NMITFF nominates Athletes of the Year

The Northern Mariana Islands Track and Field Federation announced the nominees for its Athlete of the Year awards during a special meeting Friday afternoon in the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.

It was no surprise when the familiar names of Jovannie Sablan; Reylynn Sapong, Lia Rangamar, Jackie Wonenberg, Lei Rangamar, and Bo Wang were released as the nominees for Female Youth Athlete of the Year, as well as the lone nominee for Female Athlete of the Year, Dolores Rangamar.

The sextet of athletes was always atop the list of track and field finishers in the past year, and their reign of dominance shows no signs dissipating. Sablan was recognized as NMASA Female Athlete of the Month for August 2004 after dominating the women’s field in the 2004 CNMI Track and Field Championships. She won the 60-meter (8.48 seconds), 100m (14.35 seconds), 200m (31.2 seconds), 400m (1:12.16 seconds) races, and was a member of the winning 4X100 relay team.

Sapong was also NMASA Female Student Athlete of the Month, but for September 2004. The 5th grade student at Koblerville Elementary School dominated the Oceania Open and 18-and-under time trials, besting everyone in her group, including boys, in the mile run finishing at a time of 7:12. In the 18-and-under classification, Sapong won the 200m and 400m, finished second in the 60m and 100m, and qualified for the Oceania Championships in the 800m. She already holds the CNMI sprint records for her age group and is a prospect for the upcoming Micronesian Games in 2006.

After competing in a series of qualifying races throughout the season, Koblerville Elementary’s Lia Rangamar took second place in the long jump in the CNMI Nationals with a distance of 2.82-meters, and continued to compete in the 60m (10.20), 100m (16.56), and the 200m (36.00) to earn a spot among the nominated.

Wonenberg earned her stripes in several of the qualifying races during long season, as well as Wang. Wang is known to dominate all of the long distance races in her age group, and would have represented the CNMI in the Oceania Championships were it not for complications with the Department of Immigration.

Lei Rangamar recently competed in the same Championships, and secured ninth place in the shotput with a distance of 6.87m—her personal best. Rangamar proved to be handy with the discus as well, as she landed with a distance of 24.13m.

The Male Youth Athlete of the Year nominees are Ivan De Vero, Jeremy Winkfield, and Daryl Roligat, while the nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year are Tony Ichiou, Ketson “Jack’ Kabiriel, and Marcan Aldan.
All six of the males made the journey to Townsville, Australia for the Oceania Open & Under 18 Area Track and Field Championships last month.

In his first race with international competitors, Aldan ran a personal best in the 5,000m with a time of 18:11.00. The youngster from Marianas High School also finished the 1,500m with a time of 4:45.28.

In category of ageless wonder, Ichiou barely missed the semifinals in the men’s 100m open by one place. Ichiuo finished in fourth place in his heat, and ran his best-ever electronically timed sprint with an 11.54. The sage of sprinting also placed 14th out of 19 sprinters in the 200m with his time of 23.62.
Winkfield became the first CNMI athlete to break the 50-meter barrier in the javelin when he launched the lance to a distance of 51.98 during the Oceania Open & Under 18 Area Track and Field Championships.

The 17-year-old from MHS went on to finish fifth out of 13 competitors in the event.

Kabriel, meanwhile, ran his best 800m last year when he went for 2:10.52. He also broke his personal record in the 1,500m with a time of 4:56.37.

Roligat and De Vero entered the 100m and 200m sprints, and the pair finished within half of a second of each other in both. Roligat managed an 11.77 in the 100m, while De Vero took finished with a time of 11.94.

In the 200m, Roligat held the advantage again, placing 10th out of 16 sprinters as he crossed the line in 23.86—just ahead of De Vero in 12th at 24.39.

Roligat also landed a nomination when he was selected as NMASA Male Student Athlete of the Month for September.

The 15-year-old junior from MHS also provided one of the biggest and most exciting upsets in NMI athletics history by beating his training partner and mentor Ichiuo in the 60m, 100m, and 200m races in the 2004 CNMI Track and Field Championships. He also holds the CNMI junior record for the 60M.

The winners for each category would be announced during the NMITFF Athlete of the Year banquet at the Kilili Pavilion across the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium at 6:30pm on Feb. 10.