By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
QUIDO Jambor and LoVel Spaeth seized the spotlight in the middle school division of the PSS-NMA All-School Cross Country Series SY25-26, adding individual titles to the collections of Saipan International School and Saipan Community School, respectively, during the finale held Saturday at the Saipan New Vegas golf courses.
Spaeth successfully defended her title, achieving a back-to-back overall win as the top finisher in the girls middle school division with a time of 14:53.22. The SCS sixth grader shared a mix of excitement and nerves about her second consecutive overall victory. “It feels pretty good,” Spaeth said. “I was a lot more nervous this year. I was worried because a lot of people I know are really fast, and there are also older students in our grade.”
Despite the competitive field, Spaeth stuck to her strategy: maintain a comfortable pace with the top five runners in the first lap, then extend her lead with one thing in mind: “Just keep going, don’t walk.” She cited Banzai Cliff as her favorite course this school year, highlighting the rolling hills and refreshing breeze as key factors. Spaeth dedicated her win to her parents, Robin and Travis Spaeth, and her teammates, including Gabe, Olivia, Scarlet, Nevaeh, Amie, Nadine, Iris, Decklin, Courtland, Senaya, Zayden, and Coach Omar.
Taking second place in the girls middle school division was SIS’ Neveah Arriola with a time of 15:50.41, followed closely by Dandan Middle School’s Amica Hornilla at 15:54.30.
In the boys middle school division, eighth grader Quido Jambor celebrated a triumphant return, claiming the overall title with a time of 13:16.16 after taking seventh grade off from the sport. “It feels good to win,” he said. Jambor first made waves in sixth grade, winning all his races except the championships. This year marked his successful comeback. He plans to continue his athletic career in high school, potentially joining cross country, track and field, soccer, and volleyball. Jambor dedicated his victory to his parents, his coaches, and teammates who cheered him on.
Second place in the boys division went to Hopwood Middle School’s Nicolo Unay (14:01.49), followed by DMS’ Jeffrey Pangelinan II (14:04.20).
Although Spaeth and Jambor captured the individual titles, their efforts were not enough to secure team championships. In the girls middle school division, Saipan International School claimed first place with 24 points, followed by Saipan Community School (34), Hopwood Middle School (61), Dandan Middle School (66), and Chacha Ocean View Middle School (136). In the boys division, Hopwood Middle School won its first team title with 27 points, followed by DMS (54), SIS (56), Agape Christian School (59), SCS (79), COVMS (96), and Francisco M. Sablan Middle School (159).
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.
Individual winners in the elementary school division also made their mark. In the U9 male age group, Brilliant Star School’s Declan Spaeth finished first (6:31.76), followed by Garapan Elementary School’s Eliis Fehrenbacker (7:03.97) and Kagman Elementary School’s Jace Brennfleck (7:13.25). The U9 female age group was led by Mount Carmel School’s Chloe Mostales (7:59.63), William S. Reyes Elementary School’s Makenna Pangelinan (8:08.88), and Grace Christian Academy’s YiLe Zhuang (8:20.21).
In the U12 male age group, ACS’ David Yang finished first (6:31.38), followed by ACS’ Jonny Shen (6:53.08) and Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School’s Orion Garde (6:54.16). The U12 female age group saw GES’ Clair Fehrenbacker claim first place (7:01.88), with SCS’ Iris Qin (7:18.47) and WSR’s Riem Hernandez (8:00.15) completing the podium.
Top three teams in the elementary boys division were KagES (38 points), BSS (56), and WSR (89). In the girls division, WSR finished first (40), followed by BSS (41) and SIS (85).
