SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of April 9, 2014)
Central Bucks East lacrosse standout Julia Norek’s long and winding road to ultimate success was detoured from the outset, but she was able to summon the strength to fight for what others were being handed, almost as entitlements. The granddaughter of longtime legendary Ridley High football coach Joe McNicholas, Norek hails from an athletic family. But she seemed to struggle to find the right sport, trying the likes of basketball and soccer without much satisfaction. Her mother, Kathy, suggested lacrosse, one of the most popular sports in the region. One problem: Norek was already in seventh grade. Most of the other young ladies she was joining forces with for the Lady Bulldogs club team had been playing since they could walk. “It was really rough in the beginning,” said Norek, the Patriots’ leading scorer despite playing midfield.
Norek participated for the ‘B’ team and assumed she would advance to the ‘A’ squad the following year with the other eighth graders, and when she was told she was to be one of only two eighth graders left behind, she was admittedly devastated. From those humble beginnings, Norek is able to fully appreciate the journey that has led her to the hard-earned success she enjoys now. When it came time to write a college essay, the East senior, the owner of a 4.178 GPA, wrote about the discovery of strength she found in herself. She called it ‘Braveheart,’ named for the moment-of-truth, one-on-one lacrosse drill.
First-year coach Kelly White has not been around Norek that long, but she can appreciate the personal struggle and how it has shaped her. “Julia is a fantastic young lady and lacrosse player,” said White. “She is a natural leader who excels on the field as well as in the classroom. The team has been through some tough transitions, and she has handled those challenges with grace and dignity. Julia’s teammates and coaches rely heavily on her because they believe she can make the big play.”
Norek plans to continue her lacrosse career playing at the club level at one of the four schools on her list of finalists – South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Penn State.
To read Norek’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/julia-norek-0043143
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 9, 2014)
“Hard work” and “finish the mission.” Both are simple phrases, but for Tyler Callender, they are words to live by for they were the mottos of his father, the late Jack Callender. Tyler – the youngest of three brothers – is a testament to his father’s life and mission. The Council Rock North senior has signed a letter of intent to take his baseball talents to the University of Delaware. He could just as easily be wrestling or playing football at the collegiate level. “Tyler is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete,” Rock North wrestling coach Tom Vivacqua said. “He was a tremendous football player, an all-state wrestler, and he’s going to Delaware to play baseball. That’s unheard of. Really, we’re going to wrap ourselves around this 10 years from now when we’ll look back and say, ‘Wow, that was pretty amazing.’ To have as much talent as he has and to be such an awesome kid as well – he’s such a special kid.”
While it’s rare these days to find an athlete who excels in three sports, it’s even more unusual to find one who does but is so completely devoid of ego. As ready and willing as Callender’s coaches are to talk about his excellence in the athletic arena, they are even more eager to talk about Callender as a person. “I’ve known him pretty much his whole life,” Vivacqua said. “I was really good friends with his father, and he has a lot of those awesome qualities his father has given to him, like his brothers as well.” Rock North football coach Adam Collachi echoed similar sentiments. “He is probably one of the greatest kids I will ever be associated with in my career,” Collachi said.
Callender, who will major in mechanical engineering, made a verbal commitment to play for Delaware August 2, and several weeks later, he was back on the field with his football team. An all-league defensive end, Callender went down in his team’s second game with a torn Lisfranc ligament in his foot. He watched the remainder of the season from the sidelines. The senior standout, who finished fourth at 220 in the PIAA state wrestling championships as a junior, was not cleared to compete until late January and made the difficult decision to forego his final season. This spring he is anchoring his baseball team behind the plate. “He’s the catcher, so he’s the quarterback on the field,” coach Matt Schram said. “He’s getting beaned, he’s getting hit, he’s blocking baseballs, he’s the toughest guy out there. You take a lot for granted when you have him on the field. He just runs the whole field. He’s so reliable and mature, and he’s one of the nicest kids. I’m loving every minute with him.”
To view Callender’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/tyler-callender-0043151
- Log in to post comments
