Twins and cross-country athletes Omar and Ivan Guzman have had a fantastic start to their senior season. The twin brothers have made a name for themselves as standout athletes on the team, balancing their intense training schedules with rigorous academic pursuits in biochemistry. From high-altitude training in Mexico, to record-breaking performances in Texas, the twins are driven by a shared competitive spirit that pushes them both to excel on and off the course.

The Guzmans’ running careers began unexpectedly. Initially soccer players, they discovered their aptitude for running when they ran laps as a part of their training.

“As a punishment, whenever we wouldn’t do something, we would have to run laps around the soccer field a lot,” Ivan said. “Things sparked from there. In middle school, we joined cross-country, and ever since eighth grade that’s kind of where we’ve been.”

One of their secret weapons is their experience training at high altitudes in Mexico. Born in South Bend, Indiana, the twins moved to Mexico when they were still kids and lived there for five years. Every summer, the brothers return to Mexico with their family, where they train at high altitudes. This exposure to thin air, where the oxygen is less dense, has given them an edge for competing in high altitude races, like in their recent meets in Denver, Colorado.

“I mean, training in altitude has so many aerobic benefits, acclimating to low partial oxygen pressures,” Omar said. “We already know kind of how to handle it, how to feel it out. So racing fast in Denver was not really much of a problem, knowing that we have hit fast paces in Mexico before.”

The Guzmans showcased the benefits of this high-altitude training in Denver, where they both placed in the top-30, with Ivan placing 28th, and Omar in 18th. The Guzmans’ success isn’t limited to high-altitude races. Omar made headlines recently when he set a personal best and school record in the 5K at the Texas A&M Invitational, a moment he described as a culmination of years of effort.

“I was just glad that all that training paid off,” Omar said. “It’s been a long journey, but at the end of the day, I really enjoyed the process of getting to that point, and hopefully I can do more.”

For Omar, the record is just one step in a much larger journey. He’s aiming for bigger accomplishments, including a potential trip to nationals and earning all-American status. Ivan, like Omar, also has his own goals for the season.

“In terms of just goals, hopefully, by conference, top 10 would be the goal. And I’m really hoping for a top 30 finish at regionals,” Ivan said. “I’m just trying to hopefully close that gap with my brother, so if (we don’t) qualify individually to the national meet, we can for sure do that as a team.”

The brothers operate from a place of healthy competition. As close as they are, they still maintain individual goals and ambitions, though they always come back to each other for support. Their shared experiences on the cross-country team have also created a unique bond with their teammates, making their college experience richer and more meaningful.

“We share a lot of the same mentalities and goals, of course, but definitely we help each other at our highs and lows,” Omar said. “We always have, that is our one true running partner, so we’re never really running alone. So it’s always fun to have (Ivan) and a kind of healthy competitiveness between us drives us into succeeding.”

While their athletic success is impressive, Omar and Ivan are equally dedicated to their academic careers. Both are pursuing degrees in biochemistry and are involved in chemistry research, which often means juggling early morning practices and nearly 90-mile weekly run volumes with long hours in the lab and homework-heavy classes.

“It’s really been hard. Sometimes I have to sacrifice one thing for the other,” Omar said. “Unfortunately, last semester that was the case. Taking biochemistry II lab, I mean, these labs would go from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. sometimes, and we have practice at 6 a.m., so we’d have to be waking up at 5 a.m., so there has to be some limitations to what I can do there.”

Ivan also deals with the stress of balancing his studies and athletic career.

“The pressure of trying to maintain a healthy balance between study and just overall doing research and all the things we do here, they do say pressure builds diamonds,” Ivan said.

For both brothers, being part of the cross-country team has been a defining part of their college experience. Not only has it provided them with opportunities to excel in their sport, but it has also forged strong relationships with their teammates.

“It’s opened so many doors, just a lot of friendships and relationships,” Ivan said. “So it’s definitely been a blessing for sure.”

As Omar and Ivan continue to make strides both on the track and in the classroom, they exemplify the best of collegiate athletics — excellence in sport and studies, driven by passion and the bond of brotherhood. As their final season at St. Edward’s unfolds, one thing is certain: the Guzman’s are running toward greatness, side by side.