By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
WITH the return of the Northern Marianas Athletics Open Track & Field Meet at the Oleai Sports Complex, local athletes across all age groups showcased grit, resilience, and competitive spirit on Day 2, Friday, bridging the gap between elite youth talent and veteran masters competitors on the track and in the field.
Highlighting the field events was 17-year-old Peyton Basa, who asserted his dominance across multiple disciplines.
In the Open Men’s javelin throw, Basa captured the gold medal with a throw of 44.57 meters, narrowly edging out fellow 17-year-old Javen Camacho, who took silver with 44.30m, while Devin Yumul, 18, secured bronze at 35.36m.
In the M35 division, Ben Jones posted 28.60m. Nick Gross led the M45 category with 35.35m, followed by Leo Wania at 29.37m, while Joel Phair recorded 27.75m.
In the Open Women’s javelin, Maria Quitugua claimed gold with 26.77m, followed by Shaina Malonzo with 22.16m and Stacy Arriola with 18.86m. Rhonda Gross topped the W45 division as the lone competitor with 13.04m.
Basa added a second gold medal in the Open Men’s shot put with a top mark of 11.10m, outlasting Yong Lin (10.86m) and Jared Ayuyu (10.85m) in a tight contest.
In the M30-34 division, David Barnhouse led with 9.15m, followed by Angel San Nicolas with 9.07m. Joel Phair topped the M45-49 group with 7.68m ahead of Leo Wania at 6.99m, while Dan Jazb led the M50-54 division with 10.49m, followed by Greg Borja with 7.22m.
In the women’s field events, Shaina Malonzo led the Open Women’s shot put with 8.30m, followed by Stacy Arriola with 7.85m. Sly Taggart claimed gold in the W45-49 division with 9.22m, while Krista Hawley topped the W55-59 division with 6.25m. Maria Omnes led the W60-64 division with 8.56m.
On the track, Austin Buchner cruised to gold in the Open Men’s 1500m with a time of 4:32.03, followed by Takaru Jim (5:00.48) and Dylan Hilschneider (5:35.78).
In the Masters Men 30 division, Simon Necesito finished in 7:24.53. Kurt Songsong won the Masters Men 35 title in 7:25.91, while Joel Phair topped the Masters Men 45 division in 6:13.03.
In the Open Women’s 1500m, Dianne Long led the field in 6:20.73, followed by Gwendyn Lanangan (6:37.28) and Erricka Long (7:58.31).
Athletes also tested their speed in the 200m sprints.
In the Open Men’s 200m, Simon Tang won gold in 23.61, followed by Theo Rodgers (23.78) and Dave Odicta (24.18). The Masters Men 35-39 division was led by Raymond Santos (26.31), followed by Ben Jones (30.81), while Yundong Long topped the Masters Men 45-49 division in 31.06.
In the Open Women’s 200m, Andrea Chavez claimed gold in 25.24, followed by Iris Rasa (27.17) and Bianca Long (29.53). Krista Hawley won the Masters Women division in 30.73.
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.
