The 2016 cross country season marks the third straight year that Maritza and Meliza Rodriguez have been running side by side. And that’s exactly the way they like it.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Meliza. “It’s kind of what keeps me going most of the time.”
Maritza was quick to agree with her sister.
“We started this thing together, so we kind of want to carry it through,” she said. “We help each other.”
The Rodriguez twins are freshmen from Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, and their similarities go beyond their looks and last name. They both ran cross country for two years at Ben Davis. They were both named team captains their senior year. They were both crucial components of a team that went to semi-state last fall. It’s no surprise, then, that the twins came to the same conclusion about where they wanted to continue their running careers.
“We like the same things, and when we came to Ball State, we both said that we felt right here,” Maritza said.
Meet the Twins
- Born in Hartford, Kentucky
- Maritza was actually born on June 15 and Meliza was born on June 16
- Attended Ben Davis High School
- Maritza's Personal Record - 19:51
- Meliza's Personal Record - 20:36
- Have a sister, Selena, and a brother, Miguel
Meliza, not surprisingly, agreed with her sister’s answer.
“It was the happy medium for everything we wanted," Meliza said. "Size-wise, distance from home, and we had a chance on the team.”
The natural next question was whether or not there is the proverbial sibling rivalry between the two of them. While they acknowledged that it’s helpful to have that extra push, they don’t necessarily look at it as a rivalry.
“We’re not each other’s competition; we’re each other’s motivators,” Maritza pointed out. “It makes it easier to do together. We think of it like we are literally each other’s half. If I lack something, she’s usually stronger in it. We understand that we’re not both going to be equally great at everything.”
One of the only noticeable differences between the twins is their majors. Maritza is undecided while Meliza has chosen biology. But who knows, maybe that won’t be a difference for too long.
The Rodriguez twins return to the course Sept. 16 as the Cardinals travel to Bloomington for the Indiana Intercollegiate Championships.
Read More
Center for Peace offers academic opportunities
By Meghan Braddy and Grayson Joslin / 18 hours agoOver the years, the center has offered a peace studies minor, conflict resolution training and grant funding.
AP: New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 conviction
By Staff Reports / 19 hours agoNew York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case, according to the Associated Press (AP).
AP: Hamas willing to enact ceasefire if an independent Palestinian state is established
By Staff Reports / 19 hours agoWednesday, April 24th, a top Hamas political official said the group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders, according to the Associated Press (AP).
