Running/Track
GECKOS, ISLANDERS SPLIT THURSDAY MEET
A rivalry renewed: The GW Geckos and JFK Islanders put their best foot forward, splitting their meet Thursday afternoon.
By Jay Leon Guerrero
An old rivalry continued on Thursday with Guam’s oldest schools going against each other in an IIAAG Cross Country Meet showdown. The George Washington Geckos and the JFK Islanders took the course in Upper Tumon and results ended in a split with the Geckos winning the boys meet and the Islanders winning the girls meet.
Johnson dominates again
GW’s Terrance Johnson started a fast pace and never let up, finishing with a fast time of 16:30. Johnson has been performing well individually and is one of the favorites to win the all-island meet scheduled for next month.
“I was pretty confident but also nervous too because you really don’t know what could happen and anybody can do well on any day,” said Johnson.
Johnson finished ahead of GW teammate, and fellow 11th grader, Paul Mansfield finishing at 18:19. The 1-2 finish helped the Geckos get the victory 24-32.
Mya Tolerson was the first female to cross the finish line, clocking in at 21:19 ahead of teammate Trixia Nierva 22:11.
“The weather was hot today compared to yesterday and it made harder for us because it was raining hard yesterday,” said Tolerson. “As a team, we didn’t run as good as we should but we will be getting better and faster as we get closer to the All-Island meet.”
Elizabeth Desingano was the first GW runner to cross the finish line with a time of 23:39, good enough for third overall. The Islanders won the girls meet with a final score of 22-33. After forfeiting their first two meets due to player eligibility, the Islanders breezed to four straight wins and are now 4-2 for the season. The Gecko girls drop to 3-3.
Joseph Aguon, Mark Imazu and Taiga Sato came in third, fourth and fifth, respectively for JFK.
“GW is a competitive team and Terrance makes them better,” said Aguon.
The Geckos are now 4-2 for the season, the Islander boys drop to 3-3.
Aguon, a short distance specialist on the track, praised Johnson and said he wanted to just run a smart race on his home course.
“I just want to go out there and run at my own pace and I ended up with a PR (personal record),” said Aguon. “Terrance is at another level and he runs at a fast pace.”
Aguon clocked in at 18:47, swimming phenom Imazu had a time of 19:14.
“Going off-island and competing against really fast runners in Australia at the Oceania tournament made me better, on and off the track” said Johnson.
Johnson and Aguon are both potential future track and field superstars on are both currently on the National Junior team.
“Im pretty sure he will make the team for next year in the long distance races. Im hoping to be on the team as well for the Oceania Tournament,” said Aguon who is still recovering from double hamstring injuries.
Rivalry continues
JFK and GW have the longest rivalry and a history of battles in cross country in the 80s and 90s.
“Our coach used to coach GW and he told us that he won many championships at GW,” said Tolerson.
“He wants us to win championships here at JFK and he wants us to have that same success. Its alot of pressure for us but its okay,” said Tolerson.
PHOTO GALLERY BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
RESULTS
IIAAG 19-20 Cross-Country IIAAG Meet #7 GWHS vs JFKHS - 9/19/2019
JFKHS, , Guam
Varsity Mixed 5000 Meter Run
=================================================================
Name Yr Team Time Pts
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Girls
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1 Mya Tolerson 11 John F Kennedy High 21:19.92 1
2 Trixia Nierva 9 John F Kennedy High 22:11.50 2
3 Elizabeth Desingano 12 George Washington Hi 23:39.74 3
4 Jada Han 9 John F Kennedy High 23:56.32 4
5 Gissa Dumaraog 10 George Washington Hi 24:21.56 5
6 Aveleen Santos 11 George Washington Hi 24:39.63 6
7 Chasity Minor 10 John F Kennedy High 25:45.22 7
8 Melanie Rosario John F Kennedy High 26:17.93 8
9 Laelas Cabalis 9 George Washington Hi 26:35.51 9
10 Daeline Pangelinan 11 George Washington Hi 26:38.51 10
11 Raianne Quichocho 11 George Washington Hi 28:33.63 11
12 Danie Aguon 10 George Washington Hi 30:32.86 12
13 Chae Ragadi 10 George Washington Hi 33:57.55
14 Daniel Masang John F Kennedy High 34:26.63 13
15 Patricia Concepcion 9 John F Kennedy High 43:32.89 14
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Boys
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1 Terrance Johnson 11 George Washington Hi 16:30.57 1
2 Paul Mansfield 11 George Washington Hi 18:19.66 2
3 Joseph Aguon 12 John F Kennedy High 18:47.09 3
4 Mark Imazu 10 John F Kennedy High 19:14.60 4
5 Taiga Sato 12 John F Kennedy High 19:16.48 5
6 Kristian Versario 9 George Washington Hi 20:34.70 6
7 Genesis Dumaraog 9 George Washington Hi 20:52.15 7
8 Christian Ruder 11 George Washington Hi 20:52.93 8
9 Thomas Cepeda 9 John F Kennedy High 21:00.57 9
10 Andrew Alconoba 11 George Washington Hi 21:26.57 10
11 Matthew Rivera 11 John F Kennedy High 21:40.59 11
12 Landon Taitingfong 9 John F Kennedy High 22:15.62 12
13 Aaron Milan 11 John F Kennedy High 22:23.65 13
14 Taiyo Kanekatsu 9 John F Kennedy High 23:16.02
15 Caleb Larimer 9 John F Kennedy High 24:01.25
16 Robert Cruz 10 George Washington Hi 24:06.90 14
17 Morken David 9 John F Kennedy High 25:06.64
18 Resty Versario 11 George Washington Hi 25:23.05
19 Rhenan Sagun 9 John F Kennedy High 26:14.07
20 Noah Castro 12 George Washington Hi 26:14.34
21 Mckoiel Mane George Washington Hi 26:16.42
22 Laurence Melencia 11 George Washington Hi 26:36.20
23 Aguon Ross 9 George Washington Hi 31:37.75
24 ELijah Castro 9 John F Kennedy High 34:13.32
25 Aaron Olkerill 11 George Washington Hi 34:27.60
Girls Varsity Mixed 5000 Meter Run Team Scores
=================================================================
Team Pts 1 2 3 4 5 (6) (7)
=================================================================
1 John F Kennedy High 22 1 2 4 7 8 13 14
Total Time: 1:59:31 Average: 23:54.18 1-5 Split: 4:59
2 George Washington Hi 33 3 5 6 9 10 11 12
Total Time: 2:05:55 Average: 25:10.99 1-5 Split: 2:59
Boys Varsity Mixed 5000 Meter Run Team Scores
=================================================================
Team Pts 1 2 3 4 5 (6) (7)
=================================================================
1 George Washington Hi 24 1 2 6 7 8 10 14
Total Time: 1:37:11 Average: 19:26.01 1-5 Split: 4:23
2 John F Kennedy High 32 3 4 5 9 11 12 13
Total Time: 1:40:00 Average: 19:59.87 1-5 Split: 2:54