By Roselyn B. Monroyo
Variety News Staff

MARIANAS HIGH School’s Jacque Wonenberg and Ji Hoon Heo joined other awardees in the 2006 NMASA Annual Sports Banquet on Tuesday at the Saipan Grand Hotel on center stage after claiming the Female and Male Student Athlete of the Year trophy.
Wonenberg was named NMASA Student Athlete of the Month in May last year after breaking three CNMI national and junior records in the 100m, 200m and 400m races.
She dominated local competitions in her age group.
The Sadog-Tasi resident and a freshman at MHS also made impressive showings in regional and off-island tournaments.
She was part of the CNMI team that competed in last year’s Micronesian Games and the Oceania Open and 18-and-under Regional Championships in Fiji and Samoa last December.
In Samoa, Wonenberg, who is a sprinter, won the cross country race in the girls’ 18-and-under division.
With her victory in Samoa, the 15-year old sprinter was named to the Oceania Athletics Association team that competed in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in January this year.
Heo had his share of glory on and off-island.
He moved into the 18-and-under division of junior tennis and won numerous events. Heo also joined Open division contests playing and beating players twice or even three times his age.
Heo was part of the NMI squad that won the gold medal in the team event in the Micro Games.
Before the Micro Games, Heo led the CNMI Junior Team to the North Pacific qualifier, in which the commonwealth grabbed seven of the eight slots at stake in the tournament.
Heo and his six other NMI teammates played in ITF-sanctioned tournaments in Fiji battling the best junior netters from the West and East Pacific.
Heo and Wonenberg each received a specially-crafted trophy for their outstanding performance last year and joined Tyrone Omar, Noriko Jim (Male and Female Athlete of the Year) and Coach of the Year Robin Sapong on the list of major awardees.
Aside from the Athletes, Student Athletes and Coach of the Year awardees, NMASA also recognized the medalists in the Micro Games and the athletes and student athletes of the month.
Medalists in tennis, baseball, swimming, wrestling, triathlon and athletics also received certificates for their achievements.