marshall Islands. The team is made up of Ashlie Aguon, Christy Aldan, Jaylina Borja, Kiara Borja, Angel Deleon Guerrero, Rayna Deleon Guerrero, Jenisha Dubrall, Mayiah Duenas, Britney Gopez, Destiny Pangelinan, Alannah Sablan, Rosie Saralu, Kiana Aldan, Jhaneeka Atalig, Kiana Camacho, and Keolani Rios. Also on the team are coaches Derron Flores, Mariano Aguon, and Mark Flores.

“We have seen significant improvements from the girls since we started training in February. Their hitting and field have improved a lot. The most challenging part would be the pitching and we are working hard almost every day to address that area. Most of our pitchers are used to slow-pitch so the coaches are doing their best to help them make the big adjustment,” Sablan said.

Swimming

The CNMI National Swimming Team to the 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Islands will be the best of the best the Northern Marianas can offer when it comes to aquatics excellence.

The swimming competition, which includes both pool and open water, will be held from June 17 to 21.

Making up the team are Isaiah Aleksenko, Kean Pajarillaga, Kouki Watanabe, Justin Ma, Richard Zhao, Michael Miller, Shoko Litulumar, Maria Batallones, Sari Barman, Maria Guerrero, Piper Raho, and Nagi Tenorio.

National coach Hiroyuki Kimura said he expects Aleksenko, Pajarillaga, and Batallones to sweep the gold medals in the events they’re competing in, while Watanabe and Litulumar are primed to take the top spot in their backstroke and breaststroke events, respectively. Same for Guerrero in the 200m butterfly.

For Ma and Zhao, Kimura expects either a silver or bronze for both of them, while Barman can salvage a medal in the 50m butterfly.

He feels confident that all nine can bring home a medal each back to the CNMI.

“It doesn’t matter what color of medal. Standing on the podium is the most important. My mindset is ‘conquer all gold medals.’ This is the ultimate goal that no national swim team has achieved yet in the Micro Games. But we have very high possibility for it this time. However, this is difficult. This goal can only be achieved with working together,” said Kimura.

Head coach Richard Sikkel, meanwhile, expects Miller, Raho, and Tenorio to all make the finals in their events in the 2024 Micronesian Games and “possibly eke out medals here and there.”

“Nagi is swimming the breaststroke events. Michael and Piper have been focusing in their training on the longer distance free events like the 800m and 1,500m. Piper will also do backstroke as this is her strong stroke. Training has been good. These three had the opportunity to swim in Australia and experience competition conditions not too long ago so there are well prepped to swim their fastest times,” he said.

Tennis

Long-time NMI National Tennis Team coach Jeff Race will be bringing in veterans and up-and-coming netters to 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro.

“We have both men’s and women’s teams that have a mix of experience and youth. I’m looking forward to having Robbie [Schorr] and Isabel [Herras] there to help lead the teams. We’ll definitely be in the medal hunt and we have a great chance to bring some gold medals back for the CNMI,” he said.

Aside from 2021 Pacific Mini Games medalist Schorr leading the men’s squad and former collegiate standout Heras taking charge in the women’s division, the team is also made up of multi-titled Colin Ramsey, Siwoo Lee, Hannah Chae, Hoo Wang, and Irin Chung and team manager John Martin Bradley.

The NMI will be back in the tennis competition after missing the 2014 edition of the Micro Games in Pohnpei and following the exclusion of tennis in the calendar of events for the 2018 Micro Games in Yap. The last time NMI players saw action in the Micro Games was in 2010 in Palau with the squad collecting three gold medals, two silvers, and four bronzes.

Race, who incidentally had his last stint with the NMI as a player in the 2010 Micronesian Games where he completed the islands’ sweep in the men’s singles (Todd Montgomery and Peter Loyola winning the gold and silver), said all members of the team bound for Marshall Islands have done well in training and are not lacking in game experiences so they are battle ready for the medals at stake in this year’s Micro Games.

