LARAMIE, Wyo. - University of Wyoming cross country standout Jonah Henry will be running next to a familiar face this season. His younger brother and Laramie High School product, Christopher Henry, is a freshman on the UW cross country team and is expected to step into a contributing role during his first season as a member of the Brown and Gold. The Henry brothers had a conversation about what it will be like to compete and train as college teammates.

How are you guys going to push each other to be better?

Jonah: We’re going to push each other to be better by training with each other. We actually live together, so we can keep each other accountable with what we eat, when we go to bed, when we get up, how we do our schoolwork. We can really look out for each other in all aspects of our lives and keep each other on track to be the best that we can.

Chris, how will you look up to Jonah as a leader, as somebody who’s been around for a couple years?

Chris: It helps a lot that he is my brother, but I’ve always looked up to Jonah. I’m going to try to follow the same things he’s done throughout his college career. I plan to follow his training regimen and what he does and make sure I try to be as active as him.

Will this bring back reminders of high school? How will it be different?

J: It does bring back reminders of high school, being on the same team again. It will be different, because the intensity and training is constantly changing and it’s a lot harder in college. It’s a lot more serious. We have a lot more meets. It’ll be similar in some ways and different in others.

C: College is a lot different, so I’ll definitely just be looking up to [Jonah] more.

Chris, did having your brother on the team have a lot to do with you coming to Wyoming?

C: Yeah, I was deciding between colleges and knew that I’d be able to run with Jonah again, I thought that’d be a lot of fun. That helped me make my decision to come here, for sure.

A Sisterly Example

The Henry brothers are not the only pair of siblings on the Wyoming cross country roster. Redshirt senior Audra DeStefano returns to the squad for a final season after missing most of the 2015 campaign with an illness, joining her sister Quinn DeStefano on the roster for the third consecutive season. The DeStefanos talked about their last chance to compete as cross country teammates as well as their relationship as siblings and teammates.

Quinn, what’s it like to have your sister back for an extra season?

Quinn: I’m really happy that she’s back for an extra season.

What challenges and highlights have you experienced with having a sibling on the team?

Audra: I think having a sibling on the team is pretty easy because we don’t live together, so we pretty much just see each other at practice. We’re both pretty busy, so it’s a chance where we get to see each other every single day. You’re family, so it’s a deeper connection. You’re forced to see your family every day, and that’s really nice.

Q: And it’s nice to train together, too. In the summer, it’s nice to have that support.

Do you think being teammates has helped you as sisters, and vice versa?

A: Being teammates helps us to be sisters. Being teammates is an extra chance to spend time together, so it helps our relationship that way. Is that fair, Quinn?

Q: Yep, that’s fair.

What’s your favorite thing about Audra/Quinn the teammate?

Q: As a teammate, [Audra is] really concerned with making sure that everyone feels loved, so she does really sweet things for all the teammates.

A: Quinn’s really thoughtful as far as putting together events for the group, so she’ll take the time to cook everybody a nice dinner.  When it’s somebody’s birthday, she’ll make a cake and have everybody over and do all the cooking and cleaning. She’s really big into team activities.