
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:


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GPS Sports Calendar
May 2022
- MO
- TU
- WE
- TH
- FR
- SA
- SU
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 1
Events for May
2nd
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #4
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
3rd
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL QUARTERFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
5th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
6th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
7th
GPD HOT PURSUIT 5K
MARIANAS OPEN
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
Events for May
9th
ISA TRACK & FIELD MEET #5
ISA GIRLS SOCCER
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
ISA GIRLS SOCCER All-Star Meeting
IIAAG GIRLS BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG GIRLS SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIP
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL FINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
10th
Events for May
12th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
IIAAG BOYS VOLLEYBALL ALL-ISLAND MEETING
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA GIRLS SOCCER SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
12th
Events for May
14th
14th JUDICA CRABAO 5K
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA GIRLS SOCCER FINALS
Events for May
16th
ISA TRACK & FIELD ALL-ISLAND MEET
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE All-Star Meeting
Events for May
17th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
18th
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
IIAAG GIRLS MIDDLE SCHOOL BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Events for May
19th
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE SEMIFINALS
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
20th
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL All-Star Meeting
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
21st
Pre-Memorial Day 13-Miler
GETTING GUAM HEALTHY 5K BUBBLE RUN/HEALTH FAIR
ISA MIDDLE SCHOOL TRACK & FIELD All-ISLAND MEET
ISA RUGBY LEAGUE FINALS
ALPHA WARRIOR ESPORTS CHAMPIONSHIPS
ISA BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS
2022 Guam Track & Field National Championships
Events for May
23rd
ISA BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEMIFINALS
GUAM MAJOR LEAGUE
Events for May
23rd
Events for May
24th
Events for May
26th
Events for May
27th
Events for May
28th
- 30
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- 1
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Events for May
29th
Events for May
30th

Baseball
NINETE, JR. WINS 2022 BASEBALL MVP

Basketball
WILDCATS WIN MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS HOOPS

Volleyball
TITANS DON’T DROP A SET ALL SEASON

Baseball
NINETE, JR. WINS 2022 BASEBALL MVP

Running/Track
PANTHERS SWEEP ALL-ISLAND TRACK & FIELD MEET
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
Foody’s Fun Facts
Foody’s Fun Facts with Makayla Atoigue
ND Royals Rugby Player Makayla Atoigue lays down her Foody’s Fun Facts and shares her dream vacation spot
COMING SOON …
- IIAAG & ISA Championships
- YOUTH FOOTBALL LEAGUE KICKOFF June 4
- GSPN Boys Volleyball All-Star Game
- Pacific Mini-Games in Saipan