Swimmers, lady netters debut strong in Palau

KOROR, Palau—CNMI swimmers and female netters put up a phenomenal charge in the opening day of the 2005 Palau South Pacific Mini Games, with the netters sweeping Solomon Islands and swimmers busting into the finals in their respective categories, posting 12 personal best times.

The swimmers woke early and were transported to the Palau National Swimming Pool in Meyuns, where they charged into the finals of five events.

Veteran tanker David Palacios got the campaign rolling, posting the best time in the preliminary round of the men’s 50m Backstroke, clocking in at a sterling 28.82 seconds. He was followed by David Thevenot and Mathieu Mengin of New Caledonia, while CNMI brothers Juan Camacho and Michael Camacho earned finals slots, placing fourth and sixth with times of 30.03 and 31.16 seconds, respectively.

Female sensation Nina Mosley continued the Northern Marianas’ success into the women’s 100m Freestyle and was as dominant as Palacios as she topped the field in 1:01.60. Teammate Melissa Coleman, who will later compete in the triathlon, placed seventh in 1:04.12.

Youngster Rezne Wong also found success and moved into the finals with a time of 1:18.39 in the men’s 100m Breaststroke, while Juan Camacho completed the men’s 200m Freestyle in 2:14.32 to head into the finals of the men’s 200m Freestyle.

For her part, Myana Welch showcased her strength and placed second in the women’s 50m Backstroke, reaching the finish in 33.17 seconds, only behind Guam’s Maraya Silan, who posted a time of 32.01 seconds.

Palacios then closed the CNMI’s preliminary push by placing second and earning another finals slot in the men’s 100m Butterfly, finishing in a sterling 1:02.62. The Division of Agriculture employee was only behind 2003 SPG gold medalist Olivier Saminadin of New Caledonia, who punched in a time of 1:02.34.

Mosley, 2002 Micronesian Games gold medalist Minerva Cabrera, and 13-year-old CNMI flag bearer Amanda Johnson were also in the finals of the women’s 400m Individual Medley. CNMI swimming also made it in the women’s 800m Freestyle Relay. The latter two did not have preliminary rounds.

All qualifying performances were personal best times, except for Wong’s push in the breaststroke. The finals were still ongoing as of press time.

Meanwhile, University of Hawaii-Manoa roommates Kana Aikawa and Amanda Weindl looked sharp in the opening round of the tennis team competition, sweeping Solomon Islands 3-0 at the Airai tennis courts.

Weindl showcased her skills in her singles match against Durina Ningalo and cruised to a straight sets victory 6-3, 6-3.

Aikawa then followed suit and had an easy time pulling past Elizabeth Tesimu in consecutive sets 6-1, 6-3.

With the two taking the singles bout, it was not necessary for them to tag team in the doubles portion.

The men were not as fortunate though, dropping to Solomon Islands, 2-1.

Tim Quan had his way against Junior Kari and won in straight sets 6-2, 6-3. Jeff Race was then swept by Michael Leong, 0-6, 0-6. Race incidentally coached Leong in Pacific Oceania’s recent tie against South Korea.

Leong and Kari were then able to get the victory by winning the doubles 6-3, 6-1.

In beach volleyball, the one-two punch of Nan Inthraluk and Don Dunlop put up a strong fight against powerhouse Wallis & Futuna only to fall short at the end.

The two used their skills to make up for their lack of height against their taller opponents and prevented what was supposed to be an easy victory by the South Pacific team.

They dropped the opening set in a nail-biter, 17-21, then came back strong in the second set, taking a 3-1 lead. The set featured four ties, with NMI holding a slim lead until Wallis & Futuna knotted the score at 13-13. The two teams were neck and neck the rest of the way, with Wallis and Futuna catching the breaks and taking the set and the match, 21-18.

“We’re very happy we’re fit and well trained and ready for the power games,” Dunlop said after the match. “They were great scores and it could’ve gone either way.”

Milli Saiki and 15-year-old Melissa Halaby also had their shining moments, but fall to Palau in three sets. After falling 18-21 in the first, Team CNMI returned the favor and forced a third set with a 21-19 victory. They then dropped the final set, 12-15. The two battle Fiji today at noon.

Meanwhile, the CNMI men’s fast pitch softball team dropped a heartbreaker to Guam, 2-1.

Down 0-1 in the bottom of the third, the CNMI got a huge lift as lefty Paul Camacho stepped up to the plate with two outs and crushed the first pitch he saw over the right field fence to tie the game at 1-1.

Guam took the lead in the next inning courtesy of a mishap by the CNMI defense. The teams were heading into the sixth inning when heavy showers greeted them, forcing officials to call the game in favor of Guam. The team can bounce back today, as they battle Federated States of Micronesia at 6:30pm.

The women’s softball team was still battling Guam as of press time.

In baseball, team CNMI gave up five runs to Palau in the first two innings, but settled down and held their opponents scoreless until rain interrupted their bout. The game was called off after the fifth inning.

Athletics’ Darrel Roligat and Dexter Dillay were also set to compete in the 100m dash last night.