By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
TEAM NMI’s cross-country athletes delivered a spectacular collective performance at the Asia Pacific International Cross Country Championship 2025 held Friday and Saturday on Guam, highlighted by outstanding individual and team relay results.
The high point of the competition was the team relay race, where Team NMI finished an impressive fourth out of 11 complete teams. The pair of Addalee Taflinger and Victor Nash Santos led the way for the NMI, securing a podium finish as third overall out of 67 pairs.
The other NMI pairs were:
Takeru Jim and Dianna Yu Zheng, 23rd
Landen Taflinger and Orica George, 25th
Michael Miller and Sablina Shen, 28th
Raffy Cai and Lucy Hong, 29th
James Fan and Jessica Chen, 46th
Victor Neil Santos and Jian Chun, 53rd
The relay format consisted of a mixed-gender team where a girl runs 2.5K, hands off to a boy who runs 2.5K, then back to the girl for another 2.5K, and finally the boy finishes the last 2.5K. Each runner completed 5K, for a total team distance of 10K.
Coach Angela Taflinger said the relay race was where the team truly showcased their skills, noting that it was an excellent opportunity for the students — representing different schools such as Saipan International School, Marianas High School, Agape Christian School, and Grace Christian Academy — to come together and push each other.
Team NMI also saw remarkable individual performances in the 5K race, with Victor Nash Santos and Addalee Taflinger earning “All-Island” honors as runners who finished in the top 15 overall.
Santos finished eighth overall in the boys division with a time of 17:36.3, while Taflinger placed sixth overall in the girls division with a time of 22:17.5.
Collectively, all NMI boys placed within the top 51 out of 128 runners, while all NMI girls placed within the top 61 out of 94 runners.
The coaches also celebrated the number of personal records achieved by the runners, noting that this “showcases how well they pushed themselves in this race.” They praised the team’s effort over the two-day event, emphasizing the resilience and teamwork displayed by Team NMI.
One of the biggest challenges was the beach run portion of the course. According to the coaches, this segment wore out their runners and contrasted with the humidity and hills they are used to training on back home. Despite that, the athletes were well-prepared for the sand and the early 6 a.m. start time.
The team’s trip and participation were made possible, in part, by the CNMI Public School System’s federal funding for the athletes. Angela Taflinger expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve as coach for the third consecutive year, stating, “It is an amazing opportunity for runners who want to advance their ability and take it to the next level!”
Coach Chad Taflinger added, “We look forward to our next opportunity to showcase what our young NMI running core has to offer the Asia Pacific region.”
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
