(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — NMI’s Isaiah Aleksenko extended his winning streak by clinching a fourth straight gold medal on Day 3 of the swimming competitions at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau.
Aleksenko’s fourth gold came in the 50m butterfly event, bringing Team Marianas’ total gold medal count to five. He outpaced five other finalists, touching the wall at 23.78 seconds. In the preliminaries, Aleksenko was the only swimmer to break the 24-second barrier, clocking in at 23.80 seconds.
More swimming medals
In addition to Aleksenko’s gold, Team Marianas collected three more swimming medals. Kean Pajarillaga earned silver in the 200m backstroke, Maria Batallones took silver in the 100m breaststroke, and the team of Aleksenko, Pajarillaga, Moshe Sikkel, and Justin Ma placed second in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Two bronzes in weightlifting
The NMI Weightlifting Team opened its competition Wednesday and immediately added to the medal tally. Leowel Cristobal secured two bronze medals in the men’s 65kg class. Although he placed fourth in the snatch, he earned third place in both the clean and jerk and the total lift.
With Cristobal’s two bronzes and the three swimming medals, Team Marianas now has a tally of 5 golds, 6 silvers, and 7 bronzes.
NMI rallies past Guam in baseball
The NMI Baseball Team opened its title defense with a dramatic come-from-behind 7–6 win over Guam on Wednesday afternoon at Nippon Baseball Stadium.
With its first two matches rescheduled due to bad weather, NMI seemed headed for a loss in its opener, trailing Guam 6–4 going into the bottom of the seventh and final inning.
After two quick outs — Nokki Saralu on a 6-3 groundout and Ton Tenorio on a 5-3 — Lamarc Iguel stepped up and faced a full count. Iguel connected on the sixth pitch, singling to center to keep the game alive.
Following a quick Guam mound huddle, Joe Lifoifoi hit to left field, advancing Iguel to second. With runners on first and second, Spencer Dickinson delivered a double to center field. The ball slipped past the outfielder, allowing Iguel and Lifoifoi to score and tie the game at 6–6.
Dickinson was then replaced by pinch runner J.R. Suel. Jerald Cabrera, next at bat, took two high pitches before lining a single to center that brought Suel home for the walk-off win.
After the victory, NMI faces a tough Thursday with back-to-back games — first against Fiji at 10 a.m. (11 a.m. Saipan time), then against the Federated States of Micronesia at 5 p.m. NMI wraps up the elimination round Saturday against host Palau at 1:30 p.m.
Due to earlier weather delays, the baseball tournament format has changed. Instead of a Page playoff system, the top two teams after eliminations will advance directly to the gold medal game, while the third- and fourth-ranked teams will battle for bronze.
Victories in 3×3 basketball, beach volleyball
On Day 2 of the 3×3 basketball tournament, NMI earned two victories at the Palau High School Gymnasium.
In the women’s division, Kina Rangamar, Yasmeen Younis, Alliyah Fernandez, and Kaia Travilla edged the Solomon Islands, 15–14. In the men’s division, Airson Atan, Chioni Dela Cruz, Ervin Villarin, and John Thongaram defeated Samoa, 21–18.
In beach volleyball, 2022 silver medalists Andrew Johnson and Logan Mister bested Tuvalu’s Ampex Isaac and Saafa Malosa, 21–17, 21–14.
Support for Team Marianas
Team Marianas’ participation in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games is made possible by the support of the Office of the Governor, Saipan & Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Joeten Daidai Foundation, Northern Marianas Sports Association, ASC Trust, Triple J, Tan Holdings, Altanx, E-Land, Quality Distributors, IT&E, Mobil, McDonald’s, Chinese Association, GPPC, Marianas Press, Matson, Bank of Guam, First Hawaiian Bank, Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, Dial-Rent-To-Own, NMI Local Peace Corps Reunion Committee, Y.K. Corporation, Shell/AFE Marianas LLC, Wushin, I Love Saipan, BC Corporation, Zoom Chicken, and Artman.
Isaiah Aleksenko, seen here getting ready for the 50m backstroke event, won his fourth gold medal in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau after topping the 50m butterfly race on Wednesday.
Marianas Press via NMSA
Leowell Cristobal won a pair of bronze medals in the 65kg class of the weightlifting competition on Wednesday.
Marianas Press via NMSA
The NMI Men’s and Women’s 3×3 Basketball Team members pose for a group photo during their media day.
Marianas Press via NMSA
