National swimmer Dean Palacios is headed for Stanford University.<\/p>\n
While there, the shy 17-year-old graduate of the Marianas Baptist Academy hopes to make it to the school\u2019s swimming team, which is one of the elite programs in the country and has been ranked among the top three teams the past 10 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur orientation is this September 20. I\u2019m not sure yet what degree I\u2019ll be taking up. But I surely would like to tryout for the (swim) team. It\u2019s great to study and possibly swim for Stanford,\u201d he said in a recent interview.<\/p>\n
Palacios reportedly is on a partial academic scholarship to the California school.<\/p>\n
Saipan Swim Club founder Bill Sakovich said he is happy with Palacios getting a shot at swimming for a national powerhouse.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe opportunity to swim for a nationally-ranked team is a very big opportunity. If he trains well, his chances are really good as long as he\u2019s committed. As long as he does some training, I don\u2019t see him having a problem getting on the team,\u201d said Sakovich.<\/p>\n
He said Palacios didn\u2019t get any instruction on what level he should be at the tryouts, but the assistant coach of Stanford clearly indicated that the swimmer should really be in excellent shape and show improved times.<\/p>\n
Sakovich also said that the CNMI also stands to benefit with Palacios training with the Stanford swim team.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s such a good opportunity for him to train with them so he\u2019d be in shape for future events for the CNMI. The Micronesian Games, the South Pacific Games, these are just a few of the competitions we would like to send him to if he\u2019s training, if he\u2019s not then we won\u2019t send him because he\u2019s the closest one that could qualify,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Palacios has been the most dominant swimmer the CNMI has had in recent years. Just last year, he raked in most of the national awards and won the Commonwealth\u2019s only silver medal in the 2003 South Pacific Games held in Suva, Fiji.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the silver medal in the SPG was Dean\u2019s best performance as a swimmer. That\u2019s one of the most competitive events he has been in. And he was also in the World Swimming Championships in Spain last year. He also did his best there,\u201d added Sakovich.<\/p>\n
Fueled by his triumph in the SPG, Palacios got the nod for NMASA Male Athlete of the Year in 2003 .<\/p>\n
Last year also saw Palacios compete in a couple of regional events in Australia, where he won a total of one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s progressed all along. He has done very well since I first trained him along with his brother David. This year was pretty slow because he had so much to do in school. But he really had many academic commitments that he didn\u2019t had a chance to,\u201d said Sakovich.<\/p>\n
Sakovich incidentally bid adieu to Saipan last Monday after his family made the island their home the last 30 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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