Monday, July 6, 2020

One more top student/athlete: Weehawken's Rylee Iannaccone

Last week, we featured the top female scholar/athletes from Hudson County that received recognition from the NJSIAA.

Here's another recipient, better late than never:


Rylee Iannaccone, Weehawken

A female athlete at a small Group I enrollment school usually has to participate in more than one sport. That’s just the way it is for athletes at schools like Weehawken.
Well, Rylee Iannaccone certainly did her part during her four years as a Weehawken athlete. Iannaccone was a volleyball player in the fall, a member of the swim team in the winter months and softball during the spring. That’s quite a busy schedule.

“It was pretty tough,” Iannaccone said. “My teammates always helped me. My teachers and coaches always knew that my academics were a priority.”

So Iannaccone was overjoyed to learn that she was Weehawken’s top scholar/athlete for 2020.

“I was told to watch a video with all the school award winners,” Iannaccone said. “When they said I won this award, I was shocked. I was so happy. It felt so good to be recognized.”

Iannaccone first started playing softball when she was younger. She actually began playing T-ball baseball with and against the boys when she was about seven years old.

“I always loved being competitive with the boys,” Iannaccone said. “Of course, I always tried to beat them.”

She eventually graduated to softball and played all the way through high school, except for this past spring, when the slick fielding second baseman had to sit out action with her teammates due to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.

“This was our last year to do it all,” said Iannaccone, who played for Weehawken head coach and former Hoboken High All-Hudson County hurler Raquel Roder. “It’s a shame that we never got the chance to play it out. It’s disappointing. It’s the worst thing that could have happened.”

Iannaccone was part of a major revival for the Weehawken softball program, which competed for the Meadowlands Division championship of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference in each of her first three seasons.

“It was the best feeling in the world,” Iannaccone said. “I always looked up to the older girls who also did well. We wanted to keep things going and do a lot of the things they did. It was so nice to be a part of that.”

Iannaccone joined the volleyball team as a freshman after never having played the sport before.

“I was a competitive cheerleader,” Iannaccone said. “But I wanted to do something different. I never even tried volleyball before. All my friends in town were playing volleyball.”

Iannaccone was the setter on the Weehawken team.
“I liked being the setter, because it was like being the quarterback of the football team. I think I was a decent volleyball player. My coaches said that I have a lot of hustle.”

And Iannaccone was always a swimmer, but never a competitive swimmer before entering Weehawken.

Through it all, Iannaccone was always a very good student, posting a 4.0 grade point average. She is headed to Rutgers University-New Brunswick in the fall. Rylee is currently undecided about a major, but she has the desire to possibly go to law school in the future and maybe become a defense attorney, helping victims of domestic abuse.

“Of course, I took a lot of pride in my grades,” Iannaccone said. “My parents (mother Kathy and father Steven) made sure that I maintained my grades.”

Even though Iannaccone’s career didn’t end on the field, she treasures her time participating in athletics in Weehawken.

“I have no regrets at all,” Iannaccone said. “Playing sports was one of the best things in my life. I learned about being responsible, how my teammates depended on me. How I had to be accountable and how I had to pull my weight. I had to learn about working with others. Coming from a small town like Weehawken, I was fortunate to know everyone and made connections with other people. I learned how I’m supposed to act for the rest of my life and how responsible I have to be.”

Seems like Rylee Iannaccone is well on her way to becoming a very responsible defense lawyer.


1 comment:

  1. I have known Ms Iannaccone and family for many years. She is a wonderful person.. Look out Rutgers “Here she comes”❤️🌹❤️

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