By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
SAIPAN International School once again proved its dominance in the PSS-NMA All-School Cross Country Series SY25-26 finale, held Saturday at the Saipan Vegas Golf Course, as senior Victor Nash Santos and sophomore Addalee Taflinger captured their respective high school division titles.
Santos, 17, powered his way to a second consecutive first-place finish in the high school boys division, posting an impressive time of 18:42.33. The victory marked a significant “back-to-back” achievement for Santos, who expressed gratitude during his final season of high school.
“First, I want to thank God for putting me in this position again,” Santos said, calling the achievement a “blessing.”
Reflecting on his performance, Santos noted a change in his mindset compared to last year.
“I was more relaxed — I trusted myself, I had more confidence in myself,” he said, attributing his improved performance to experience gained from events like the Pacific Mini Games.
Looking ahead, Santos revealed plans to adjust his training to focus on longer-distance events for the upcoming track and field season.
Trailing Santos in the boys’ race were Landen Taflinger in second with a time of 19:57.81, followed by Takeru Jim (Marianas High School) in third at 20:12.48.
The SIS success extended to the girls’ competition, where 15-year-old Addalee Taflinger claimed the high school girls’ title with a time of 24:01.42.
“I’m proud of myself, for pushing myself and having the ability to do this,” Taflinger said, crediting both her personal drive and her team’s support.
With two more years of high school ahead, Taflinger aims to leave a lasting legacy.
“I want to do the same as Kaithlyn [Chavez] for future runners and be a role model to them,” she added.
Finishing behind Taflinger were Dianna Yu Zheng (Grace Christian Academy) in second at 26:30.61 and Sablina Shen (Agape Christian School) in third at 27:07.84.
Santos’ strong performance helped SIS clinch the boys’ team title, accumulating 25 points to edge out Marianas High School (28 points) and Agape Christian School (29 points). The full boys’ team standings were:
SIS – 25 points
MHS – 28
ACS – 29
Saipan Southern High School – 85
Kagman High School – 117
Mount Carmel School – 135
Rota High School – 130
In the girls’ division, despite Taflinger’s individual victory, ACS captured first place in the team standings with 26 points, followed by SIS with 35 points and MHS with 43 points. Kagman High School rounded out the top four with 86 points.
In cross country, each team’s score is the sum of the finishing positions of its top runners. The team with the lowest total points wins.
