Sibling rivalry. It has existed since the dawn of man.
One would think that for twins that rivalry would be even greater as they have been battling each other since the womb.
In the case of the four sets of twins currently on Eastern Illinois University athletic teams, the opposite seems to be true. Instead of an intense rivalry there seems to be a sense of comradery and an unbreakable bond.
For
Rachel Garippo and
Ruth Garippo, twins on the EIU cross country and track teams, that bond borders on the brink of unselfishness. Prior to the recent Ohio Valley Conference track championships, the two sisters talked about the ability to feed off of each other and show an unspoken form of support.
"We are each other's biggest supporters," said
Ruth Garippo. "Going into the conference meet we have been talking about strategy because our goal is to finish first and second. We don't really care who finishes first or second, as long as we are 1-2. This could be Rachel's last race in outdoor track so I told her if the two of us are all alone on the final laps, I want her to win because I have another shot next year."
As it turns out both sisters were in the hunt as part of the Panthers OVC Championship team. Ruth ended up winning the steeplechase event and had Rachel also standing on the podium, but instead of silver she wore a bronze medal as the third place finisher.
Having twins compete in collegiate athletics at Eastern Illinois is nothing new. In fact some have gone on to have great success earning Athletic and Academic All-American honors, with the Steele brothers (Dan and Darrin) also competing in the Olympic Games.
To have four sets on campus at one time competing in athletics, that is new as all four sets prepare to enter their final years on campus. Next academic year EIU will welcome back juniors-to-be
Justin Oliver and
Tyler Oliver from men's soccer and
Grant Reiman and
Trent Reiman from men's tennis. In addition the Garippo sisters will be seniors in cross country and track while
Daniel Hughes and
Ryan Hughes will be seniors on the men's golf team.
All four sets of twins compete in different disciplines but for the most part have always played the same sport as their counterpart. In most sports the competition was side-by-side but in some cases they did play head-to-head.
"We have always played the same sports growing up," said
Grant Reiman. "We probably get on to each other more than other people because if we play against each other we know that the other one of us should have made a certain shot. My dad never liked seeing us play each other, so sometimes one of us would default the match so we didn't have to compete against each other."
For golf twins Daniel and
Ryan Hughes, the competition has also taken on a head-to-head form based on their sport of choice and that competition has fueled each to become a better player.
"Growing up we were always trying to beat each other at sports," said
Ryan Hughes. "I would say without Daniel I would not be where I am today on the golf course. Because of our rivalry, I feel that we have accomplished much more as we push each other to become better."
The Garippo sisters echoed that feeling of using that natural, built-in rivalry as something that pushes each of them.
"Ever since we started running there was that competitiveness," said
Rachel Garippo. "As we have grown into the sport we have gained an understanding of how to use that competitiveness with each other in our favor to both become better runners."
Based on the sport they have excelled in to earn the opportunity to play in college, each twin has become a support system for the other. In some cases they have become the reason that they do succeed.
On the soccer pitch
Tyler Oliver led the team in goals last season while brother Justin was tied for the team lead in assists. Both readily admit that they could not have done it without the other.
"Every accomplishment whether we did it individually or as a team, we celebrate that accomplishment together," said Justin. "In one of our wins this year, we were in overtime and I played Tyler the ball on a breakaway and he scored the winning goal with my assist, so we were both part of that success."
Tyler added "even the accolades that maybe one of us receives, we realize we would not be able to do it without the other one. I would say 95 percent of my goals in life, in soccer or hockey, have come from him. We can both be good players on our own, but when you put us together we can take it to another level."
Putting players together that are able to know what the other is thinking can be a successful formula in any sport. For EIU men's tennis that combination has worked as Grant and
Trent Reiman played doubles for the last two seasons. This past year they posted a 3-3 record in doubles action in Ohio Valley Conference play prior to Trent being injured and forcing the pair to play with new partners.
"We have been on the court together for 15 years so our chemistry is unbelievable compared to other doubles teams that are put together for much shorter periods of time," said Trent.
"In doubles we know what the other person is thinking. We have an unspoken communication," added Grant. "When Trent got injured this past year I played with some different partners but it's hard to compete with the fact we have played together most of our lives."
For three of the four sets of twin athletes on EIU's campus, being together has also carried into the class room. The Reiman and Hughes twins are all marketing majors while the Oliver twins are majoring in finance. Only the Garippo twins have selected different majors at the collegiate level – Rachel in health administration and Ruth in accounting.
The uniqueness of being a twin seems to have carried over as all four sets of twins are aware of the other groups of twin athletes on campus even if not on a first name basis.
"We have joked with the tennis twins, Grant and Trent, about being the more identical set of twins on campus," said
Tyler Oliver. "They of course say the same thing about Justin and myself. We have actually dragged outside people into our conversation to have them help us decide which set is harder to tell apart."
"We have become great friends with the guys on the golf team," added
Trent Reiman. "We hang out with them and the Oliver twins on the soccer team. It seems that for any of us if we are not together it may be 50-50 whether people know which one of us they are talking to."
While fans, opponents and sometimes even coaches may have a hard time telling them apart one thing for certain is that athletes on Eastern Illinois campus seem to gravitate towards each other. In the case of twins, that is just an extra bond that is created.
"One thing I love about Eastern is that all the athletic teams seem to know each other and most times know what sport you represent. I don't personally know all the other sets of twins, but I do know who they are," said
Ruth Garippo.
"One of the best moments for me was in a meet at Indiana State with Ruth and myself running close together and as we came into the final laps our teammates were cheering 'Go Garippos', which stood out because they were cheering for both of us, not just one," added
Rachel Garippo.
That built-in sense of team stands out to all athletes but for twins that have spent their entire lives grouped together, moments like that seem to rank a little higher and mean a little more.
As the four sets of Eastern Illinois athletic twins head into the summer all four sets seem to have the same mindset of preparing for their final years as Panthers.
"We are going to compete together and against other this summer to get into better form for the upcoming season," said
Ryan Hughes. "We feel that will give us a chance to be really competitive next year."
What else would you expect from athletes that have spent virtually their entire lives together; competing and getting better with and against each other, the most natural definition of the word team.
Eastern Illinois four sets of EIU Athletic Twins Hometowns:
Rachel &
Ruth Garippo – Roselle, Illinois
Daniel &
Ryan Hughes – Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Justin &
Tyler Oliver – Oakdale, Minnesota
Grant &
Trent Reiman – Morton, Illinois
