Who got next at Tsunami Saipan?

With the “graduation” of Tsunami Saipan Swimming Center’s established leaders Isaiah Aleksenko and Kean Pajarillaga, it’s now time for the club’s next generation of stars to emerge from the surf.

Head coach Hiroyuki Kimura is confident that members of the elite Sensyu Class will step up to the plate and continue Tsunami Saipan’s rich tradition of producing strong swimmers.

Leading the pack is none other than veteran swimmer Shoko Litulumar, who coincidentally inherited the mantle of team captain for Tsunami Saipan.

“She is the first female in the team’s 17-year history to be named captain. Shoko has to improve her level while working on team building as a leader. The position of team captain is a very hard position. But I trust that she will create the best team in Tsunami Saipan history,” said Kimura of the Marianas High School senior.

Also named vice captain for the new season is Kouki Watanabe and Kimura said he also has high hopes for the 16-year-old MHS junior in terms of leading the club.

“Kouki will have to work hard on team building along with Shoko, but not only as the CNMI but Micronesia’s No. 1 breaststroker. We expect him to make even greater strides this season. Although he is only 16 years old, his times are already close to the CNMI national record,” he said.

The Tsunami Saipan coach also expects Maria Batallones to continue to shine in the pool as the most bemedalled CNMI female swimmer from the last Micronesian Games in the Marshall Islands will add another year of experience under her belt.

“I look forward to seeing her performance as a top female swimmer this season. She is aiming to reset the CNMI record in other events aside from breaststroke this season,” he said of the 16-year-old MHS junior.

In Justin Ma, Kimura sees a very bright future and he saw glimpses of this when the MHS sophomore won five individual medals in the 2024 Micronesian Games.

“Not only medal winning, but his result time was also very good in the Micro Games. By U.S. Junior Motivational standards, he already marked multiple AA time splendidly. I’m already expecting a lot from him for next year’s Pacific Mini Games in Palau,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kimura said Kevin Guerrero may just surprise a lot of pundits this coming season.

“Kevin is Tsunami Saipan’s secret weapon. His sprint events in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle are extremely fast.”

Apart from the aforementioned five, Kimura also pointed to four other swimmers who he expects will elevate their swimming this coming season—Gwen Retardo, brothers Apollo and Chris Arriola, and Xingyu Wang.

“I’m sure Gwen will eventually become a swimmer who carries the future of NMI swimming. The level of her motivation is already at the level of national representatives,” he said of the Grace Christian Academy middle schooler.

Part of the Ikusei Class, the Arriola siblings are relatively new to Tsunami Saipan but their ascension has been impressive, according to Kimura.

“They have been steadily promoted since joining the club. Their evolution has been so fast that they have completely caught up with the children who started swimming several years before them. I have high hopes for them,” he said of the Mount Carmel School students.

Last but not the least, Kimura said Wang already has the makings of a swimming savant.

“Still 7 years old, she already has mastered four strokes—butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle. We can really see her big potential especially in breaststroke,” he said of the Garapan Elementary School student.

Meanwhile, Kimura said Tsunami Saipan will hold its official time trial next week.

“At the beginning of each year, Tsunami Saipan holds its team time trial because it needs to make plan for the new season,” he said