(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Team Marianas still made it to the medal board on Day 4 of the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau — thanks to swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko.
On a day marked by mixed results, Aleksenko gave the NMI a much-needed lift by capturing his fifth straight gold medal with a commanding win in the 200m butterfly finals at the Palau Swimming Pool in Meyuns on Thursday night.
The 19-year-old broke the 2-minute barrier in the event, clocking 1:58.52 — well ahead of silver medalist Nael Roux of Tahiti, who finished in 2:07.18. Palau’s Kazuumi Nestor came in a distant third with a time of 2:12.07.
Kouki Watanabe also reached the finals and placed fourth, while Maria Batallones, Shoko Litulumar, Kean Pajarillaga, Justin Ma, and Richard Zhao competed in the 1,500m freestyle finals later that evening but missed the podium.
With Aleksenko’s latest triumph, Team Marianas now holds 6 gold medals, 6 silvers, and 7 bronzes. Pool competition wraps up tonight with 10 more medals up for grabs, while the ocean swim event is set for Saturday.
NMI baseball splits doubleheader
In baseball, the NMI dominated Fiji in the morning match, 15–7, but suffered a heartbreaking 5–6 loss to the Federated States of Micronesia in the nightcap.
The NMI came out strong against Fiji, scoring five runs each in the first and second innings en route to an easy victory — a follow-up to Wednesday’s 7–6 comeback win over Guam. Designated hitter Harry Nakamura and right fielder Joshua Jones recorded 3 RBIs each, while first baseman Nathan Camacho added 2.
After a brief rest, the James Kintol-managed squad returned to Asahi Baseball Stadium for its second game of the day. The NMI looked poised for a third consecutive win, taking a 5–3 lead into the bottom of the seventh and final inning.
Closer Francisco Lieto struck out FSM leadoff batter Fritz Mendiola and then got a second out when Steve Mendiola swung and missed — with runners on first and third. But FSM staged a dramatic rally. Michael Rudolph singled to bring home G-Shawn Luther, cutting the deficit to one. Then, with two outs, David Dadius hit a fly ball to second base that was mishandled, allowing both JT Loyola and Rudolph to score and end the game.
Following the doubleheader, the NMI gets a much-needed rest Friday before returning to face host Palau on Saturday in a crucial makeup game. After Guam defeated Palau on Thursday, the NMI must beat the hosts to stay in contention for the gold medal.
Mixed day for 3×3 basketball
In 3×3 basketball, the NMI women edged Tonga, 16–14, but fell to Solomon Islands, 10–15, in their final game of the day. The men’s team also lost a close one to the Solomons, 19–20.
Despite the losses, both teams remain in the hunt for medals.
“Every day that we play, it’s a mini tournament they call a Stop. Today was Stop 3. There are a total of 6 Stops. At each Stop, there’s a final game and every team earns points based on standings,” said team manager Preston Basa. “The champion of a Stop gets 100 points, second place gets 80, and so forth.”
After three Stops, the NMI women are ranked third with 220 points, behind Tonga (270) and the Solomon Islands (230). The men’s team sits in fourth with 210 points — just behind Tahiti (220), with Solomons (225) and Tonga (220) in the top two spots.
Beach volleyball and softball results
In men’s beach volleyball, Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson dropped their second pool play match to Australia’s Finley Benett and Jed Walker, 21–16, 21–17, for a 1–1 record. The NMI pair faces Fiji’s Wilison Loga and Sakiusa Naivana Friday and must win to reach the quarterfinals.
In women’s fast-pitch softball, the NMI remained winless in three games after an 8–10 loss to host Palau.
Athletics competition underway
Track and field action begins Friday at the Palau National Track and Field Stadium, with four NMI athletes opening their campaigns.
NMI record holder Tania Tan will run in the women’s 10K event at 6 a.m., while youth runner Nash Santos will compete in the men’s division. Simon Tang joins the men’s 400m hurdles at 8:50 a.m., and Lyle Andrew is set to compete in the men’s hammer throw at 9 a.m.
On Saturday, Theodore Dodgers will run in the men’s 100m qualifying heats at 3:30 p.m., followed by Maria Quitugua’s appearance in the women’s javelin throw at 4:30 p.m.
Wrestling team returns with medals
The NMI Wrestling Team arrived home Thursday morning with a total haul of five medals: one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes.
The team included athletes Seth Sablan, Miles Borja, Vincent Palacios, and Lincoln Manibusan, and coaches Rick Bauer, Jerald Quimzon, and Daryn Rouffs.
Sponsors
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.
NMI’s Isaiah Aleksenko, right, takes a breather after a first-place finish in the qualifying heat for the 200m butterfly race Thursday morning on Day 4 of the swimming competition in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau.
Photo by Ryota Nishida via NMSA
NMI’s Kevin Villagomez pitches against Guam during the team’s opening game on Wednesday.
NMI’s Yasmeen Younis, left, plays tough defense on a Samoa player during their game in the 3×3 basketball Wednesday night at Palau High School Gymnasium.
ANOC via NMSA
NMI Wrestling Team members return home Thursday morning after winning 1 gold medal, 2 silvers, and 2 bronzes at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau.
NMSA photo