Andrew Heller and his younger sister Lauren are both athletes at St. Edward’s University. Lauren, a freshman, plays for the women’s soccer team and has notched 12 goals and five assists and has earned the Heartland Conference player of the week. Andrew is the president of the St. Edward’s rugby club and a contributing factor to the team’s recent metamorphosis. 

Shelby Sementelli: What’s it like to go to the same college as your brother?

Lauren Heller: Being a freshman, it was nice having him there to show me my way into college and I know he’s always here for me if I need him.

SS: What has been the best moment of the season so far?

LH: I’d have to say winning the Heartland Conference, because our hard work is starting to pay off.

SS: Did you two fight when you were younger?

LH: Oh yeah, we were both so competitive as kids. Whether it was Mario Kart or a game of basketball, we would kill each other before we let the other one win.

SS: Do you two have any funny childhood stories? 

LH: One time my brother and I thought it’d be a good idea to move the basketball hoop next to the trampoline so we could play trampoline basketball. Of course we wanted to stay safe, so we decided to wear our hard plastic bike helmets while we played. As our game of trampoline basketball went on, it—of course—became more competitive and more physical. We ended up with a lifelong memory: Andrew knocked out his front tooth by hitting it on my helmet. He only looked like a hillbilly for a week or so.

SS: Earlier this semester, you started to bring back the razor scooter. Why?

LH: Yes, my scooter works great. It allows me to get around campus much faster. Plus, I never have to worry about locking it; I can just fold it up and bring it into class. Some people judge, but that’s okay—I’ll just scoot right by them.

SS: What’s your most embarrassing experience? 

LH: My senior year in high school, I was sitting in class and I could feel something cold on my bum. I came to realize my jeans had ripped. It wasn’t just a little rip either, pretty much the whole seam of my back pocket was torn. So what did I do? I grabbed my binder, put it behind my rear and went up to my male teacher and explained that I had a problem with my pants and I needed to go change.

SS: What would your life be like without your brother?

LH: Although we got on each other’s nerves sometimes as kids, he has always been a great person to look up to. He’s had so much influence on who I am today. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have known how awesome of a school St. Edwards is.

SS: What’s it like to go to the same college as your sister?

Andrew Heller: It’s really cool to see her beginning her journey at St. Ed’s, knowing all the exciting things she’s going to experience. I try to make sure to show her around and introduce her to some of my friends. For the most part I let her figure things out for herself because I know she can handle it.

SS: What are your duties as Rugby president?

AH: As President, I’m responsible for running the entire organization, which includes organizing players and coaches for practice and games. I maintain the team website, social media accounts, serve as club representative in our two conferences and I am responsible for the team budget.

SS: What is the biggest rush when playing rugby?

AH: The biggest rush is on game day before we step on the field. We go around and shake each other’s hands and say “Glory to St. Edward’s.” There aren’t any words to describe the feeling I get knowing I’m getting ready to go into battle with this special group of guys. When we step on the field, we start our chant. There’s nothing like it.

SS: Lauren said you two were very competitive as kids. What happened if she beat you in a game?

AH: Yeah, like that ever happened. No one ever likes getting beat by their younger sister, so when she did, I’d have to make sure she remembered who’s the bigger sibling.

SS: Does the notorious mullet reflect your personality?

AH: I don’t know what it is, but since I decide to grow this ridiculous mullet out, I started getting a lot of positive feedback from people. So I decided to keep it. Swag.

SS: How did you get involved with DJing?

AH: Living with four awesome musicians from “Brother Muller and His Brothers” inspired me to put my extensive music collection to work. Since then I have started playing my electronic music at local parties, and have even performed a couple times on campus.

SS: What do you like and dislike about soccer?

AH: I love the combination of skill and teamwork that soccer requires. I dislike that most people don’t understand that soccer is actually a very physical sport, and the players don’t get that credit.

SS: You play club, while your sister plays NCAA. What are the biggest differences? 

AH: When they get hurt they go to the trainer; when we get hurt we go to the health center. NCAA athletes get the opportunity to compete for their school actually on school grounds, we compete for our school 10 miles away. She gets a scholarship to play. We pay to play.