By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

YVONNE Bennett led Kagman High Schools remarkable performance in the sprint trials for the 2007 McDonald’s All Schools Track and Field Championships last week at the Oleai Sports Complex track and field facility.
Yvonne clocked 13.22 seconds in the 100m run trials beating favorite Jacque Wonenberg of Marianas High School. Yvonne’s time is a new personal best record. It is also a new meet record.
The 16-year old Kagman sprinter also record a personal best time in the 200m timing in at 27.74 seconds.
Again, she beat perennial winner Wonenberg, who clocked 28.01.
Northern Marianas Athletics secretary general Robin Sapong said that Yvonne’s performance at the series of trials is a good sign for NMI athletics.
He said that now the commonwealth has two formidable runners in sprint events.
In the boys’ high school division, Kagman claimed the top three finishes in the 100m race.
Jesus Iguel clocked 11.93 in the 100m sprint to beat teammates Frank Dillay (11.98) and Keoni Chariton (12.09).
The Ayuyus had six runner in the top eight in the 100m race.
Only the top six in each event will advance to the All Schools meet, which is set for May 12.
Kagman had a 1-2 finish in the 200m with Iguel winning anew with his time of 24.52. Chariton placed second after clocking 25.82, while Marianas High School’s Nate Mateo finished third with his time of 26.15.
In the girls’ junior high division, Hopwood’s Reylynn Sapong and Grace Christian Academy’s Lia Rangamar tied at the No. 1 spot in the 100m race with identical times of 14.82 seconds. Sarah Aldan, also of Hopwood, placed third, while four Saipan International School runners placed fourth to seventh.
Sapong also ruled the 200m run with a time of 31.53, followed by schoolmate Chiang Duenas (31.66) and Rangamar (32.44).
In the boys’ junior high 100m, Hopwoods’ JR Concepcion timed in at 13.24 seconds to beat SIS’s Hshieh Samson (14.22) and Saipan Community School’s Jeremy Williams (14.43).
Concepcion was unstoppable anew in the 200m finishing the race in 26.03. He beat teammate James Rabauliman (29.84) and Williams (30.39).
“Overall it was an exciting meet and we had a good turn out. As of last week, 149 students took part in the first three days of the trials,” Sapong said.
The trials were held last Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The first two qualifiers were for elementary students, while junior high and high school athletes took part in the trials last Thursday.