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.