Oct. 31, 2007

Mobile, Ala. - When the Spring Hill College cross country squad takes to the course, the event becomes a family affair as the team features two sets of twins, sophomores Kayla and Austin Fox (Dothan, AL) along and freshmen Emilie and Maggie Meier (St. Louis, MO).

The twins on the Spring Hill teams agree that having a twin can be an advantage, "It makes the off season easier," says Maggie, "There are days you really don't feel like running then there is always someone there to make you run."

"We push each other and you don't want to let the other person down," adds Emilie, "It's nice always having someone to run with."

Austin and Kayla agree. "Being brother and sister, we've never run cross country together, but it's nice knowing there is someone there cheering you on and helping you out," says Kayla, "Austin's always passing along advice when I need it."

All four of the Spring Hill twins major in a science related field, Kayla and Emilie study nursing while Austin is a biology major and Maggie is in pre-med. "I don't think being a twin has much to do with our majors," says Maggie, "I think being athletic has had more influence.  I want to be an athletic trainer and I like living a healthy lifestyle, so that's why I'm in pre-med."

Ironically, none of the runners began their athletic career in cross country.  "We went to a small high school in Dothan and we played on all the athletic teams," says Austin, "Kayla and I ran in marathons before we came to Spring Hill, but not cross country."

"We actually only started running cross country as a way to get in shape for field hockey," says Maggie, "but we liked it so much that we stayed in it."

The Meier sisters admit that they have a personal strategy when they race.  Usually Emilie sprints out of the blocks for the first mile and then Maggie catches up and they run together for the next mile or two.  "Maggie runs the way you're supposed to run, so she's the stronger runner and finishes with the better time," says Emilie.  "And Emilie runs the way nobody should run," Maggie says while the sisters share a knowing grin.  In actuality, the sisters' times are remarkably similar.  In the three meets run by the sisters this season, Maggie has finished ahead of her sister in each event, but never by more than a minute.

Even though they don't compete together, the Fox twins agree that growing up as a lifelong team may help them run as members of a team.  "Cross country really isn't an individual sport," says Kayla, "You get close to your teammates and if you look at the times of our team you'll see we usually all come in as a pack.  You learn to help each other."

Spring Hill's coach, Griggs Covington, agrees that coaching twins has made his job easier.  "I've learned that they watch out for each other," he says, "One will always make sure that other is at practice on time, attending workouts or taking care of their studies.  It's nice not having to worry about those issues with them."  He also sees benefits at competitions, "For the Meiers, they know each other so well that it pays off for them on the course.  They just instinctively know how to work as a team."

As natives of St. Louis, Mo., the Meier sisters had not planned on attending college in the Deep South.  "It's actually funny how we ended up at Spring Hill," says Emilie.  It turned out to be the only school we both applied to.  Then we came down for a campus tour and met the team."

Maggie laughs at the memory, "We drove back to St. Louis straight into an ice storm and that's when we decided to come to Mobile."

Austin originally came to Spring Hill on a basketball visit, but fell in love with the campus.  Kayla went to the University of Mississippi for a year before transferring to Spring Hill.  "I went to a small high school and missed the smaller classes.  Plus, I wanted to major in nursing and at Ole Miss I would have to move to Jackson," she recalls, "And I missed Austin."

Kayla claims that she shares "a twin bond" with her brother. "Just the other day I was on the phone with Austin and mentioned that I was drinking some warm milk and he said he was doing the same thing," she said, "I have a whole list of weird things that have happened to us."

"It's strange," Austin remarks, "Last year we were 300 miles apart and now we live across the hall from each other."