Part of becoming a great and successful athlete is knowing you can compete at a high level, but also not forgetting what got you to that point.

For this year’s Northampton Press Co-Female Athletes of the Year, Aja Blount and Lyndsey Gallagher, those moments came at different points in their careers.

For Blount it was the first time she took the court as a Konkrete Kid.

“The moment I thought I could be one of the best female basketball players to ever play for the Kids was probably my very first basketball game, freshman year,” Blount said. “I was starting varsity and it was an eye-opener how good I could really be by the time I was finished with high school.”

Blount would end her career with 1,767 points, second-best all-time for the Northampton girls behind only Laura Newhard’s 2,143 points. Blount stands ahead of Nicole Druckenmiller (1,510), Leslie Newhard (1,306) and Megan Bowen (1,218) on the list, obviously some legendary company at Northampton. Blount was the East Penn Conference MVP this past season and was second team all-state. She also finished her career with over 1,000 rebounds and she averaged a double-double her senior year, 23 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Her head coach, Jeff Jacksits, certainly appreciated her talent.

“Aja was a true competitor. She hated to lose. She elevated her game each of the four years she played for me,” Jacksits said. “In all of my years of coaching, no one went after rebounds like she did. She was the most tenacious rebounder that I have ever coached, boy or girl. I think what makes her unique, beside her strength and tenacity, are her hands. She seems to always grab rebounds or catch passes that others would miss.”

Jacksits said Blount was also a great team leader. She knew when to be loose, but also when to get serious.

“She had a wonderful sense of humor, but she always knew when it was time to work hard,” Jacksits said. “It was a real pleasure and honor to have coached her for the past four years. I know she will go on to accomplish much more at the next level. Her leadership and overall play will truly be missed.”

For Gallagher, her moments came later in her career. In fact, it was her senior year when things really started to click.

First, it was fall cross country at the Northampton Invitational, an early-season meet at Bicentennial Park, the Kids’ home course. Gallagher didn’t race much cross country in her junior season because of injuries, so she wasn’t quite sure what to expect in her first race as a senior.

“I placed fifth with a time of 19:15,” Gallagher said about the race. “I felt like I was back to myself and that this season was going to be successful. That was one of my best times and I felt great while I was running, much different than I had the previous season. I knew with a race like I had that day I would be competitive in the league and district and a good chance at qualifying for states.”

Gallagher’s time of 19:09 ranks second all-time at NHS for a 5K, home race. She was a two-time, first team EPC selection for cross country in her career, including her senior season, and advanced to the state meet twice, again, including her senior season.

In track, that moment came later in the spring.

“I felt like I took the next step at my 1600 meter race at the Allen Invitational,” Gallagher said. “I broke my school record from freshman year that day by eight seconds and felt great during the whole race, along with hitting the state qualifying time. It was at that point I felt like I had taken my racing in track to another level by breaking 5:10, which had seemed like a daunting barrier.”

Dan Benner, Gallagher’s cross country coach as well as distance coach for track, also appreciated Gallagher’s talent as well as her ambition.

“Coaching Lyndsey was a privilege for me,” Benner said. “Obviously when you spend as much time as we did together over the years, we fought some, sort of like family, but we always had the same goals in mind.

“I actually coached Lyndsey for her seventh grade middle school cross country season. So I knew she was a very talented runner when she came into the high school program, and she did not disappoint, having success right away. But in order to stay successful in sports, you have to find ways to stay motivated and reinvent yourself sometimes. Lyndsey was always an extremely motivated and focused athlete and student, but her senior year she found a way to reinvent herself as an athlete.”

Gallagher advanced to the state track meet twice in her career, as well, including this past season. She also broke two, Al Erdosy Stadium records this year, the 1600 with a 5:15, as well as the 3200 record with a 11:39. During the indoor track and field club season, she broke four records: the 800 with a 2:31, the 1600 record in 5:26, as was part of the 3200 relay team that ran a 11:38 as well as the DMR relay team ran a 15:18. Members of those teams in addition to Lyndsey were Magen Perelli, Lauren Pague, and Beth Albright.

“Lyndsey was very fortunate to have a few very talented teammates throughout the years to train with, to work with, and to learn from that contributed towards her success,” Benner said.

Early on in her career she ran with Hayley Jackson, who was a two-time state qualifier in cross country and a big help to getting Gallagher adjusted to the high school level, Benner said. And then the latter part of Gallagher’s career she got to train with Joelle Perelli, who was also a two-time state qualifier in cross country. Gallagher and Joelle Perelli spent countless hours training together and motivating each other. Joelle stayed around Gallagher’s senior year of cross country as a coach, and that was a huge help to Lyndsey and the team, according to Benner.

“Sometimes as a coach, you are lucky enough to deal with some phenomenal athletes who are also great people,” Benner said, “and I have been fortunate to have worked with many athletes that fall into that category, with Lyndsey being right near the top of that list. Lyndsey was a huge asset to Northampton and she will be greatly missed. Lyndsey would have been successful in any setting, I am just glad I didn’t mess her up.”

Blount also had another successful track year as a thrower, but missed out on states after making it last season. She also took on a new sport, volleyball, in the fall.

Blount plans to play basketball at a prep school in Florida this winter, and she’ll take with her everything she learned playing as a Konkrete Kid: focus and dedication as well as never take time for granted. In fact, she’d maybe even love to go back in time.

“I would do anything to play in another game with my teammates on the court in front of the crowd,” Blount said. “I will miss the excitement and hype I get before the games and the rush I get during close games and having my team depend on me to do my job.

“I will never forget that game [against Boyertown in the state quarterfinals], losing by one point and the pain I felt after the buzzer went off. It was one of the saddest days of my life.”

Gallagher plans to attend George Washington University and major in public health. She plans to run for the club cross country and track teams, still being able to race, but also focusing on academics. She hopes her three years of leadership as captain on the cross country team is something she can take with her in life, as well as time management.

“I’ll always treasure my time at Northampton in cross country and track,” Gallagher said. “It is nice to leave my mark on both sports with school records, however those will eventually be broken. However, the friendships I have formed with my teammates and the coaches will always be there and I will definitely miss them the most next year as I begin a new chapter in my life. Even though I will be in Washington D.C. I still will be thinking about them on their race days and excited to hear how they perform.”