Hafa Adai and Tirow sports fans, this is Leigh Gases with this week’s Sports Leigh-Out brought to you by Joeten Motors!
Let’s take a closer look at what our athletes have been up to in off-island competitions and on their home turf—whether it’s on the pitch, mat, courts, fields, track, pools, or the beautiful ocean.
PBs for Leowell in World Championships in China
NMI lifter Leowell Cristobal placed first out of six lifters and broke personal bests in the 65kg division D session of the 2026 IWF World Championships on Oct. 28 in Ningbo, China.
He placed 26th overall with a 113kg snatch lift, 145kg clean & jerk lift, and lifted a 258kg total.
Cristobal said of his performance, “Not the numbers I was aiming for, but happy with how I’ve performed and always striving to improve. 5kg improvement in my snatch and total.” He added, “Competitions have been good, been opening up with higher weights and being more confident with hitting those for prs.”
The U.S. Airman said that he has a couple local competitions in Okinawa that he will be competing in, and he also might compete in Guam next month. As for training, he said, it’s been good. “Working with my coach Jackie Black for the next training cycle. Goal is LA 2028. Working on this for eligibility!”
Nine wrestlers sent off with ceremony for Thailand Open
A send off ceremony was held for the nine wrestlers from the NMI National Wrestling Team on Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium conference room and was attended by family members and supporters.
They are competing in the 2026 United World Wrestling Thailand Open from Nov. 18-22 in Sriracha, Thailand. NMI wrestlers are competing in three divisions: Cadet (U17), Junior (U20), and Senior (20+).
In the Cadet division, Seth Sablan will compete in both Freestyle and Greco-Roman at 65kg, while Grant Li will compete in both styles at 71kg. Frank Laniyo will represent the CNMI in Freestyle and Greco-Roman at 92kg.
Lincoln Manibusan is the lone CNMI representative in the Junior division, competing in Freestyle at 65kg and Greco-Roman at 67kg.
The Senior division will feature five wrestlers. Ray Santos will compete in Freestyle at 57kg and Greco-Roman at 55kg, while Daryn Roufs will compete at 61kg in Freestyle and 63kg in Greco-Roman. Nimesh Fonseka will compete in Freestyle at 57kg.
Chris Hardt will represent the CNMI in Freestyle at 79kg and Greco-Roman at 77kg, while Miles Borja will compete in Freestyle at 79kg and Greco-Roman at 82kg.
Kanoa, MPU are U12, U14 boys champs
The Kanoa FC U12 boys team dominated their division in the 2026 Fall TakeCare Youth Soccer League after finishing the season undefeated with a 12-0-0 record.
They capped it off with a final win over MP United, 1-0, on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the NMI Soccer Training Center in Koblerville. In the U14 boys division games that morning, MP United secured the first place finish, while Latte FC settled for second.
With no playoffs scheduled this season, division champions are determined by the final standings.
U12 baseball team to compete in Guam; fundraisers ongoing
An 18-player CNMI Jr. National U12 Baseball Team roster is competing in the upcoming 2026 WBSC Oceania U12 Baseball Championships at the Dededo Sports Complex in Guam from Nov. 27-30.
The team is made up of Madex Standish, Kayden Cruz, Rockson Cabrera, Zachary Scaliem, Desmond Babauta, Jayven Sablan, Leland Ogumoro-Kintol, Xander Ngeskebei, Oshean Garde, Landon Lieto, Nathaniel Reyes, Xayvion Neth, Kiean Tomokane, Isaiah Arriola Mook, Legend Coldeen, Jesse Ramon, Sasuke Castro, and Lyle Muna.
Their manager is Kyle Hocog, with the team coached by head coach Dominic Yumul, assistant coach Francisco Lieto, and team lead Alvin Takai.
The team is competing against Australia and Guam. They are going up against Australia and then Guam on Nov. 27. They will then face Guam on Nov. 28, Australia and then Guam on Nov. 29, and Australia again on Nov. 30.
