
By Mike Nauta Jr.

Oriane Guillot finished the 2.5 mile stretch in first place despite being just 14 years old. (photo by Mike Nauta.)
A little under 200 swimmers made their way down to the beautiful village of Merizo to partake in the 25th Cocos Crossing Guam 2.5/5-mile International Ocean Swim. Participants in the event included a combination of both local swimmers as well as from abroad.
The annual competition also introduced a new category (Neptune) in which swimmers were able to use snorkel and fins.
While family and friends lined the shorelines of Merizo Pier, it was anyone’s guess as to who will swim the fastest and arrive at the finish line.
Needing less than 50 minutes to complete the 2.5 mile course capture this year’s championship, Oriane Guillot and Tommy Imazu cruised passed their fellow competitors and crossed as the first male and female overall finishers.
Originally from Canada and now residing in Hong Kong, 14-year old Guillot stroked her way past second-place finisher Christena Pazos. Guillot finished with an official time of 48:52, while Pazos clocked in at 49:01.
Rounding out the top three slots was Amanda Poppe who completed the challenge in 53:02.
“This is my first time ever competing in this race and I have to say that the water was beautiful and clear,” said Guillot. “Finishing as the top female athlete amongst these tough competitors is a great felling and its a boost of confidence for me personally.”
In the men’s division, Tommy Imazu defended his 2014 championship successfully with yet another crown. Imazu (44:43) beat out second-place finisher Chris Duenas by a mere eight seconds.
Duenas recorded an official time of 44:51. Finishing the men’s division in third was Mr. Richard Ketcher. Ketcher completed the course in 47:27.
“It was a good swim overall, but there were some times when I felt like I was battling the elements as the race progressed,” said Imazu. “Having great competition every time in a race like this just keeps the confidence and motivational at a complete high.”
5-MILE SWIM DOMINATED BY SCHULTE
Known for his accomplishments with open water swimming competition, Benjamin Schulte was the first person to cross the finish line with a red cap on.
The red cap signified which competitors were in the 5-mile out and back course. Schulte used his experience to his advantage and wasted no time making his mark as the first five-mile event finisher. Schulte finish the race in 1:27:01 which was more than ten minutes faster than Scott Day. Rounding out the top three males in the five mile swim was Ben Denton who clocked in a time of 1:53:52.
“I’m pretty happy and satisfied with my performance in the swim,” said Schulte. “Conditions weren’t too bad out in the water, it was just a matter a making the right adjustments if and when needed.
Four ladies battled one another in a very challenging five miles. When the results were tallied, it was Lynda Goggins who took home top honors, while Sara Huber finished in second. Goggins and Huber finished in 1:53:22 and 2:03:22 respectively. Only 14-years old, Katelee McCormik finished in third place. Masae Watakiki rounds out the top four.
PHOTO GALLERY:


GPS Sports Calendar
March 2023
- SU
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
Events for February
28th
Events for March
2nd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
IIAAG TENNIS LEAGUE
IIAAG BEACH VOLLEYBALL FINALS
Events for March
3rd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET
ISA GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
IIAAG BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
ISA BOYS BASKETBALL FINALS
Events for March
4th
35th RAINBOWS FOR ALL CHILDREN 3.5 MILER
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS
Events for March
5th
MONSTER ENERGY MOTOCROSS ROUND 3
Events for March
5th
Events for March
6th
Events for March
7th
Events for March
9th
Events for March
11th
GSPN PRESEASON BOYS VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT DAY 1
Bank of Guam Block Party 5K
Events for March
12th
Events for March
13th
Events for March
14th
Events for March
15th
Events for March
17th
World Athletics Indoor Championships
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Events for March
18th
PAY-LESS KICK THE FAT 5K/10K
World Athletics Indoor Championships
Events for March
19th
Events for March
21st
Events for March
25th
MARIANAS OPEN PRO JAPAN TOURNAMENT
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Events for March
26th
MONSTER ENERGY MOTOCROSS ROUND 4
Events for March
28th
ISA GIRLS SOFTBALL
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Events for March
30th
ISA GIRLS SOFTBALL
IIAAG GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Events for March
31st
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

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MMA/Boxing
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MMA/Boxing
BENAVENTE BRINGS RARE SKILL TO FIGHT GAME

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ATOS BRINGS BACK 44 MEDALS FROM JAPAN

Volleyball
EAGLES HOLD OFF WARRIORS IN 5 SETS

Volleyball
TIYAN DROPS SET FOR FIRST TIME IN TWO YEARS
COMING SOON …
- 4th Quarter Sports
QUICK HITS
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Guam MTB National Championship: Edward Oingerang and Jennifer Camacho are your 2023 MTB national champions. Oingerang finished the course in 1:13:24 while Camacho won her second straight title in 54:08.