By Hunter Gellman

"They are a coach's dream," brags wrestling coach Bill Racich.

When the class of 2016 arrived on campus in August of 2012, very few people knew who Christian and Keven Hoogheem were. Since then, things have really changed. Today the twin wrestling tandem are prominent leaders of the campus community; from the biology labs to the wrestling mats, they have forever left their mark on Ursinus.  

Growing up and going to school in the small Chicago suburb of Deerfield, the Hoogheems always had a love for the sciences. It wasn't until seventh grade, however, that they realize they had a gift on the wrestling mat as well.

"We didn't come from the most athletically gifted family," Christian said. "We have an older brother, he wrestled his eighth-grade year…when we entered middle school the coach was like, 'why don't you come out for wrestling?' It turned out we were pretty good."

From that point on the twins never looked back. They continued through high school and ended up moving on to the collegiate level, where they dominate today.

When looking for a college, wrestling was not their number one priority. "We both looked for a small school with wrestling options and a good science program," Christian mentioned. Keven says he had read about Ursinus in the acclaimed book Colleges that Change Lives by Loren Pope; this is how they first heard about the school. The pair fostered interest in the school and decided to visit. Out of all the schools they had toured on the East Coast, Ursinus was their only overnight visit.

Both brothers had determined their decision was between Cornell College – located in Mount Vernon, Iowa – and Ursinus. For the twins, going to the same school was not always in the cards, but as fate had it they both ended up settling in Collegeville for the past four years.

Once they stepped foot on campus they began to make a difference on and off the mat. Both brothers are Biology majors on the Pre-Med track with hopes of becoming Physician Assistants in the near future.

The twins both began research their sophomore years, and it has progressed as the years have gone by. During the previous summer, they both participated in the Summer Fellows program, which then translated into honors research.

Not only are they a part of research at Ursinus, but both twins also belong to the Beta Beta Beta biology honor society. Christian is a two-time Scholar All-American and is on track for his third such honor this season. He also has been named to the Dean's List the last two semesters and is poised to do so again this semester.

Keven is also a two-time Scholar All-American, with hopes of adding a third laurel this season. He has been a member of the Dean's List for the last three semesters. Keven also earned the highest academic honor for the Centennial Conference in 2015, when he was named the wrestling Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

To boot, they are both teaching assistants in the biology department and tutor students in biology. They also are part of the Ursinus outdoors club.

If you think they are impressive off the mat, on the mat they are an even deadlier one-two punch. Keven starts at 133 pounds and Christian completes the combination at 141 pounds. This season, both wrestlers were voted captains by their teammates, and have been leading the Bears to impressive victories all year. Both brothers are currently nationally ranked.

Last season Christian finished as the Centennial Conference champion at 141 pounds and is looking to retain his title. Christian had also placed in every tournament the previous season. This season has featured another strong start, and he is looking to make some moves come postseason.

Keven who finished third last season at the CC Championships, is off to a hot start, capturing titles at the Fall Brawl and Messiah Invitational and placing at the Petrofes Invitational. Keven only has two losses on the season, both of which came nearly two months ago at the Petrofes tournament. He will be challenged in upcoming duels but has the skill and ability to prevail.

What do the coaches have to say about them?

"These two young men are the model of a student-athlete…they work hard on and off the mat, they're brilliant in the classroom," Racich said with a smile. "They do everything I ask and then some. They are special young men and we are lucky to have them."

Racich also raves about how special they are as wrestlers. They have a unique body type for a wrestler, many of whom are small and stocky. The twins, though, are long and thin, which gives them huge advantages in bouts; they can dictate the way a match goes just by the length of their bodies.

"They are coachable and they listen…they know that they don't know it all," said Racich. This, according to him, is what makes them different from the rest.

Everything seems to be going smoothly for the twins. With only a small portion of the regular season left, they are looking to capitalize on that and cruise into the conference championships with high spirts and high win counts.

What's next for them? One word: nationals. Both athletes are looking to compete on the ultimate stage, and looking to come home with hardware.

They will both be in action Saturday at Muhlenberg College against Muhlenberg, McDaniel, United States Merchant Marine Academy and Washington and Lee. The Centennial Conference championships loom on Saturday, February 13.