In fact, Lee, Chae, Chung, and Wang recently played in the J30 Saipan-Northern Marianas Junior Championships—an event under the ITF World Tennis Tour Junior Calendar. The NMI junior players went up against representatives of Korea, Australia, Japan, Guam, Hong Kong, and Great Britain. Ramsey, on the other hand, is a regular in local competitions and played for the NMI in the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands last November.

Weightlifting

The NMI National Weightlifting Team is a mix of experience and youth and is set to take on the weightlifting platform and bring home some medals.

Veteran NMI weightlifters are Team NMI’s flagbearer Antonette Labausa, Riella Ichiuo, and Leowell Cristobal, while up-and-coming weightlifters are Kaya Rasa, Jaden Andrew, Lucio Eugenio, and Joseph Pangelinan. They are coached by NMI Weightlifting Federation president John Davis.

Davis said of the team, “I like our chances—we will bring home some medals—maybe not as many as the past, but some.”

“Our new guys are going to be a part of that medal count—I think. There might be some bronze and maybe even some silver—we’ll see,” he said.

As for how the team was selected, he said they invited them to train in their training center inside the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium. “We gave them a look over and if they lifted enough weight and looked good doing it, we invited them to work on the team,” he said.

Davis said that their youngest lifter is both Andrew and Eugenio. Andrew has some international competition experience, while it’s Eugenio’s first time. He said he’ll see how both will do and if competing in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau is in their future.

With Labausa selected as Team NMI’s flagbearer, Davis said, “it was past due. She should’ve been flagbearer when we went to the Solomons for the Pacific Games. You heard all of that stuff they said about the medals and competitions she’s won? Nobody else here can match her record. She’s been there internationally, so I think it’s beyond time.”

Labausa’s weightlifting achievements include three gold medals in the 2018 Micronesian Games, three silver medals in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games, silver in the 2022 Oceania Champs, gold in the 2023 Guam National Championships, gold in the 2023 Marianas Cup, and recently, a bronze medal in the 2024 Oceania Championships.

For Cristobal, he recently won bronze in the 2024 Oceania Senior, Junior, and Youth Championships, bronze in the 2023 Pacific Games, silver in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games, gold in the Crestview Bar Slam, among others.

While Riella won bronze in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games and silver in the 2nd Marianas Cup in 2021.

The weightlifting competition in the Games is set on Monday, June 17, and Tuesday, June 18.

Wrestling

The NMI wrestling team is set for the 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Islands—and despite a small delegation and a long hiatus of the sport in the islands, their coach said the athletes are up for the challenge and are going to represent the NMI well.

The team is made up of wrestlers Ryan Babauta and mainland fly-in James Attao Greene Jr., with head coach Rick Bauer and team manager Jason Tarkong.

Frank “The Crank” Camacho and Aden Attao were supposed to compete as well, but due to their own reasons, they won’t be able to make it. However, Bauer said of Babauta and Greene, “We’re anticipating really good things and are excited for the challenge.”

The Micronesian Games is hosting freestyle, Greco-Roman, and beach wrestling and competition will take place on June 23 and 24.

The last time the NMI competed in wrestling was in the 2006 Micronesian Games when they won five of 42 medals.

According to Bauer, Babauta has wrestled for the CNMI before and has earned multiple medals. Greene, who is from Idaho, is still in high school but was seeded No. 3 in Idaho’s 2024 state tournament and shows promise to hit the podium.

With how their training is going, Bauer said that Babauta is training with him and a few other Northern Marianas Wrestling Federation members. “We are currently using the beach at Crowne Plaza for beach wrestling and the mats at Trench Tech for freestyle and Greco-Roman until we can acquire funding to purchase true wrestling mats,” said Bauer in an interview.

While for Greene, Bauer said, he is just coming off of his latest season, so he’s been training consistently on the mat, so “we’re looking for good things from him across all three styles.”

As for Bauer’s expectations of the wrestlers, he said for Greene, “I think freestyle and Greco he’s really familiar with. The beach style is going to be new for him but again, with his experience, and he’s training, he’ll be able to transition out on the beach. So, I’m looking for big things from him.” (Saipan Tribune)