Spending hours together on and off the field, training together and competing together can make teammates feel like family, but for some, their teammates really are their family.

This year, both softball and track & field teams are host to siblings competing together in the same sport.

For DePaul softball players Ali, 20, and 21-year-old Gena Lenti, playing together on a team is nothing new, the two have been involved in the same sports since grade school.

“Our mom was the one who got us into softball,” sophomore Gena Lenti said. “She coached us all the way until we were 14, and then our dad started coaching us.”

With a former DePaul softball player and DePaul Softball Head Coach as parents, the sport has always been a family affair.

“We were always on the same team growing up, which made it really easy for our parents to be there for our games,” junior Ali Lenti said.

Despite consistently competing on the same team, the two sisters have always been competitive with each other,” Gena Lenti said.

“It definitely makes us push each other to work hard,” Gena Lenti said. “We even compete against each other in practice.”

According to Ali Lenti though, their role as teammates has never interfered with their relationship as sisters.

“At the end of the day, we leave it all on the field. We’re each other’s biggest fan,” Ali Lenti said. “It’s really nice to have your best friend on the team to talk to and practice with.”

With the team’s successful 39-9 season underway, the Lenti sisters are headed to the Big East Championship this Friday.

“It’s always better winning together,” Gena Lenti said.

For brothers Matt, 21, and Anthony Babicz, 23, who compete against each other in shot put, though, winning together isn’t always an option. The two brothers go head-tohead in invidiual events often.

“It’s an individual sport, so everyone’s trying to do their best,” Anthony Babicz said, “but we always want each other to do their best.”

At this year’s conference meet, Matt placed first in the event, with Anthony coming in second place.

“It was fun both coming in on top and to take over early on in new conference,” Anthony Babicz said. 

Being brothers, Anthony Babicz said, has been to their advantage when preparing for meets.

“I think it’s an advantage that we’re siblings,” Babicz said. “We know what tactics to use on each other because we know each other so well, we know how the other works, and we know how to coach them up.”

While being related has influenced their roles as teammates, their dynamic as competitors has also had its effect on their relationship as brothers.

“We’ve gotten a lot closer as brothers since we’ve been on the same team,” Anthony Babicz said. “It’s nice to see each other excel, and it’s been a pleasure and privilege to get to know (Matt) a lot better.”

Matt Babicz recently placed eighth at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa before heading to the Mens’ Big East Outdoor Championships next weekend in Philidelphia.

“It’s an honor to be on the same team as (Matt) and having him there has helped me out tremendously,” Anthony Babicz said. “It’s always nice to be around siblings. He’s my idol.”