Kagman tops 2 age groups in long jump

Saipan International School’s Beatrice Gross in action in the long jump event of last Tuesday’s start of the Public School System All Schools Track and Field Championship at the Oleai Sports Complex. (Contributed Photo)

Early returns in the long jump competition of the Public School System All Schools Track and Field Championship last Tuesday saw Kagman Elementary School win two of the four age groups in the track and field event at the Oleai Sports Complex.

In the 9U boys, Kagman’s Jayton Dela Cruz jumped the farthest with a leap 2.9m, followed by Saipan International School teammates Jude Rayphand’s 2.7m and Craver Gross’ 2.69m.

Kagman also won the 12U girls with Pualani Dela Cruz registering a 3.42m jump. Teammate Page Blanco finished second in the age group with a leap of 3.35m followed by SIS’ Faith Arriola’s 3.07m.

Brilliant Star School’s Aiden Camacho won the 12U boys with his 3.65m. Agape Christian School’s Danny Cheng finished second with his 3.45m, while Kagman’s Tatum Jones came in third with his 3.1m.

It was a sisters act in the 9U girls with Beatrice and Windsor Gross of SIS finishing 1-2 with jumps of 3.45m and 2.86, respectively. Leilani Ruszala completed a sweep by the As Lito school with her jump of 2.75m.

Saipan International School’s Windsor Gross in action in the long jump event of last Tuesday’s start of the Public School System All Schools Track and Field Championship at the Oleai Sports Complex. (Contributed Photo)

In the run events, SIS girls won half of the events. In the 60m sprint, Beatrice Gross finished first with a time of 11:13, followed by sister Windsor’s 11:99 and Ruszala’s 12:27.

Kagman duplicated SIS’ sweep in the U12 with Dela Cruz topping the age group with a time of 10:04 followed by teammates Blanco and Arriola, who came in at 10:26 and 10:51, respectively.

In the 9U 200m, the Gross sisters again finished 1-2 with Beatrice cutting the tape in 35:85 and Windsor 40:45. BSS’ Scarlett Burrell came in third with her 40:80.

Blanco, meanwhile, topped the 12U 200m with a run of 36:31. Finishing second was Arriola with her 36:52 and third place went to Dela Cruz with her 36:67.

Windsor, meanwhile, got the better of older sister Beatrice and the rest of the field in the 9U 800m with her time of 3:45. Ruszala came in 10 seconds off Windsor’s pace at 3:55, while teammate Neveah Arriola completed the Top 3 with her 4:12.

In the 12U, Faith Arriola conquered the course in 3:15, while Barbara Wang of ACS was the only other competitor in the age group with a time of 3:39.

The Public School System All Schools Track and Field Championship is being held in coordination with Northern Marianas Athletics. It continues today with Saipan Community School, William S. Reyes Elementary School, and Isla Montessori athletes on tap in the elementary division, while tomorrow will see the start of competition in the middle school and high school levels.