NMASA to select top awardees for 2011

The best of the best will be selected tomorrow when the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association picks the top performers for 2011.

NMASA in its monthly meeting tomorrow night at the conference room of the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium will be selecting the Male and Female Athletes of the Year, Tan Siu Lin Foundation Male and Female Student Athletes of the Year, Team of the Year, Coach of the Year, Administrator of the Year, and the inductee to the 2011 CNMI Hall of Fame.

Except for the athletes and student athletes of the year nominees, all nominations should be put in writing on each federation’s letterhead.

Nominees for the top athletes for 2011 can come from the list of winners of NMASA monthly awards, but federations are also allowed to nominate outside the list, provided they justify their choice.

For the Male Athlete of the Year award, 22 individuals are eligible for the covered plum. The list includes bowling’s Robert Talavera, who won the monthly award in January and February, Raymond Zapanta (May), Paul Pangelinan (July), Simon Manacop (October), and Alex Castro (November), badminton’s Dick Guintu (April), athletics’ Clayon Kenty, and the members of the CNMI Baseball Team (Joshua Jones, Manny Sablan, Vicente Cepeda, Jerome Delos Santos, Franco Flores, Miguel Iguel, Jesus Iguel, Thomas Joab, Byron Kaipat, Keoni Lizama, Juan Maratita, Tyrone Omar, Craig Sanchez, Elton Santos, and Eric Tenorio) that won the gold medal in the 2011 Pacific Games in New Caledonia. The NMASA December awardee, who will also be selected in tomorrow’s meeting, is eligible for the yearend citation, too.

Three-time NMASA Female Athlete of the Year award winner Yvonne Bennett leads the 2011 nominees. The CNMI sprinter won the June plum after earning one gold and two bronze medals in the Oceania championship in Samoa. Bennett will battle football’s Lalaine Pagarao (January winner), triathlon’s Susan Marchitti (March) badminton’s Hannah Choi (April), and bowling’s Ron Cal (May), Gloria Omechelang (July and October) and Lala Taitano (November) for the 2011 NMASA Female Athlete of the Year award .

For the Male Student Athlete of the Year, it will be a race among nine individuals. Swimming has three nominees in Tsunami Saipan’s Lukas Kang (February) and Kensuke Kimura (November) and Saipan Swim Club’s Kento Akimaru (October). Tennis’ Rafael Jones is also on the roll and is the lone nominee to win the monthly plum twice (April and May). Completing the nominees are tennis’ Christian Miller (August), football’s Jehn Joyner (July), sprearfishing’s David Lizama (June), basketball’s Juan Maratita (March), and bowling’s Marion McKenzie (January).

Tennis dominates the Female Student Athlete of the Year nominees with three-time winners Tammy Ackerman (February, March, and August) and Mikayla Lopez (April, June, and November), and two-time winner Thea Minor (January and March) topping the list. Joining them are athletics’ Rachel Abrams (September), and swimming’s Angel Marie Tan (October).

Athletes and officials selected for the various awards will be honored during the NMASA Annual Banquet next month.