Week of title games, record-breaking swims

Title-clinching games and record-breaking swims were some of the highlights of last week’s sports events in the CNMI.

Dollar Days gained the championship in the 2009 Navy Hill Friendship Basketball League after beating KFC/Taco Bell in Game 3 of their title series, 97-83, at the Garapan Basketball Court.

Oleai Elementary School notched the tiara in the girls division of the 2009 Elementary School Interscholastic Basketball Tournament, following a 13-7 victory over San Vicente Elementary School.

Four other teams joined this year’s caging, namely Tanapag Elementary School, Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School, Kagman Elementary School, and William S. Reyes Elementary School.

At the Pacific Islands Club hard courts, Guam Tennis Academy’s Lency Tenai and Torgun Smith led eight other pairs in capturing doubles titles in the 9th Annual PIC/Gatorade Tennis Championships.

Tenai and Smith defeated Saipan-based players Kirk Schuler and Peter Loyola in the finals of the men’s open doubles, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2.

Three teamed up in ruling the 5th Annual Miller Lite Mahi Fishing Derby with captain Manding Legaspi of St. Patrick and anglers Tony Maestro and Dong Salini catching a 19.70-lb mahi.

The mahi derby drew a record-field of 47 boats.

In the ongoing 2009 Saipan Little League Baseball competition, the Jets sealed the Senior League pennant after a 12-0 triumph over the Lion King.

The victory was the Jets 13th in 14 matches, widening their gap from the rest of the field.

Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan’s Kensuke Kimura and Kai Staal did more than win during the Tsunami Saipan-Saipan Swim Club dual meet at the Kan Pacific Swimming Pool. They broke records in their respective age groups.

Kimura recorded two new marks in the boys’ 11 to 12 age group. First to fall was the boys’ 11 to 12 800m freestyle mark, as Kimura finished the race in 10 minutes, 5.85 seconds. Kimura bested by 18 seconds the previous record (10:23.35), which he himself set on Oct. 18, 2008.

Kimura’s second record-breaking swim came in the 200m breaststroke, timing in at 3:00.46. Again, the 11-year-old swimmer broke his own mark by almost two seconds.

Staal, who set three records in the boys’ 13 to 14 age group in February, moved up to the 15 to 16 division this month after turning 15, two months ago and still produced a record-breaking result. He timed in at 31.26 seconds in the 50m backstroke, passing Juan Camacho’s 31.47 seconds set on June 29, 2006.

Also breaking records from Tsunami Saipan were Ryosei Toda, and Kaito and Hiroto Yanai.

In other events, three top professional triathletes arrived on Saipan for this weekend’s XTERRA Saipan Championship.

Julie Dibens, Renata Bucher, and Jim McConnel arrived on April 5 after their successful stint in the XTERRA Guam series.

While Saipan was busy with the arrival of off-island triathletes last week, Tinian played a gracious host to basketball teams of various hotels on Saipan.

Tinian Municipal Gymnasium hosted the semifinal round of the 2009 Budweiser Tinian Dynasty Hotel & Casino Invitational Basketball League.

Hyatt eked out a come-from-behind 96-92 win over Pacific Islands Club to notch the first finals seat, while Aqua Resort Club advanced to the championship game after dominating Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan/Saipan Grand Hotel, 97-92.

The Hyatt-Aqua title match will be played tonight.

Still in basketball, Docomo Pacific secured the first finals ticket in the 2009 BANMI/Budweiser Basketball League following an 81-79 win over Diamond Auto Care.

Docomo’s finals foe will be known this week and the Budweiser caging is expected to conclude next week.

The 2009 NMIFA Spring Youth Football League is far from over, as it just kicked off on April 4.

MP United U8 Blue and Paire Football Club were off to a good start in the spring league, which also features the Independents FC, Tan Holdings FC, and Matansa FC.

MP United U8 Blue dueled sister team U8 Silver at the Garapan Elementary School Field and prevailed, 3-0.

In the boys U13, Paire FC downed Independents FC, 1-0, at Hopwood Junior High School Field, while the former’s U6, U8, and U10 teams also won their respective matches, but scores were not recorded.