Fil-Am swimmer on Saipan to walk-on at UH-Manoa

GARAPAN, Saipan – Rezne Wong, who was the CNMI’s athlete of the year in 2008, will be a walk-on for the University of Hawaii-Manoa swimming team after his graduation from high school this June. The son of Ely Wong of Zamboanga and the former Millet San Jose of Bulacan said as a walk-on at the NCAA Division I school, he will train with the university swimming team. “I will be training with the swim team, but I don’t have any scholarship for it. I am not fast enough for their NCAA Division I team. They have guys coming from the best high school swim teams from Florida, California, Australia, and even Italy. But I hope to improve my times, so that the following year I can get a scholarship for it," said the Marianas High School senior. Rezne added that aside from the opportunity to train with the Rainbow Warriors swim team, he also chose to enroll at UH-Manoa because of its excellent Marine Biology Program, the degree he plans to pursue in college. He said Hawaii is also closer to home and like Saipan, the beach is just a drive away. “I hate gray skies," said the 18-year-old Filipino-American. Despite his Filipino roots, Rezne is still considered from Saipan and he said UH-Manoa extends discounted tuition fee for Pacific Island residents. While he will major in Marine Biology, the Tsunami Swimming Center Saipan stalwart also intends to minor in Athletic Training and Digital Arts. “I just plan to train harder and have good sportsmanship while I train with them, so the following year I can earn some money for college," he said. Athlete of the Year Rezne was a five-time Male Athlete of the Month winner in 2008—tops among contenders for the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association (NMASA) annual honor. His first monthly award came in February when he set a CNMI 15-18 division record in the 100m breaststroke on the way to dominating the 3rd Annual Saipan Swim Club Heptathlon Virtual Meet. Rezne then won back-to-back monthly plums in April and May for excelling in meets in neighboring Guam. He first competed in the Guam Swimming Federation All Island Invitational, winning in the 200m IM and the 100m backstroke, and placing second in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle. In the 2008 Guam Championships, he took the High Point Trophy in the open class, claiming 10 medals (four gold, three silver and three bronze). The meet also saw him break the CNMI age group and national records in the 100m breaststroke. Rezne also bagged the October and November monthly honors. He topped the dual meet between Tsunami Saipan and Saipan Swim Club in October and along the way reset the CNMI age group record in the 100m breaststroke for the third time. And in November, he broke his own record in the 100m breaststroke and finished on top of the field in the SSC All Schools Swim Meet. – GMANews.TV