Being on the track and field team is turning into a real family affair: There are two sets of sisters on the roster.

One of those sets is comprised of Julianne and Rebecca Cronin of Bartlett, Ill. Rebecca is a senior who participates in sprinting events while Julianne is a sophomore who participates in sprinting events as well as some jumping events.

Julianne said there were a couple reasons why she decided to come to DeKalb.

“One of my main reasons for coming to NIU was because of coach [Connie] Teaberry,” Julianne said. “Having my sister here definitely made it easier…for the transition of coming into college.”

Julianne said how much Teaberry cares about her athletes makes her a good coach to play for.

“Just how open she was and like caring, she almost treats us like her own kids in the way and you can tell that she really cares about more than how we do in track,” Julianne said. “She cares about how we do in our life and in our school.”

Rebecca said it’s nice to have such a familiar face around on a daily basis for support both on and off the track

“It’s really nice having her [Julianne] around,” Rebecca said. “[She’s] someone I know I can count on 100 percent no matter what else is going on at the meet or in life.”

Training can be difficult on your own as an athlete, but Julianne said training with her sister both last semester and this semester is a motivator.

“So she does better in the workouts, but it’s a good push for me to be chasing her down basically in all the workouts,” Julianne said.

Rebecca said one thing sticks out in her mind that has changed since she first arrived on campus.

“The biggest change I’ve seen in myself is knowing how much I can motivate myself, and, well, just self-motivation and self-discipline,” Rebecca said. “I just think about how close I was last year to regionals and I know how bad I want to go there this year. So I know I can put in to work to make it their.”

As a younger athlete, Julianne feels there are things that she can do to make herself an even better competitor as she continues her career at NIU.

“I think I need to improve on just my mental thinking,” Julianne said. “Knowing that I can run fast and not letting my body and how I feel get in the way when I am like racing.”