By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

THE Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association feted the top athletes and coaches of the past season during the NMASA Annual Sports Banquet held last night at the Saipan Grand Hotel.
Leading the list of awardees were Male and Female Athletes of the Year Tyrone Omar and Noriko Jim.
Omar was the recipient of the 2006 Athlete of the Year award after his impressive performance both in on-island and off-island competitions.
Omar competed in tournaments in Beijing, China, Moscow Russia, Fiji and Samoa last year.
The Marianas High School graduate was also a member of the NMI athletics team that competed in the 6th Micronesian Games on Saipan last year and won a silver medal in the 100m race.
He holds the Micronesian record in 100m race with his time of 11.12 seconds tying Chuuk’s Jack Howard, whom Omar beat twice in off-island tournaments last year.
Jim gave the NMI its first gold medal in the Micronesian Games winning the 5000m race.
Jim also won a couple of middle distance races on the island, including Saipan’s half marathon last year.
The Male and Female Athletes of the Year awardees were chosen from the athletes of the month list.
Omar won the monthly award five teams. He was named top male athlete from March to June and grabbed the monthly title anew in August.
Other nominees for the Male Athlete of the Year were Stuart Smith, Melvin Sakisat, Tony Stearns, Jess Palacios and the medalists in the Micronesian Games.
Jim won the monthly plum in June along with other female medalist in the Micro Games. Other candidates for the Female Athlete of the Year award were Monica Yamaguchi, Mieko Motoyoshi, Janet McCollough-Stearns, Lei Rangamar, Diane Dar Juan and Emily Gries.
With the success of the NMIs tracksters on and off island, Northern Marianas Athletics secretary general and mentor Robin Sapong was named 2006 Coach of the Year.
Sapong, who is Micronesian’s representative to the Oceania Athletics Association Council, mentored a lot of young athletes, accompanying them to tournaments on Guam, Fiji and Samoa.
Other awardees will be named in tomorrow’s edition of the Variety.