NMITFF names athletes of the month

Young guns Darrel Roligat, Bo Wang, Reylynn Sapong, and Mark Lero were recently recognized for their success in athletics and have been selected as the Northern Mariana Islands Track and Field Federation’s top athletes for the month of March.

The selection was based on the athletes’ performances in the All Comers Meet held two Saturdays ago, which served as a qualifier for the upcoming South Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

The selection was disclosed after the NMITFF board voted for the four athletes in its monthly meeting Tuesday afternoon at the Gibert C. Ada Gymnasium conference room. They will be nominated for the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association athletes of the month awards for March.

According to NMITFF, Lero will be nominated for the Male Athlete of the Month; Wang for Female Athlete of the Month; Roligat for Male Student Athlete of the Month; and Sapong for Female Student Athlete of the Month.

Wang dominated the 400m event and won first place with a time of 1:12.07. She also took the 800m, resting after rounding the track twice in 2:44.19.

Ten-year-old Sapong competed and won in both the 100m and 200m. She finished the 100m in 15.64 seconds and the 200m in 36.78 seconds. She placed second in the 400m behind Wang with a time of 1:24.06.

For his part, Lero dominated the men’s 400m, 800m, and 1,500m. The 16-year-old took the 400m in 59.71 seconds, the 800m in 2:28.69, and the 1500m in 5:13.23.

Roligat’s performances included taking top honors both the 100m and 200m sprints. He clocked in at 11.25 seconds in the 100m and 23.87 seconds in the 200m. He capped his day by anchoring the winning team in the 4X100m relay. The team, comprised of Roligat, Dan Barcinas, Jeremy Winkfield, and Dexter Dillay, finished in a sterling time of 46.37 seconds.

Other athletes selected from other sports will also be nominated before the NMASA board votes for the recipients.

Roligat was last year’s Male Student Athlete of the Month for September while Wang was voted as the 2004 Female Student Athlete of the Year.

Meanwhile, the NMITFF disclosed that it will select several athletes later this year to compete in the Pacific School Games on Nov. 28. The event, which will play host to young athletes from around the Oceania region, will be held in Melbourne, Australia. It is scheduled to conclude on Dec. 4.

As reported earlier, Roligat was also selected to represent the Commonwealth at the World Youth Championships in Morocco from July 14 to July 17, and the World Championships in Finland from Aug. 6 to Aug. 14. Both competitions will feature elite athletes in the sport from around the world.