When an athlete has a sibling who plays the same sport, it can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, they can be a built-in training partner who helps push each other to the best of their abilities. But on the other hand, it could mean your biggest rival is on your team.
Augustana College is a hotbed for siblings from all across the country to compete alongside each other at one of the highest levels of collegiate athletics.
Competing alongside your brother or sister can help you both settle into your new role as a college student-athlete.
For cross country and track distance runner, sophomore Liam Storie, running alongside his identical twin brother, sophomore Ethan Storie, has been mostly positive. Since he started running with the help of his slightly-younger brother, Ethan has looked to Liam for motivation to keep improving.
“It’s great, because [Ethan] often says, ‘you’re just like me, you can do it because you’re me,’” Liam said. “He’s been running longer than I have. He ran in middle school, but I didn’t start until high school, so he was a great role model to get me into running. I don’t think I would have run otherwise. It’s a nice comparison, because it’s something that I can look up to and think I can certainly get there, because I’ve seen what he can do.”
From Ethan’s point of view, it is mostly the same. Naturally, even though it is friendly, there still is a hint of competitiveness, and while it might be surprising, there is no bragging between the two when comparing each other’s times.
“It’s pretty low stress,” Ethan said. “We’ll compare [times], but not in a competitive spirit, but it’s just to see where each twin is at. Really, it’s nice to have the other one as a baseline, because even if we are a little bit separated, there’s still growth that’s pretty similar. It’s great to compare each other, to me.”
The Storie brothers are not the only identical twins in the Augustana track and field program. Juniors Ryan and Renee Jednachowski run for the women’s team. The dynamic between them, according to Ryan, is almost always friendly and supportive.
One of the best things about having that built-in friend and training partner is their ability to keep each other in check. That way, neither of the Jednachowski sisters slack off, and they have someone to train with them, so they are not alone.
“The accountability has been great,” Ryan Jednachowski said. “It’s easier to be more accountable because during the off-season or on weekends, it’s like, ‘Oh, are you doing this? I’m doing it, too,’ and ‘Are you doing your core today? Yeah, I am. Okay. I’ll do core, too.’ So doing the extra stuff has been easier.”
On the swimming and diving team, junior Mara Walker competed for two years alongside her sister, Brooke Walker, who is now an assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan University.
When Mara joined the team as a First-Year student, the jump from high school to college might have been a little nerve-racking, but having her sister there eased some of those nerves and helped her become as successful athletically as she has, being a four-time CCIW title winner, First-Year Swimmer of the Year and CCIW All-Conference member.
“With [Brooke] already being here, it definitely did help me kind of step into finding friends or just being more comfortable,” Mara Walker said. “Being younger than her, I was definitely a little bit intimidated, but then having her there and seeing the friends she’s made, and becoming a part of that friend group during our club team, or even here at college, it made me more comfortable and outgoing. Knowing that she did it made me feel like ‘I can do it.’”
Another thing that comes naturally to a lot of siblings is rivalry and competitiveness. Since siblings at Augustana are on the same team, they don’t have too many chances to compete against each other. Still, some siblings find ways to take each other on.
One of these ways is during practice or other team events, where some coaches might try to pit siblings against each other for the sake of competition or team bonding. One of these situations occurred at Augustana during the women’s water polo’s team bonding events between sisters, the now-graduated Ocean and current junior Waiahuli Akau.
“We did this team bonding thing where we did decathlon events and did things like bar taps, where you have to jump and see how many you can get,” Akau said. “My sister and I would wait to the end, go on the same page, and literally push each other as we’re doing it. Ocean and I are very competitive, but I love her.”
Being from Hawaii, the Akau sisters spent a lot of time growing up together in the pool, out on the beach or doing anything water-related, according to Waiahuli.
While it started in the pool with just swimming, both Akau sisters soon transitioned to water polo and never looked back. Their prior swimming experience helped them develop their skills and eventually attend the same college together and play on the same team.
However, their experience playing was also something bigger than them. While there was the normal sibling rivalry and bickering, there was still a familial bond that bound them together. In the end, Waiahuli was grateful for the experience, not only because she got to share the pool with her sister, but also because of what it represented for her family.
“I really liked having that like relationship with her in the pool,” Akau said. “I wanted to make her proud and support her because it made me happy. For us, it was also a thing of giving back to our parents, because it’s a big thing in Hawaiian culture that you’re very grateful for what your parents do for you throughout your life. That’s another huge reason why Ocean and I always tried to give it our best in practice and tournaments.”
In the end, sibling athletes at Augustana show that competition and connection can coexist. What might begin as rivalry often becomes a source of motivation, trust, and shared purpose. At Augustana, the bond between siblings doesn’t just add another teammate, but it creates something stronger than competition alone.
