CNMI WNT In the news

More off-island missions for athletes

By Roselyn Monroyo
Reporter

The next batches of CNMI athletes who are scheduled to compete in off-island tournaments left Saipan last week, promising more achievements for the Commonwealth.

First to leave were sprinters' Yvonne Bennett and Clayton Kenty, who are in Berlin, Germany for the 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics.

Actually, Bennett and Kenty have been off-island since Aug. 3, as they first participated in the Oceania Regional Championships/Micronesian Athletics Championships in Queensland, Australia from Aug. 4 to 8. They left the Land Down Under on Aug. 9, but while their 10 other teammates returned to Saipan last Monday, Bennett and Kenty just had a stopover in Guam for a connecting flight to Germany.

Kenty and Bennett, who helped the Commonwealth ruled the MAC, ousting erstwhile champion Guam, were set to compete in the 100m qualifying races last Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Several thousands away from the Bennett and Kenty were eight CNMI junior tennis players, who are now in Lautoka, Fiji for the 2009 Pacific Oceania Junior Championships.

Thea and Theecel Minor, Christian Miller, Rafael Jones, Benjie Decena, Melody Johnson, and Jodel Fernandez left Saipan last Wednesday with coach Jeff Race. The seven CNMI netters will join teammate Ji Hoon Heo in anchoring the North Pacific Team against the East and West squads for the POJC overall title. Heo planed in to Fiji from New Caledonia.

The POJC will start today and will run until Aug. 22. The CNMI netters will stay in Fiji for a few more days after the POJC to compete in another tournament.

The last batch of Commonwealth athletes to leave Saipan for an off-island competition was the CNMI Junior All-Star Team.

The squad is composed of Christian Mizer, Jeremy and Henry Rabauliman, Lamarc Iguel, Frankie Camacho, Ricardo Dela Cruz, Aldelbert Lizama, Brian Camacho, Alan Aguon, Jared Sablan, Patrick Tenorio, Arthur Jebehn, and Poland Masaharu. The 13 CNMI youth sluggers will be competing in the World Series in Taylor Michigan. Joining the CNMI Junior All-Stars in the World Series are coaches Oliver Secharmidal and Bernard Cabrera and team manager Thelma Mizer.

The CNMI Junior All-Stars were scheduled to debut in this year's World Series against Friuli Venezia Giulia LL of Italy yesterday.

Also headed for an off-island tournament was the CNMI Women's Football Team, which will be leaving Saipan tomorrow.

The CNMI Women's Football Team were named last week and making it on the list were Natalie Hill, Madison Smith, Carrie Knight, Angela Shyrack, Meaghan Hassel-Shearer, Brenda Schultz, Linday Davis, Melody Matson, Zoe Jewell, Katie Peters, Michiko Tenorio, Patricia Coleman, Brianna Martin, Amber Roberts, Rebecca Newman, Maryana Gramlich, Amanda Allen, Emily Gries, Elisa Fejeran, and Felicia McFarland.

They will first go to Japan tomorrow for two exhibition games before going to Tainan City, Taiwan, for the Championship 2010 Semifinals Competition.

With several CNMI athletes off-island, basketball leagues were able to dominate the local sports last week.

The 2009 IT&E Inter-Government/Business Basketball League kicked off at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium with host and defending champion IT&E winning over Public School System in the season-opener, 75-57.

IT&E won its second game against Bank of Guam, 104-70, to take the temporary lead in the 12-team league. Other winners in the first week of the government-business caging were Docomo, PSS, Micronesian Brokers, Inc., and Commonwealth Health Center.

Still in basketball, the 7th United Filipino Organization Inter-Organizational Basketball League started its playoff games last week with defending champion Samahang Ilokano at Pangasinense earning a return trip to the finals in the open division.

In the masters division, Cabalen and NMBA advanced to the semifinals, joining Bayani and Boholanos. Cabalen and Bayani’s semis duel last Saturday was rained-out and will be scheduled this week. The University of Loyola and Raffy's Diner-supported Boholanos were to collide against NMBA-Ebisuya last night for the first finals berth in the masters division.

Natibu was assured of a slot in the Saipan leg of the 2009 Budweiser King and Queen of the Diamonds Softball Tournament after advancing to the finals of the second KOD qualifier.

Natibu bowed to Advance X-Terminators in the finals, 3-18, but since the latter topped the first qualifier and had gained the first KOD ticket, the former was given the second seat.