LYNN — Some friendly competition, having the same pre-race meals, and parents unable to watch meets together because of two events going on simultaneously are just a few things happening with the St. Mary’s track and field team.
That’s because it’s made up of 11 sets of siblings, something coach Tristan Smith was surprised, but delighted, to see while looking at his roster.
“I always say the track team is a family, but these athletes really demonstrate that,” Smith said. “I love having members of the same family on the team.”
One reason he loves it: seeing them grow together.
“It provides an opportunity for the older athletes to act as role models – on and off the track – for the younger athletes,” Smith said. “There is, perhaps, no better example of this than what I’ve witnessed with these siblings.”
The positives don’t stop there, as senior captain Graham Richman says there’s something a brother provides that a coach or friend can’t.
“There is always someone around I can rely on,” Graham said of his freshman brother Andrew. “It’s nice to have teammates, friends, and coaches on the team to help you out, but it’s great to have someone you know will have your back no matter what.”
Despite Graham (thrower) and Andrew (runner) competing in different events, they’re “always encouraging each other to do better” according to Graham.
“Which almost always results in competition,” Graham said.
That competition goes away, however, when you win a Catholic Central League championship together – like they did this past winter.
“As a team captain, I was sent out to accept the award, and before I was able to bring the award back to the other captains and coaches, Andrew ran up to give me a hug,” Graham said.
Looping back to Smith’s point about role modeling, Andrew said he’s motivated by what his brother has done within the program.
“It acts as a constant reason to hold that stretch for an extra second, or finish through a lap at full speed,” Andrew said.
Cierra Johnson, a junior thrower, goes off to college soon, and says it’s nice to spend time with her sister, Kaylei, before that time comes.
“It gives us time to spend together and, also, compete with each other,” Cierra said.
When asked about her favorite memory with her sister, Cierra said she couldn’t narrow it down to one, but pointed to how proud she is of Kaylei.
“I have loved watching Kaylei grow as a person, and as an athlete, on the track. This year especially, even though Kaylei is only in seventh grade, she’s pulled away from the pack and become a standout athlete,” Cierra said. “As an older sister, I could never be prouder.”
As for the Kwiatek siblings, Kelsey and Kyle, they love cheering each other on – that was especially true when each placed first in the Lynn All-City Meet this past fall.
“Yes, we definitely do. Whether it’s competing in grueling 400 repeats at practice, or racing, we are always the loudest supporters of one another,” Kyle said. “Whenever I’m racing, I can always hear her cheering.”
The two provide advice, and remind each other to have fun.
“We always have someone to ask for advice, or support us throughout our ups and downs,” Kyle said. “Having a sibling on the team helps relieve the stress and seriousness of the sport, and makes our time on the oval more enjoyable.”
As for a favorite memory, Kyle said it was qualifying for the state meet together.
“It was a great experience to see the growth in one another, and finally see our hard work pay off at the state level,” Kyle said.
The other pairs of siblings are Dominic and Donovan Kim, Jaiden and Josiah Madden, Brett and Sophia O’Brien, Xavier and Lucian Paula, Andrew and Will Potter, Cristian and Jazmin Rodriguez, Andreas and Despina Roumeliotis, and Sal and Gianni Vigliotta.
Joey Barrett can be reached at [email protected]
