Graced with a new venue this weekend, 63 runners from six schools competed in the event, with Charles Bautista and returning winner Cris Obaldo ruling the boys and girls 18-and-under division.
Bautista had earlier trailed Marianas High School athlete Michael Mancao in the first two laps of their three-lap race but overtook him when Mancao suffered a sprained ankle.
Bautista, also from MHS, topped the boys category at 15 minutes and 55 seconds and improved from his record last month (20:37). Beouch Ngirchongor trailed the champion at 16:28, followed by third-ranked Inbum Choo (18:05). Mancao — who ranked first last month — ended with a ninth place finish at 24:57.
Obaldo retained her title as the girls 18U champ with 21:28 while lone Saipan Southern High School student Thea Minor placed second with 22:58. MHS trackster Reylynn Sapong placed third at 22:59.
Meanwhile, Kevin Jack Deleon Guerrero was the boys 14U division’s fastest at 11 minutes and 13 seconds. Dylan Ackerman of Saipan Community School was no more than two minutes behind with 12:31 while Kai Lee ranked third at 12:38.
The Hilitais dominated in the girls 14U category with Hopwood Junior High School’s Mikayla Lopez notching first place at 12:58. Zarinae Sapong and Rumina Litulumar trailed Lopez with 17:00 and 17:32, respectively.
Litulumar was last month’s only girls 14U runner, where she posted 13:18 at the Commonwealth Ports Authority Field near Airport Road.
In the boys 12U division, HJHS’ Djaymarch Ong beat eight other runners to the finish line at 11 minutes and 20 seconds. SCS’ Elnathan Wong wasn’t far behind with 12:23, along with third place finisher Carl Dela Cruz at 13 minutes.
Tammy Ackerman swept the girls 12U category once again with 12:27, beating Seung Yeon Han (15:33) and Stephanie Lee (16:34).
Haruya Eda joined Saturday’s winners with the fastest time — 6:18 — in the boys 10U division. Ken Song arrived seconds later at 6:29 and John Paul Sablan gain a third place finish with 7:37.
Garapan Elementary School’s Joshalynn Flores timed in at eight minutes and 19 seconds in the girls 8U category.
Jason Sablan and John Hong timed in at 6:29.5 and 7:19 to rank first and second in the boys 10U division.
Unlike the 18U category, runners in the 14U and 12U divisions required only two laps to finish. 10U and 8U runners needed one lap.
The cross country series has one race left at American Memorial Park before its finals round later this month.