The team ranked first at the end of the tournament will be crowned champions and will qualify for the 2027 WBSC U12 Baseball World Cup that will be held in Taiwan.
With preparations about three months in, the CNMI team is continuing its fundraising efforts, with a GoFundMe link available on its Saipan Baseball League social media pages and here: https://gofund.me/027fd986c They will also be holding a hot lunch fundraiser in collaboration with OhMyGrill on Nov. 21.
Before they fly off, the team is hosting a send-off ceremony on Monday, Nov. 23, at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
Manager Kyle Hocog thanked those who have already donated during one of their practice sessions at the Miguel “Tan Ge” Pangelinan Softball Field, saying, “A huge thank you to the people who have already donated. I know the players are very thankful as well for giving them the opportunity and helping fund that.”
The team will be spending Thanksgiving on Guam for the third year in a row, with Hocog saying that the opportunity is “amazing.”
Last year, a CNMI U15 team competed in Guam and settled for second place after sweeping Guam, with Australia getting the ticket to the 2026 World Cup in Italy.
Jaden, Aiden off to Samoa for OWF Elite Junior Training Camp
Young weightlifters Jaden Andrew and Aiden Gimed left Thursday, Nov. 12, and are ready to lift some weights in the 2026 OWF Elite Junior Training Camp in Apia, Samoa at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute & Academy that will be held until Nov. 22.
Weightlifters and coaches from all over Oceania including New Zealand, Australia, Guam, Niue, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, American Samoa, Cook Island, Nauru, Kiribati, Palau, Tahiti, New Caledonia, and Marshall Islands will be in attendance preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Andrew has been weightlifting since 2023 and has represented the CNMI in multiple competitions including the Guam Open National Championship, Marianas Weightlifting Cup, and Bacolod City Philippine Championships in 2023; the Micronesian Games in Marshall Islands and Guam Open National Championship in 2024; the Palau Pacific Mini Games in 2025; and the Marianas Open this year.
Meanwhile, Gimed, who is from Saipan, represents the Federated States of Micronesia, and is a long-time training partner of Andrew.
For Andrew, he said of the opportunity to participate in the camp: “I’m very grateful for this opportunity to train at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute & Academy in Samoa. It’s a great chance to learn from experienced coaches, train alongside other talented athletes, and continue developing as a weightlifter.”
On what he wants to learn at the camp, Andrew said, “I’m looking to learn everything I can. I know there’s still so much room for improvement, so I want to take in as much knowledge and experience as possible from the coaches and other athletes.”
His goal while there is to improve himself as an athlete by learning new training methods, refining his technique, and becoming stronger and more consistent in his lifts.
Andrew is preparing to compete at the 2027 Pacific Games in Tahiti and the 2027 World Weightlifting Championships and said this camp will help him perform his best in those competitions.
Read the full story on our website.
U15 men’s team sent off for EAFF tourney in China
While the U17 men’s team is still in Kyrgyzstan for their tourney, another sendoff ceremony was held on Nov. 11, this time for the U15 Men’s National Team as they compete in FIFA Forward Programme EAFF U15 Championship 2026 in Suzhou, China.
They are first competing against Mongolia on Nov. 23, then Macau on Nov. 25, and then Guam on Nov. 27.
The roster is made up of team captains Rhyane Umali and Clyde Manangan, Travis Hix-Kileleman, Mateo Angeles, John Rey Daca, Juan Tenorio, Dominic Canete-Ealy, Keanu Pangelinan, Alejandro Morales, Jude Rayphand, Benaiah Murphy, Jomel Quemado, Xavier Camacho, Benjie Escano, Eric Palacios Jr., Andrew Borlongan, Edric Morales, Marvic Javaluyas, Carl Licop, and Aven Taitano.
The head coach is Jershwin Angeles, with team manager and assistant coach Irish Pagarao. The goalkeeper coach is Merrick Toves, the kit manager is Daniell Pablo, and the team doctor Brian Briones.
