In a virtual cross-country game of “Can you top this,” Seoul American’s Amanda Henderson won the latest round, and kept the Falcons girls atop the Korean-American Interscholastic Activities Conference for a third straight year.

Henderson, a senior, on Saturday clocked the Pacific’s fastest girls time this season, 19 minutes, 32 seconds, in the KAIAC finals on the 3.1-mile course at International Christian School-Uijongbu.

That beats the 19:52 that Kubasaki’s Alle Robles ran three days earlier in the Okinawa Activities Council district finals at Cape Zampa.

“She was smoking today,” Falcons coach Steve Boyd said of Henderson, the reigning Far East champion in addition to two-time KAIAC champion.

Boyd said he’d told Henderson on Wednesday afternoon during practice about Robles’ time, to which Henderson “just shrugged a little,” he said. “She challenged herself and she met the challenge.”

Henderson earlier this season ran the same course in 21:02.

Things were close in the race until after the first mile, after which Henderson pulled away from eventual runner-up Hannah Madden of Seoul Foreign, who clocked a 20:38.

Elsewhere, in the DODDS Japan finals at Misawa’s Citizen’s Park, Carydaliz Fontanez of Nile C. Kinnick took individual honors in 22:34.59, but Yokota, behind runner-up Abigail Wall (22:34.81), won the team title 34-47 over Kinnick. Host Robert D. Edgren (66) took third.

Kinnick’s Steven Magnusson crossed the finish line first in 17:27.66 in the boys race, but it was ruled he’d cut the course 400 meters short, giving the victory to Alan Thurmond of Edgren in 18:56.28.

Behind Thurmond were Matthew Smith (19:00.66) and Yasuki Milsop (19:09.28) of surprise boys team winner Matthew C. Perry. The Samurai (50 points) edged out Yokota and Edgren, which each had 51 points but Yokota had the higher-placing finisher in fourth-place Derek Hoopes.

Other boys favorites Robert Beard of Kinnick and Kento Reynolds of E.J. King got lost in the middle of the race, over a combined wood, hill and street course, organizers said. Instead of running over a bridge, they ran under it.

Seoul wins, Kinnick loses in volleyballIndoors at Falcon Gym, Most Valuable Player Tammy Garman helped lead Seoul American’s girls volleyball team to a four-set victory over Taejon Christian International 25-20, 25-14, 19-25, 25-8 for the KAIAC Division I Tournament title.

The win was the 12th straight for the defending KAIAC and Far East D-I Tournament champion Falcons, and gave KAIAC D-I Coach of the Year and former Falcons star middle blocker Lori Rogers a sweep of the regular-season and tournament titles in her first season at the helm.

Kinnick’s girls volleyball team, playing without starters Jerimae Capuyan and Val James, suffered its first loss in 23 matches this season, falling 25-14, 25-21, 25-14 at American School In Japan.

“They didn’t leave any doors open,” Kinnick coach Al Garrido said. “No chance. ASIJ is much improved.”

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