Overview:
The 2026 BIIAA cross country season is off and running. Palau High School seniors Dechel Ngirblekuu and Kainan Mendiola led the opening 5K, with Mendiola already lowering his personal best at the season's second meet.
By Summer Kennard
KOROR, Palau (Sept. 14, 2026) — Palau High School seniors Dechel Ngirblekuu and Kainan Mendiola opened the 2026 Belau Interscholastic Athletic Association (BIIAA) cross country season with first-place finishes in the girls and boys 5K at the Sept. 9 meet hosted by Emmaus-Bethania High School.
Ngirblekuu, a 12th-grade senior, was the top overall female finisher, completing the course in 30 minutes, 26.09 seconds.
The 5K course started at Emmaus-Bethania High School, continued to T-Dock in Meketii Hamlet and returned to the school.
Ngirblekuu described the course as manageable because it had few major hills, with the T-Dock hill providing the biggest challenge.
“The only big challenging hill was the T-Dock hill,” Ngirblekuu said. “I think that was pretty short, so it was easy.”
Although she was pleased to finish first among the female runners, Ngirblekuu said she felt her performance was partly a matter of luck.
“It felt pretty good but at the same time, I felt like it was just luck,” she said.
Ngirblekuu said she has run faster times in the past and hopes to set new personal bests during the season.
“I’ve done better, definitely,” she said. “But yeah, I hope to get more new personal bests in the future.”
Mendiola also finished first overall, winning the boys race in 21:51.42.
Mendiola said the EBHS course is one of his favorite 5K routes because it feels short and is mostly downhill. His least favorite section, he said, is having to run back up the same hills on the return.
“It felt thrilling being the first boy because I’ve never had that experience before,” Mendiola said.
Mendiola also established a personal best in the opening meet. He lowered that mark five days later at the second meet, hosted by Palau High School on Sept. 14, finishing in 21:43.
The opening meet drew about 130 runners from four of the five high schools participating in the 2026 season. EBHS competed against Belau Modekngei School, while Palau High School faced Palau Mission Academy.
In the PHS-PMA matchup, Mendiola was PHS’s first male finisher in 21:51.42, followed by PMA’s Zenryu Idip in 23:47.94.
In the EBHS-BMS matchup, EBHS’s first male finisher was Deshawn Rebluud in 24:41.89, while BMS’s first male finisher was Ongos Rengulbai in 26:53.09.
Ngirblekuu was the first female finisher for PHS and the overall female winner in 30:26.09. PMA’s first female finisher was Yeonsoo Choi in 33:29.57.
For EBHS, Marichrist Elbelau was the first female finisher in 36:12.69, while BMS’s first female finisher was Haleigha Takawo in 39:01.08.
The second meet on Sept. 14 was hosted by PHS, with 174 runners competing on a course that started at Palau Pacific Resort and finished at the Palau Track and Field area.
Mindszenty High School competed against EBHS, while PHS competed against BMS.
Poich Koshiba, who provided information on the season, said about 230 student runners from five high schools are participating in this year’s cross country program.
Each regular-season meet features four schools, with one of the five schools sitting out. Each school will have an opportunity to host a 5K race on a course of its choice.
The meets are organized by the BIIAA, with Palau Athletics assisting with race operations, including recordkeeping and police escorts.
Five meets will be held during the regular season before the championship, which will be hosted by Palau Athletics. Only the top 10 runners from each school will compete in the championship.
The championship will also determine which student-athletes qualify for the Asia Pacific Invitational (API) program.
Palau will host the API for the first time on Oct. 23-24, 2026.
Koshiba said the growth of BIIAA cross country has helped raise the level of competition among student runners.
“Ever since BIIAA Cross Country started in 2015, we’ve seen a significant increase in distance running,” Koshiba said. “With the increase in student participants, the standards have raised as well.”
She said the sport’s accessibility is one of its strengths, making it possible for students with different levels of running experience to participate.
“The great thing about cross country is that it is friendly for everyone to join,” Koshiba said.