Seton Hill University sports siblings team up on the field

Sophia and Sylvia Grack – Women’s Lacrosse

Pictured: Sophia and Sylvia Grack. Photo courtesy of Sophia Grack.

Years: Senior and Freshman
Majors: Human Resources/Marketing and Political Science/Global Studies
Hometown: Erie, Pennsylvania

What influenced you to choose Seton Hill?
Sophia: “I was approached by the head coach, Courtney Grove, and my club coach brought up this school to me as well, and I was kind of interested in it. Then I came on campus, met the girls and I just knew I wanted to come here.”
Sylvia: “Not just lacrosse, but definitely her influence. Me visiting all the years she was in college and I was in high school, and hanging out with the team, getting close with all the people she was close with, and just kind of creating bonds with people.”

What is it like to be able to play on the same team as your sister in college?
Sophia: “I really, really enjoy it. I’m really going to miss her next year. I love having her there. I think it’s nice to have somebody who pushes you and you want to do better for and they want to do better for you. It’s nice too, because at the end of the day, we’re not just teammates, we’re also sisters. I love having her here.”
Sylvia: “I couldn’t have said it any better.”

Do you have any favorite memories of playing lacrosse together?
Sophia: “When we got to go to Florida together for spring break, that was a really good memory that we had together just because we could experience spring break together. The highs, the lows and everything in between. Our family came as well, so it was nice to have our parents there. We get to stay in this really nice house, so being in that huge house together was a lot of fun.”
Sylvia: “And I’ve just heard her talk about so many things through the years when she comes home for the summer and Christmas break, and then I got to experience it with her.”

As you finish your season together at Seton Hill, what will miss the most about playing with your sister?
Sophia: “I’m moving to Tennessee after I graduate, so it’s going to be completely different. Being together 24/7 and then not seeing each other at all, I think that’s probably going to be the hardest adjustment.”
Sylvia: “I agree. It’s going to be weird not having her on the team. If I needed anything, even the most personal things, I always had someone. I definitely feel like I had a little bit more of a paved pathway for myself.”

How does it feel to have the opportunity to play lacrosse together at Seton Hill?
Sophia: “Honestly, it’s made my senior year. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Bri and Lexi Kupic – Equestrian

Pictured: Lexi and Bri Kupic. Photo courtesy of B.Kupic.

Years: Junior and Sophomore
Majors: Communication and Chemistry
Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts

What influenced you to choose Seton Hill?
Bri: “I think equestrian was kind of the biggest role in choosing Seton Hill, because it was one of the only D2 schools that had equestrian.”
Lexi: “I never had an official tour. I would just walk around with [Bri] and she showed us pretty much everything. And same thing with riding. Our town was tiny, so coming to a small school wasn’t bad for us.”
Bri: “We were already used to that small area. Our high school probably had the same amount of people as this.”
Lexi: “I kind of liked the smaller classes and stuff like that.”

What is it like to be able to compete on the same team as your sister in college?
Lexi: “We’ve been competing against each other and doing stuff together forever, so it’s not weird to be on the same team and be competitive.”
Bri: “Especially with equestrian, it’s weird having it be a team sport because it is individual. But Lexi and I have competed against each other forever.
Lexi: “It’s not like, ugh, I’m so mad that she won. It’s like, you’re happy for her.”

Do you have any favorite memories of riding together?
Bri: “It was really cool on our middle school team making it to nationals because there were only four of us on the team, and that was the minimum you could have. And there were teams with 20 plus people. I think we were second in the nation on our middle school team, and that was such a cool thing to experience and it was just awesome.”
Lexi: “We weren’t competing against each other either because everyone had to do their own class. It was actually pretty cool.”

How does it feel to have the opportunity to be on equestrian team together at Seton Hill?
Bri: “I think it’s awesome that Seton Hill encourages and offers so many different sports, especially riding.”
Lexi: “I think we’re pretty lucky and it’s pretty cool that we have that opportunity to ride.”

John and Rob Hofseth – Men’s Lacrosse

Pictured: John and Rob Hofseth. Photo courtesy of J.Hofseth.

