The top 3 runners of the middle school category pose for a photo during the awards ceremony of the PSS-NMA All School Cross Country Series SY23-24 on Saturday at the Saipan Country Club of Saipan Vegas.
Kaithlyn Chavez pushes through to finish first in the girls high school division of the PSS-NMA All School Cross Country Series SY23-24 on Saturday at the Saipan Country Club of Saipan Vegas.
Michael Miller smiles as he finishes first in the boys high school division of the PSS-NMA All School Cross Country Series SY23-24 on Saturday at the Saipan Country Club of Saipan Vegas.
THE NMA-PSS All School Cross Country Series SY23-24 focused on team effort, but individual contributions played a major part in the overall placings, which is why the top three of each age division were awarded for their sterling performances on Saturday at the Saipan Country Club of Saipan Vegas.
Kaithlyn Chavez claimed her third consecutive title in the girls high school division while Michael Miller dominated the boys division.
Saipan International School’s Chavez completed the course with a time of 21:17 while Pia Ngewakl followed at 24:08 and Agape Christian School’s Ruishi Zhu came in third with a time of 25:02.
Miller, who is a freshman at Marianas High School, finished first with time of a 17:59 followed by teammate Takeru Jim at 18:31 and Mount Carmel School’s Victor Santo at 18:36.
Miller said the course was not easy, but added that he loved the competition. “Just the idea of pushing to get first place, I like that.”
He added, “This whole competition was a nice experience and I feel like going to Guam opened my eyes,” referring to his participation in the Asia Pacific International Cross Country Championships last week on the neighboring island.
On Guam, he said he was able to see the level of the runners from the other islands in a competitive environment, which he also wants to see on Saipan.
In the middle school category, Saipan International School’s Adalee Taflinger topped the girls division with a time of 10:23 followed by teammates Eliza Culp at 12:01 and Faith Arriola at 12:12.
Agape Christian School’s Ziheng Cai topped the boys division with a time of 09:02 while teammate Shenshi Yang came in second at 09:21 and Francisco Middle School’s Lumanlan Frank finished third with a time of 09:44.
In the U12 girls division, Brilliant Star School’s Lovel Spaeth dominated with a time of 05:52 followed by SIS’s Isla Grant and Naveah Arriola, who shared a time of 06:20.
“It felt really nice, and I really liked the course,” shared the 9-year-old Spaeth. She added that throughout the series, her favorite course was Banzai Cliff.
Tinian made it to the top thanks to Francisco Moses’s first-place performance with a time of 05:50. Grace Christian Academy’s Beau Bauer came in second at 05:54 while Gregorio T. Camacho Middle School’s Orion Garde finished third with a time of 05:59.
As for the U9 age group, Kaylen Taflinger and Gabriel Walsh were the top runners.
SIS’s Taflinger finished first in the girls division with a time of 06:11 followed by teammate Olivia Walsh at 06:59, and BSS’s Claire Fehrenbacker at 07:05.
SIS’s Gabriel Walsh ruled the boys division with a time of 05:58, followed by teammate Ezra West at 06:06, and Tinian’s Miran Tamang at 06:16.
