2008 POJC kicks off today

The 2008 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships gets going today with 57 youth netters representing the North, East, and West teams duking it out in four divisions—boys’ 18, girls’ 18, boys’ 13, and girls’ 13— in Lautoka, Fiji.

The CNMI has six players suiting up for the North Team in the five-day competition led by last year’s boys’ 18-under runner-up Ji Hoon Heo.

The 16-year-old Marianas High School student is expected to be the top seed in his age group, which also includes 11 of the region’s top youth netters namely Lorenzo Pineda of Vanuatu (West), William O’Connell of Fiji (West), Duncan Maetoloa of Solomon Islands (West), Ian Honilla of Solomon Islands (West), Devashkar Reddy of Fiji (West), William Koo of Guam (North), Uere Katang of Kiribati (North), Prince Matuatia of Samoa (East), Joseph Meredith of Samoa (East), Eli Tukaroa of Cook Islands (East), and Chris Sami of American Samoa (East).

Mayuko Arriola and Dina Jones, meanwhile, banner the CNMI’s best hopes in the girls’ 18-under, where they will be joined by the North Team’s Taakena Kaumai of Kiribati, Alyssa Hawkins of Federated States of Micronesia, and Alea Dugan of Guam.

The rest of the girls’ 18-under field is made up of Marcia Tere-Apisah of Papua New Guinea (West), Zinnia Leamana of Solomon Islands (West), Adalyn Hazelman of Fiji (West), Rutha Alick of Vanuatu (West), Steffi Carruthers of Samoa (East), Litia Godinet of American Samoa (East), Leilani Duchnak of American Samoa (East), Kesaia Mu’amoholeva of Tonga (East), Amanda Korinihona of Solomon Islands (West), and Fiji’s Losana Vosa and Priscilla Voasa (West).

Christian Miller and Rafael Jones, for their part, will join Cory Morrison of Guam and Bwataua Matang of Kiribati in the North Team in the boys’ 13-under competition.

Others in the age group are Fiji’s Devin Khatri, Geordie Daulaca, and Devrath Narayan (West), PNG’s Robin Morove and John Martin Kaiulo (West), American Samoa’s Christian Duchnak (East), Samoa’s Xyril Posala (East), Cook Islands’ Alex Beddoes (East), Tonga’s Muller Afemui (East), and New Caledonia’s Clement Coarraze and Tahiti’s Karl Yomes.

Thea Minor is the CNMI’s lone entry in the 13-under girls and her teammates in the North Team are Adrea Lai of Guam, Shawn Adams of FSM, and Laisa Onorio of Kiribati.

Fiji junior netters in the age group are Annie Shanon, Tarani Kamoe, and Tanya Guttersberger (West), while participants from Samoa are Aniva Hunkin and River Burich (East). Lorish Puluspene of PNG (West), Lorraine Bani of Vanuatu (West), Tayla Beddoes of Cook Islands (East), Simuko Afemui of Tonga (East), and Samuelle Bull of New Caledonia make up the rest of the field in the girls’ 13-under.