Years: Junior and Freshman
Majors: Communication
Hometown: Vancouver, Canada

What influenced you to choose Seton Hill?
John: “I was going to come to the states to find a school anyways, so I visited a few schools in the Pittsburgh area. I just liked Seton Hill the best. It seemed like the best fit for me. I kind of liked the small campus, you get to know more people that way I think. And then when I met the team, all the guys were really nice and pretty cool, so that’s pretty much why.”
Rob: “Mostly because of [John] and lacrosse.”
John: “I kind of let him choose whatever he wanted to do. He was looking at a few other schools as well, and whatever he wanted to do, I just kind of let him do, and he wanted to come here, so it worked out for the best I think. And it’s better for our parents that way, they can visit us at the same time. We’re kind of in the same place, and it just makes it easier on them.”

What is it like to play on the same team as your brother in college?
Rob: “It’s pretty cool because we grew up playing together in the backyard and stuff, so it’s pretty cool just to be in an actual game together.”

Do you have any favorite memories of playing lacrosse together?
John: “I remember when he got called up to my team, we played together, and I think it was the first time that kind of stood out to me. Like he said, all the stuff we used to do in our backyard and in our house and stuff, it was kind of cool just to see it happen in a real game.”
Rob: “When we played in that league, I’m pretty sure my first goal when I got called up, he assisted it, so that was pretty cool too.”

Is playing with your sibling different than playing with other teammates?
John: “We kind of just see each other differently than we see other people. I know what he’s going to do before it even happens.”
Rob: “We’ve seen each other play our whole lives, so we kind of know.”
John: “We know what we’re good at and what we’re not good at, so we can use those strengths to better each other.”

How do you feel about having the opportunity to play lacrosse together at Seton Hill?
John: “It’s pretty special, especially because we’re doing really well this season, and if we got to win a conference championship or a national championship together, it’d be something pretty cool that we’d remember for the rest of our lives.”

Keagan and Courtney Pontious – Women’s Lacrosse

Pictured: Keagan and Courtney Pontious. Photo courtesy of K.Pontious.

Years: Redshirt Junior and Freshman
Majors: Business Administration – Entrepreneurial Studies/ Marketing and Business Administration – Marketing/Human Resources
Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan

What influenced you to choose Seton Hill?
Keagan: “Just the fact that it was a small school and it’s not too far away. Lacrosse was a big one. My coach recruited me the summer of my junior year.”
Courtney: “[Keagan] did. Definitely lacrosse, definitely the small school. Coach recruited me too.”
Keagan: “It’s the small, family-like atmosphere that we like.”
Courtney: “The one on one with your professors, and things like that.”

What is it like to play on the same team as your sister in college?
Courtney: “Playing together was fun because we definitely knew each other and what she’s going to do without her telling me and what I’m going to do without me telling her. We definitely can read each other a lot easier than you can read other people because you know their body language and stuff.”
Keagan: “100 percent advantage from the field aspect. It’s just nice to have somebody where I can text and we can talk about home. Somebody else that knows the similarities of home, that knows the same people that we grew up with. If something happens, I can tell her. Just the fact that it’s somebody else to talk to and it’s somebody else that knows your whole life, so that really helps bring the home aspect to it.”

Do you have any favorite memories of playing lacrosse together?
Keagan: “We were playing the state champs in high school, and I just remember we were down by one, and it was the biggest game that we’ve ever had. We were playing the best team in the state and only lost by one. That was the most passionate I think we ever played together, where it meant so much. The fact that we were there, and we even got that far, because again, we were playing that team and we were not supposed to beat anybody, and we ended up playing the state champs.”

How does it feel to have the opportunity to play lacrosse together at Seton Hill?
Courtney: “I think it’s cool. It’s unique, and a lot of people don’t get the chance to be with their sibling, because either they don’t play the same sport or one decides not to or one goes somewhere else.”
Keagan: “I think that just being on a team and seeing each other literally every day and knowing that somebody is there from home…I think it’s a great opportunity.”

Published By: Paige Parise

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