By Carolyn Linck, '11

Kayla (KG) and Lauren Germany (LG) are twin sisters from Scotts Valley, California, and two of the newest runners on Santa Clara University's cross country team.  Training and studying together worked out well for the Germany sisters in high school, where they were not only standout athletes but also co-Valedictorians.  Recently www.SantaClaraBroncos.com (SCB) caught up with Germany twins about their relationship, decision to come to SCU and their goals for freshmen year.

SCB: When did you guys start to run competitively? Did you play any other sports growing up?

KG: We began running competitively our sophomore year during track season. We ran track in 8th grade, but it was mainly just to hang out with friends. Before we started running, we tried playing several other sports such as basketball, tennis and mainly soccer. We stopped playing soccer after our junior cross country season because I qualified for the state cross country meet and missed tryouts for the school team. I had also realized that I enjoyed running much more than playing soccer, and I wanted to focus on training for track season.

LG: For awhile we did both sports, but we decided to focus on cross country rather than trying to continue to go to practices for both soccer and cross country every day during the week and run in meets and play in games on the weekends.

SCB: Do you guys always train together? How competitive are you two when it comes to running?

KG: Over the summer we did most of our runs together. It is very helpful to have Lauren to train with because it keeps me motivated to stay on pace for the run. We are very competitive with each other and neither one wants to fall behind the other. It is incredible how much faster my track times were when I raced against Lauren compared to when I was in a race without her. In the beginning of my senior track season I ran a 3200 meter race on a Thursday and beat my personal best record by a few seconds, and then that Saturday I raced against Lauren in the 3200 meter and beat the time I had ran on Thursday by 15 seconds.

SCB: Do you prefer track or cross country? Why?

LG: I prefer cross country because I feel that it is more of a team sport.

KG: I prefer cross country too because in track the races are always just running circles, but in cross country the courses are more interesting, each with a different set of challenges.

SCB: What are your goals and expectations for your freshman season at SCU?

LG: My goals for my freshmen season at SCU are to consistently run sub 19 minutes in the 5K and to contribute to the team as much as possible.

KG: In my freshman season I want to beat my personal best time for a 5k and to be satisfied with the effort I put into workouts. I also hope to avoid getting injured again.

SCB: Are you identical twins? Have you ever tricked people and switched places before?

LG: Yes, we are identical twins. We switched places once before in first grade, but one of our "friends" in the class told the substitute teacher and we got in trouble for it. Kayla tried to convince me to switch places again with her during our sophomore year of high school, but I wouldn't because I didn't want to have to sit through her English class instead of going to PE.

KG: Now that we are in college I keep forgetting to mention to people that I am a twin because I am so used to people knowing. After we were introduced at the pep rally some of my roommates were surprised to find out.

SCB: You were co-Valedictorians together at Scotts Valley High School. How much hard work did it take to become Valedictorian and how do you think you will adjust to Santa Clara academically?

LG: It took a lot of hard work to become co-Valedictorians. Since we had almost all the same classes throughout high school, we were able to study together most of the time, which was really helpful. I feel that having each other as built-in study partners was extremely beneficial to our grades and played a large role in our becoming co-Valedictorians as well.

KG: In high school, I was always looking for new ways to challenge myself, so I decided to do the full International Baccalaureate Program. These were the most difficult classes that my high school offered, so I knew it would be difficult to get all A's, but I worked hard and kept up on all of my schoolwork. In the end my hard work paid off. I feel like these classes prepared me for college well, so hopefully the transition from high school classes to college classes will be a smooth one.

SCB: Did you guys know you wanted to go to college with each other or did you consider going to different schools? Why did you pick Santa Clara?

KG: When we first started looking at colleges, we really wanted to go to different schools. In the end, we both ended up choosing Santa Clara because we felt that it would be the best fit for us. We both made the decision to come to Santa Clara on the same day. We had spent the day with the cross country team and when we got in the car with my mom to go home we both told her that we were going here.

LG: Common interests and tastes ended up bringing both of us to Santa Clara. Personally, I chose to go here because it was close to home, I liked the weather and the campus, and I loved the cross country team after meeting them on my recruiting trip.

SCB: What are your hobbies besides running?

LG: Besides running, I enjoy reading, paintballing, baking and hanging out with my friends.

KG: I enjoy biking, especially mountain biking, and I also like reading and spending time with friends.