As Emma Callahan chases shot put records, spotlight shines on Shenango’s success

By: Chris Harlan
Thursday, May 26, 2022 | 9:38 PM

From Emma Callahan’s view, she’d just set a WPIAL championship record, but the Shenango shot putter also knew it’s hard to see from the circle.

“I was holding my breath and didn’t want to get excited too soon,” said Callahan, a senior. “I thought I had the record last year, too. It hit right before the 50-foot line, I got excited, and then that wasn’t it.

“Again, it was right near the line.”

Her eyesight proved as sharp as her skills.

Center graduate Allyn Laughlin, who later threw for Florida State, had owned the WPIAL record at 49 feet, 6½ inches since 2006. But once Callahan’s fifth toss was measured last week at Slippery Rock, the WPIAL championship record was officially hers.

With that record-chasing pressure lifted, Callahan then tossed her sixth attempt even farther, clearing 50 feet, 8 inches — a personal-best that ranked her third in the nation this season.

“My goal was to get the record,” she said. “I was ecstatic.”

With another mammoth throw or two this weekend, Callahan might feel that record-breaking suspense again at the PIAA championships in Shippensburg, where she’s heavily favored to win the 2A title.

No girl in the state has a throw this season within six feet of hers, so Callahan’s best measuring stick could be the record book. Laughlin also holds the PIAA record at 50 feet, 10¾ inches.

“I know Emma well enough to say she knows exactly what that record is,” Shenango girls coach John Montgomery said. “I’m sure she’s gunning for that record.”

“To God be the glory if I do,” Callahan said.

Callahan has already established herself as one of the best throwers in WPIAL history, but she’s also bringing attention to a Shenango program that deserves recognition as one of the league’s best.

Consider that since 1990, the Wildcats have won 16 WPIAL shot put or discus titles. That includes one by Montgomery himself, who won WPIAL shot put gold in 1998.

“There were a lot of good throwers at Hickory (in District 10) and there are a lot of good throwers at Hempfield,” Montgomery said. “But around the WPIAL, I think our throwing pedigree is pretty tough to beat.”

This year, Shenango throwers won four WPIAL gold medals. Callahan swept the girls shot put and discus titles in Class 2A, and teammate Will Patton won both events on the boys side.

Like Callahan, Patton also broke a WPIAL championship record. A senior and now a two-time WPIAL discus champion, Patton set the 2A discus record with a throw of 171 feet, 2 inches. The previous mark of 170-4 was set by another Shenango thrower, Dom Westby, in 2005.

“It was always a goal of mine to get the (WPIAL) meet record here,” Patton said on a dreary day at Slippery Rock. “To be able to do it with the rain and everything going on, I was pretty happy.”

Patton enters the state championship seeded second in the discus and eighth in the shot. Callahan is first in the shot and second in the discus.

Yet, the team’s success goes beyond them.

In all, the Lawrence County school is sending six throwers to the state meet this weekend. In fact, Shenango teammates finished first, second and third in the boys shot put at the WPIAL championship, earning them all a trip to Shippensburg.

In high school track, such success can usually be traced to assistants good at motivating and teaching technique. That’s certainly true at Shenango.

“We’ve been blessed with some of the best throwing coaches I’ve ever met,” Montgomery said. “I wish I could take credit for it.”

Shenango’s throwing programs are now under the guidance of assistant Matt Callahan, Emma’s father and a former college decathlete at Slippery Rock. He took over as throwing coach from Brian Cooper, a WPIAL shot put champion at Wilmington in 1988.

Cooper was instrumental in Shenango’s past success and coached Emma Callahan as a freshman before joining Laurel’s staff, where he’s also football coach.

“When Brian said he was going to end things at Shenango and go to Laurel, I never thought we’d be able to replace him,” Montgomery said. “But then Matt came in, and Matt has more energy than any coach I’ve seen in my life.

“He’s running laps with the kids. He’s lifting with the kids. He’s so well organized, and he got the kids to really buy into the offseason workouts.”

Among Shenango’s list of WPIAL champions, Michelle Watson won shot put in 2010 and ’12 and discus in 2011 and ’12. Dom Westbay won boys discus in 2015 and shot in ’14. Stephanie Montgomery won girls discus in ’04. Doug Petrick won boys discus in 2003, and Tony Nocca won the shot put title that year.

Kristen Koprivnak won girls shot and discus in 1999, and Lori Dando won both in 1994.

“We’d like to keep that (tradition) going,” Patton said. “We have two juniors right now who are really good and could have qualified (for WPIALs), but they only let you take three per school.”

Emma Callahan’s younger sister, Rachel, a freshman, also qualified for states in discus and pole vault. Joining them are Shenango throwers Patton (shot and discus), Maria Bryant (shot), Brandon Stuck (shot and discus) and Colton Ferrucci (shot).

“The group of throwers we have are some of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met, and my dad is one of the hardest-working people I know,” Emma Callahan said. “When we’re all pushing each other at practice, it breeds a really good environment for big throws.”

At states last year, Emma Callahan placed second in the shot (48-7½). This year, she’ll likely throw farther than any girl in Class 2A or 3A.

“I’m not surprised by anything Emma does anymore,” Montgomery said. “She’s dominant. You almost just expect to be impressed by her every time.”

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.