Neshannock's Nogay, Shenango's Callahan turn in golden efforts

Jul. 18—What do one of the top-ranked shot putters like Shenango High's Emma Callahan and Neshannock's basketball, softball and track standout Neleh Nogay have in common? Gold.

Not only did these Lawrence County athletes claim WPIAL and state gold in the 2021-2022 academic season, they made history along the way.

Now, Callahan and Nogay share the title of Lawrence County Female Co-Athletes of the Year as voted on by the New Castle News sports staff.

This may be the first time the two seniors were named athlete of the year, but it was not their first nomination. Both Callahan and Nogay were nominated the last year.

Callahan is a daughter of Matt and Barb Callahan. Nogay is a daughter of Don and Dr. Johanna Nogay.

Finding the mark

There's been a number on Callahan's mind since she was in the seventh grade. That number was 50.

Callahan's progression to WPIAL and PIAA gold this season started off with a determination to hit that 50-foot mark in the shot put event.

"I always felt if you're at 50 you made it. I had this number and for someone else it could be 51 or 45," Callahan said. "That was the number where I felt like I made it in this sport and accomplished everything I could accomplish. It's the mark I've looked at since the seventh grade. So, to finally hit that was amazing."

Shenango girls track and field coach John Montgomery recalled a memorable moment with Callahan.

"The first time she threw 40 feet. I'll never forget that one," Montgomery said. "Forty feet is a big throw, honestly it still is. She's throwing so far. Now if I hear somebody throwing a 42-footer I have to remind myself how good that is."

At the Tri-County Championship, Callahan was instrumental in helping the Shenango team capture gold. She won the shot put (50-7), discus (130-9) and javelin (111-1) events and was awarded field MVP honors.

"That's been something I really wanted because I've done it all three years of my high school career," Callahan said on being named field MVP. "Obviously, sophomore year we didn't have it. It was a goal of mine because I wanted to keep the streak rolling. I had a really good day at Tri-County, so I was fortunate for that, too."

At the WPIAL Class 2A championship meet at Slippery Rock University, Callahan took gold in the shot put and discus. The WPIAL girls shot put record became Callahan's in the process with a throw of 50-08, breaking the previous 2006 mark of 49-06.50.

"I was thrilled. I was through the roof. Last year, I missed the record by three inches so that stung a little. If I break it by one inch I would be so thankful but I really wanted to demolish it," Callahan said on making the WPIAL record. "My goals were state and WPIAL records so this was the first one I accomplished and I was through the roof and it was a PR by two inches at the time. I was ecstatic when it happened."

Callahan won the discus with a throw of 127-00.

Callahan's goals kept being achieved and her final goal was the state record. Callahan won the shot put and tied the state record with a distance of 50-10.75.

"Again, another one of my goals was to get the state record in indoor and outdoor I had already god indoor state record and outdoor WPIAL record. I was half an inch off of it on my first throw," Callahan recalled. "I was like, 'OK, you got this, it's going to be a good day.' The next throw I get it. Then I'm like, 'Okay, I want to crush this record.' I did have a foul that would've beaten it by a foot. At the end of the day, my name's on that record board. To God be the glory because it's something I'll remember and having my name on the record board is all I can ask for."

Callahan commented that the task of competing not against a person but a record mark can be daunting at times.

"It's almost like you can kind of psych yourself out to an extent. There's no one there to push you but that mark has been in my brain since my sophomore year of high school," Callahan said. "That's a daunting thing to be your last day to finally do that. I was a nervous wreck the day before. Once you go into competition, it was me against that mark and I tied it. It's almost more intimidating to beat a mark than a person. You're not competing against someone who could have an off day. It was very intimidating but it created a lot of enthusiasm for me to grind in the weight room."

Montgomery commented that Emma's journey to the state championship was a fitting end to her athletic career.

"States and her senior year was just an awesome trip. She came in with a great mindset ready mentally and physically," Montgomery said. "To watch her tie a state record and get a medal, her face lit up. When Emma gets excited she doesn't show it a lot the whole time, but you could see it. It was watching four years of hard work pay off in one day. It was a really fitting end."

Callahan used to compete in volleyball for Shenango but decided to focus on throwing her senior year.

