Other leading candidates were also female
Chalk one up for the female gender. Although women don’t generally receive the proper recognition as candidates for The Hudson Reporter Athlete of the Year award, the scholastic calendar year of 2000-2001 could best be described as "The Year of the Woman."
While Secaucus’ Tiffany Aciz earned the honor as the best all-around athlete in Hudson County, becoming only the second female to earn the honor in the 10-year history of the award, the other leading candidates for the honor were also young women.
If Aciz hadn’t been the winner, then the other clear-cut favorite would have been North Bergen’s Denise DiPaolo. In any other year, DiPaolo would have won the award hands down.
DiPaolo was Hudson County’s second-best cross-country performer in the fall, was the leading scorer for the Bruins’ basketball team in the winter, leading her team to a surprising run in the HCIAA playoffs, losing to Marist in the finals. DiPaolo was a First Team All-Area selection by the Hudson Reporter.
DiPaolo then set the outdoor track scene on its ear by becoming the county’s best 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter performer.
It was also the first year that DiPaolo ever ran outdoor track, having played softball in her first three years at the school.
Denise DiPaolo, who is apparently headed to the University of Massachusetts to run track, had a brilliant athletic career that cannot go by unnoticed. While Aciz earns the plaque, DiPaolo came awfully close as a more than worthy runner-up.
Another athlete whose accomplishments deserved recognition for the award was Marist’s Makeda Gleaton, who was a First Team All-Area honoree in both basketball and softball. Gleaton was the second leading scorer and rebounder on the Marist basketball team that captured the HCIAA and Parochial B state championships. Gleaton’s accomplishments allowed Marist to become the first Hudson County school to win a girls’ state championship since 1984.
Another worthy female candidate was Danielle Biondo of St. Dominic Academy, who had a brilliant cross-country, indoor and outdoor track career for the Blue Devils.
As you can see, the number of female candidates outnumbered the males, who certainly had a few who deserve mention. Jimmy Supple of St. Peter’s Prep, the basketball and baseball standout, and Bryan Durango, who had a fine football and track campaign at Memorial, led the male candidates.
However, as you can see, it was definitely the "Year of the Woman," in Hudson County sports, something that should make women’s sports in general very proud.