Lucas Holt acknowledges that there might be a little telepathy that contributes to what he calls the “smoothest handoff in the state’’ between he and his identical twin, Myles.
Telepathy aside, one of the quickest combos in the state runs for the Natick High track & field program.
“It’s a good connection,’’ said Myles. “I know how he runs and I know his pace. I know how he does everything.’’
The Holts anchored a 4x400 relay squad that was unstoppable during the indoor season. The duo, teamed with Christopher Peabody and Brian Holihan, won the Division 2 title at 3 minutes, 26.95 seconds and then eclipsed that number (3:26.23) at the all-state meet.
That performance earned the quartet an appearance at the national meet in New York.
“We have had a lot of success in our relays the last couple of years and they have been the foundation of that success,’’ said Natick coach Matthew Miller.
This spring, they have continued to set the pace, blazing to victory at the MSTCA Division 2 sprint relays last weekend in Marshfield with a time of 3:23.36. The twins were also part of a first-place 4x200 relay that came in at 1:32.56.
Lucas ran a 22.5 split in the 200 with his brother running a 22.6. Myles had the edge, by .8 seconds, with a 49.2 split in the 400.
The two 18-year-olds look alike, talk alike, and run alike. And they are hard to differentiate, mostly because they are always together. They share a bedroom, watch the same television shows, and have the same hobbies (longboard), and friends.
Myles is recognizable at practice when he sports a Dartmouth shirt (he will run for the Big Green as a freshman in the fall). Lucas will run at Northeastern.
On race day in uniform pinnies, good luck telling the twins apart.
“Some people say we are the exact same person, our voices even sound the similar,’’ said Lucas. “Usually the people that can tell the difference are the ones that are closest to us and get to know us the best.’’
“Even our mom (Heather) or dad (Leon) will get it wrong at least once almost every day,’’ said Myles.
For the pair that has done everything together, the twins will be on the same team for the last time this spring.
“I have been with running with him for so long, we only have a month or two left,’’ said Myles. “I want to finish off strong before we head to college.’’
“We are looking forward to the postseason, we have some big goals,’’ added Lucas, noting that the brothers hope to have their 400 splits under 49 seconds.
The Holts are not the only pair of twins in the Bay State Conference with lofty expectations for the outdoor season.
At Wellesley High, Thomas and Matt D’Anieri are making their own mark.
The fraternal twins kicked off the spring by teaming up to win the Boston Athletic Association’s scholastic mile on April 16. The two crossed the finish line on Boylston Street together at 4:33.1.
“It was definitely special,’’ said Matt. “Living on the Marathon route and watching it every year, getting to be a part of it was really special. The atmosphere was great.’’
This past indoor season, the two teamed up with Ben Matejka and Caleb Brown to set the school record in the 4x800 with a time of 7:57.3. Individually, Matt holds school records in the 600, 800, 1,000, and the mile.
Thomas was the Division 1 Cross-Country Runner of the Year in the fall. He set a course record at the all-state meet, and won Division 2 and All-State titles in the 2-mile despite battling a hip injury.
“I think seeing Thomas win the state championship in cross-country has really motivated Matt,’’ said Wellesley distance coach Tim Broe. “Thomas, as good as he did in cross-country, he wants to prove a lot to himself this outdoor season.’’
Matt and Thomas balance each other out in training. Matt, a middle distance runner, helps Thomas speed up in his shorter runs like the 800, while Thomas is an exceptional distance runner that has helped push Matt on longer intervals.
“It has definitely been reassuring and confidence inducing. He is someone I can always go back to on the team,’’ said Thomas. “Teammates graduate and come and go, we’ve had a coaching change, but I have always had Matt.’’
The two are in a chase for the school record in the mile. Matt currently owns the mark (4:17.79), but Thomas is close behind (4:19.51).
“Hopefully there is going to be some friendly competition there,’’ said Matt. “The goal for me is to get a state championship. It’s actually kind of funny, Thomas has two state championships and I don’t have any, but I have more school records. So we are chasing both of those.’’
After this season, the two will also head their separate ways. Matt is headed to Tufts, while Thomas goes across the country to Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, Calif., just outside of Los Angeles.
“This is the last time we’ll be competing together as teammates. I mean we will always be teammates in the way we support each other,’’ said Thomas.
“For the first time we won’t be on the same team, so these last few months are really our last chance to work together and do something special.’’
Michael McMahon can be reached at mcman92@gmail.com.
