By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

THE Northern Marianas Athletics will be recognizing its athletes who made notable performances last year in a banquet tomorrow at the Minachom Atdao Pavilion.
The sports banquet is set for 6 p.m.
NMA will be giving awards to the best male and female youth athletes, junior male and female, female and male open and masters.
The youth athlete award is for the 12-and-under age group, while the junior award is for athletes in the 18-and-under age group.
Aside from the top performers in the 2006 season, NMA will also cite private and public companies/individuals, who supported the association’s program.
A Coach of the Year award is also at stake in the ceremony.
Athletes will be recognized based on their performances in local, off-island and regional tournaments.
Last year, NMA held the All Schools Championships, All School Cross Country series, Christmas Island Relay and Mt. Tapochao Turkey Run.
NMA athletes participated in numerous off-island tournaments, like the World Indoor Championships in Moscow, Russia, the World Youth Athletics Championship in Beijing China, the Oceania Grand Prix in Fiji and Samoa and the Oceania 18-and-under and Open Championships in Samoa.
Tyrone Omar represented the NMI in the World Indoor and in the World Youth. He also competed in the GP series with Dexter Dillay, Sylvan Rangamar and Mel Tagabuel.
The NMI sent nine athletes to the Oceania 18-and-under and Open tournament with Jacque Wonenberg winning the 3k cross country event in the 18-and-under. Young runners Nate Mateo and Champ Untalan placed second and third in the boys’ 3k race.
After winning the 3k run, Wonenberg was named to the Oceania Athletics Association team that competed in the Australina Youth Olympics in Sydney last month.
She was part of OAA’ s women’s 4x400m relay team.
For more information, contact NMA coaches director Elias Rangamar at 664-2502 or at eli_rang@yahoo.com, or secretary general Robin Sapong at sapong@pticom.com.