(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Team Marianas closed out its campaign in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau with a bang, winning a gold medal in the half marathon and a bronze in 3×3 basketball on Wednesday.
Northern Marianas Athletics’ Tania Tan delivered the gold medal for the NMI after ruling the women’s half marathon early Wednesday morning. The quartet of Kina Rangamar, Kaia Travilla, Yasmeen Younis, and Alliyah Fernandez handed Team Marianas its last medal in the competition after beating Papua New Guinea in a thrilling battle for the bronze medal, 21-19, Wednesday afternoon at the Palau High School Gymnasium.
With the pair of medals on the final day of competition, the NMI improved its medal tally to 10 golds, 8 silvers, and 13 bronzes for a total of 31. The NMI was the top finisher among the Micronesian nations that competed in the Mini Games, besting host Palau (5-7-16 tally), the Marshall Islands (5-1-5), Guam (4-5-4), Kiribati (4-1-3), Nauru (3-24-11), and the Federated States of Micronesia (3-2-2).
“Amazing finish for an AMAZING Team! Team Marianas has accomplished what we came to do!” Chef de Mission Nick Gross said.
“I’m in awe of all we’ve accomplished and more than blessed to be associated with and to represent this great team. The medal count and remaining in the Top 6 teams throughout the Games says so very much, not to mention the national records set! Thank you to our sponsors, the NMI Government & Legislature, and all who assisted through coaching, officiating, administrating, and cheering us on! We’re finishing with an exclamation point and look forward to getting home and back to our loved ones! Thank you, Palau, for an incredible Games! Biba NMI!”
With the NMI collecting a couple more medals in the final days of competition, it ranked 6th among the 23 countries that participated in the Mini Games. Tahiti topped the overall medal tally with a 72-41-29 record, followed by Fiji (27-30-24), Samoa (27-14-20), Australia (24-15-16), and Papua New Guinea (22-29-26).
Second gold for Tan
Tan earned her second medal in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games after cruising past six other opponents in the women’s half marathon.
The 24-year-old runner, who got her first gold medal last July 4 via the 10,000m and bagged a bronze in the 5,000m last Monday, finished the 21.1km race in 1:28:40 — a new NMI record, breaking the 1:29:11 mark she had set herself in 2023 during the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.
She was the only runner in the women’s division to complete the race in under an hour and a half, as second finisher Natalia Prado Alfonso of New Caledonia clocked in at 1:32:11. Solomon Islands’ Dianah Matekali rounded out the Top 3 with a time of 1:32:29.
NMI women’s 3×3 team makes history
The NMI had never won a medal in either 3×3 or 5×5 basketball competitions in the Pacific Games or Mini Games — until the come-from-behind victory against PNG in the bronze medal match on Wednesday.
After a heartbreaking 11-12 loss to Fiji in the semis, the NMI women’s 3×3 team returned to the court determined to make it to the podium. PNG, also on a mission following a 7-21 defeat at the hands of Tonga in the other semifinal, seemed ready to foil the NMI’s medal bid as it led 16-12 with 2:43 remaining.
PNG remained in control despite baskets from Younis and Rangamar, holding a 17-14 edge with 1:48 left in the game. But the NMI managed to tie the match behind three straight points from Fernandez — a step-back jumper followed by a three-pointer from the left wing. Both teams then traded misses before PNG’s Philomina Isei hit a triple to put her team back on top, 19-17.
Not for long.
Rangamar, seeing Fernandez tightly guarded, pulled up from beyond the arc and drained the shot to tie the game at 19-all with 1:01 remaining.
The deadlock held as Younis and Fernandez played tight defense on Isei, preventing her from driving to the basket. PNG retained possession but missed its shot with 8 seconds left. The NMI secured the rebound and moved the ball around before Rangamar kicked it out to Fernandez, who launched a shot from the 3-point line and was fouled.
Fernandez needed to sink two free throws to win the game outright — and she did, as both shots swished in with 41.3 seconds left. In 3×3 basketball, the first team to reach 21 points wins, even if time remains on the clock.
Beach volleyball, baseball earn podium finishes
The duo of Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson reached the finals in men’s beach volleyball on Monday night after surviving Tahiti in a three-set thriller, 21-18, 19-21, 15-13.
The NMI pair then faced the favored Australian duo of Finley Bennett and Jed Walker, and lost in straight sets Tuesday night, 18-21, 18-21, settling for the silver medal.
In baseball, the NMI suffered a tough 5-12 loss to host Palau in the semis but bounced back strong in the bronze medal game, defeating the Federated States of Micronesia, 15-5.
Support and sponsorship
Team Marianas’ participation in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games was supported by 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 Tania Tan, center, leads the podium finishers in the women’s half marathon event at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau on Wednesday. She is joined by silver medalist Natalia Prado Alfonso of New Caledonia and bronze medalist Dianah Matekali of Solomon Islands.
Marianas Press photo
NMI’s Logan Mister bends down to receive a serve from Australia, while teammate Andrew Johnson looks on during their gold medal game last Tuesday night at the Long Island Beach in Palau.
Marianas Press photo
NMI’s Alliyah Fernandez, left, goes for an isolation play against an FSM defender during the last preliminary game in women’s 3×3 basketball.
Marianas Press photo
Kina Rangamar, Kaia Travilla, Yasmeen Younis, and Alliyah Fernandez handed Team Marianas its last medal in the Pacific Mini Games by beating Papua New Guinea in a thrilling battle for the bronze medal in 3×3 basketball
