Jacque surprised to win student plum

Track star Jacque Wonenberg admitted she attended the 2008 NMASA Annual Awards Banquet only to enjoy the company of friends and the food, and was not expecting to win the 2008 Female Student Athlete of the Year award.

“Honestly, I was there really to eat, be with my friends, and take my certificate for winning the June Female Athlete of the Month award,” Wonenberg said.

“But in the end, I went home with the latte stone trophy given to 2008 Female Student Athlete of the Year and I was really surprised to have won it,” she added.

The Marianas High School student said she thought her chances in winning the annual citation was slim because of the tougher competition in 2008.

“We have a lot of female student athletes who are equally as deserving to win the title as I am. Last season’s competition for the student award was a lot tougher than in 2007,” she said.

But Wonenberg still earned NMASA’s nod after giving the CNMI its first gold medal in 12 years of competing in the Oceania Area Championships.

Wonenberg topped the heptathlon competition in the Oceania championships, which Saipan hosted in June last year.

She won the event despite her irregular training and trying out two new events (hurdles and shot put) a month before the big tournament.

“Last year was a struggle, as I was also busy doing canoe training for our school. I learned doing hurdles and shot put only for a month, but I thanked my coaches, Robin Sapong, Elias Rangamar, Kurt Barnes, and Ron Olopai, and the rest of NMA family for having patience in teaching me how to do these,” the MHS student said.

“And of course my very supportive family, my mom Maggie, my dad Barry, my siblings Coral and Vaughn. Because of my involvement in various sports, I get to spend little time with them, but they are always there behind me,” Wonenberg said.

Besides athletics and canoe, Wonenberg is also into basketball, volleyball, and soccer.

“My No. 1 sport, of course, is athletics, it is where I know I have a future. I wish I could play more sports, but 24 hours a day is not enough for me,” said Wonenberg.

“I am not your usual student, who leaves home, goes to school, spend time with friends, and goes home, again. Most of the time, I am out training. But I don’t regret it, as all the hard work I put into training and the sacrifices I, my coaches, and my family are doing paid off, as I won this award,” she said.

Wonenberg claimed her fourth straight NMASA plum dating back to 2005. NMASA began giving student awards in 2004 with Bo Wang, also of athletics, winning the inaugural plum for a female student.

At 16, Wonenberg hopes opportunities will come her way, especially when she goes to college.

“I hope to run for a college team and get a scholarship. And when I am done with school, I also wish to coach so I share what I learned from my mentors,” she said.