"Honestly it was the best decision I made," Callahan said of not competing in volleyball. "Volleyball was great and it gave me a break from track but I knew I had goals to accomplish. Having the fall open gave me a lot of technical training and strength work."

Prior to the Shenango Recreation Center being built, Callahan and her father and throwing coach, Matt Callahan, had to find different places to practice in the fall.

"We had to be creative, for sure. The Bruce and Marley company let us use their building and warehouse when it was nasty outside. If it was nice we went outside and we trained less than we'd do in the spring," Callahan said. "It was a little different in the fall but it was lifting and just really trying to gain as much strength and technical work you can."

Gold galore

Nogay started her athletic season off with the Neshannock girls basketball team. Early on in the season, Nogay would achieve hitting one of her goals of passing 1,000 career points.

"Hitting 1,000 points was one of my main goals ever since I started playing basketball," Nogay said. "It was a big achievement for me especially since I'm not going to college for basketball. I thought that was a great award. On the 1,000 points, too, I missed a lot of the sophomore year because of my broken foot so that was cool."

Nogay continued finding success on the hardwood after helping claim the WPIAL Section 1-2A crown.

"Section champs, it just started the whole flow for the season," Nogay said. "I think it helped the team bond over achieving a victory like that. It was awesome."

Nogay was key in defending the WPIAL Class 2A title to become back-to-back champions after defeating Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, 55-31. This would be the first time the Neshannock girls basketball program claimed back-to-back WPIAL titles.

Neshannock coach Luann Grybowski praised her floor general's growth.

"Last year, I saw growth all along but probably the biggest growth for me was that she was finally able to direct traffic and everybody and where they needed to be," Grybowski said. "It was hard for her to do that early on as a junior. That first half of their year, I don't know if she didn't feel confident or if she wasn't a vocal leader, but this year it was exceptional. She directed everybody. Whatever it was, she was able to put people where they belong."

"It's definitely always been the case. I don't like to express leadership through yelling at people and just using my voice in general," Nogay said. "I'm not a very loud person but I like to show it through example. I feel like if I give my all everyone else will give their all."

Nogay handed out seven assists and added three steals in the PIAA Class 2A championship game against Southern Columbia. The Lady Lancers knocked off Southern Columbia, 62-56, to become the first girls basketball team in Lawrence County to win state gold.

"I'm just glad to be part of the team that made history. It's truly a great group of girls; I'm going to miss each and every one of them," Nogay said. "It's just absolutely incredible. I never imagined that we would be able to make it that far. Whenever we started winning I gained confidence in reaching that goal. It's such an amazing experience I can't even describe it."

Nogay finished her basketball career with 1,302 total career points, making her the 16th leading girls scorer in Lawrence County history.

"Wow, that's really cool. I didn't know that," Nogay responded when being told her placing as one of the all time leading scorers. "That's another amazing achievement that I can say I have. Wow."

Nogay continued to double down on championship gold as the spring sports season began.

She missed the first round of the WPIAL Class 2A softball playoffs while competing at Slippery Rock University at the WPIAL Class 2A track and field championship meet. Nogay took third in the 200 (26.52) and fifth in the 100 (13.19)

"Obviously, sprinting's her thing. It's tough because she does play so many sports. Take that quality practice time if she was just a one sport kid," Neshannock track and field coach Adam Held said. "She had to juggle things. There's a number of times where she couldn't participate in meets. When we had her she won a lot of races for us."

Nogay holds the Neshannock school record for the 100 (12.44) and the 200 dash (25.58).

Nogay had her sights set on another WPIAL championship but this time it was in softball.

"She takes in no matter what's instructed. She's actively listening and taking it all in. That's what I would say has been part of her success with softball, her ability to be a student of the game and continue to learn," Neshannock softball coach Jackie Lash said. "Now when you factor the speed she has it makes her such a stronger player and the offensive threat. She's going to take advantage of every opportunity she can. She's just that all-around player. She's really learned to cover the outfield and I would see progress every single year with her ability to be a leader in that centerfield position."

Nogay helped the undefeated Lady Lancers topple Frazier, 9-1, in the WPIAL Class 2A championship.

"It was just a memorable moment," Nogay said of the WPIAL victory. "I couldn't believe I had two WPIAL (championships) in one year, but again, these girls are just so amazing."

Nogay continued to find more success and hardware after Neshannock defeated Conwell-Egan, 4-1, in the PIAA Class 2A championship. Nogay is one of six girls to claim two state titles at Neshannock in the same year.

"The girls...they're looking at a teammate that's just so well rounded athletically and academically. They know she works hard and one of the things we say is being confident comes from being prepared," Lash said. "I look at Neleh and she's a confident, young player there and that stems from the fact that she's prepared. No matter what sport she's playing, she puts in the time and the effort and work. I think the fact she's confident and calm comes from the fact that she knows she put in the work to perform well. I think that just helps for her overall demeanor. They see just that — the confidence and it's something other players can strive for."

Family ties

There is another thing that Callahan and Nogay had in common this year. They both were able to compete in state championships alongside their younger sisters.

Callahan competed at the PIAA track and field championship with her sister, Rachel Callahan, who qualified after earning silver in the pole vault event and placed fifth in the discus event.

"It was insane. It was so special to share something with her. Growing up, we never did anything alike," Emma Callahan said. "I was more into like, 'Let's play softball,' and she was like 'Let's go dance and do gymnastics.' To finally have one thing together my senior year, me and her got really close and watching her compete at a state level was really cool and I'll remember that forever."

Nogay competed alongside her younger sister, Aaralyn Nogay, in the WPIAL and PIAA championships for basketball and softball.

"It just made all of those achievements extra special. It's sad we're not going to be playing anymore," Neleh Nogay said. "I'm glad we got to spend our time together making history and just sharing these amazing moments."

On top of competing alongside a sibling, Callahan's throwing coach is her father and Nogay's third base coach for softball was her dad.

"My dad has been my coach in travel softball for a while. I know it was a big moment for him because he seen me grow as a player and helped me get to this moment in my career," Nogay said. "Getting there with my dad and sister made it so incredibly special."

Callahan also commented on her father.

"I wouldn't change it for the world having mixed family and track. I loved having him as my coach, granted we did fight, but we have a really good connections and vibe when we're in the weight room or practice," Callahan said. "We've got into a good groove the past four years as my coach. It's so cool having someone close to you being there to celebrate with you. It's something I'll cherish for a lifetime."

The next chapter

With so many goals set and accomplished, the seniors will begin a new chapter of their lives in the fall.

Nogay committed to play softball at the collegiate level for Fordham University while majoring in pre-health, taking the chemistry course.

"Their education and the fact that it's in New York is really exciting for me. They definitely have the best education out of the schools I'm looking at so that's really exciting for me," Nogay said. "The head coach coach, Melissa (Inouye), is extremely nice. She's one of the nicest people I ever met. The whole staff is just great and I met a few of the players and they're so welcoming and nice. Some of my goals are to break the stolen base record at Fordham and I want to win the conference championship."

Grybowski commented on Nogay's future and what lessons she hopes she learned along the way while at Neshannock.

"I hope she learns perseverance through what she learned through athletics and academics. To be a person of true character," Grybowski said. "She's always treated people how she'd like to be treated and that's what we try to impart with our kids. Just take the life lessons she learned with dealing with injuries, wins or losses and use it to the best of her ability. I hope that holds true at Fordham. She's going to have to persevere through a lot of things and hopefully come out on top."

Callahan committed to competing in shot put at the University of Iowa. She will be majoring in nursing while attending the Big 10 school.

"I'm hoping to come close to the Iowa (shot put) record. The shot put record is incredible and it's a near impossible record for me to touch," Callahan said of her goals. "If I could even come close I would be ecstatic. Also, just graduating with honors from the nursing program. I would be the first track and field athlete to complete it. It's very rigorous; it's a top field in the nation."

Montgomery commented on what the University of Iowa will be getting from Callahan.

"She's got a lot of experience. I don't know how many kids were competing in national levels as far as the impression goes," Montgomery said. "I can't imagine there's a lot more experience coming than what she's bringing. I know they're getting a hard worker. They have lifting session, teams meetings; she's going to be there."