The Class of 2018 features a fun fluke: Among the 464 students are three sets of twins who suit up for Wartburg’s basketball teams.

While Bo and Breann Bader, Megan and Miranda Murphy, and Katie and Kristie Sommer will never have trouble finding a partner for a game of horse, being a twin isn’t all fun and games. They’ll tell you there are times when being in the same gym, or even on the same campus, is a little close for comfort. Sharing a stage, they have to scrap for what they can get (including the ball). 

Still, it’s the first time their proximity has been optional, and they’ve chosen to stay together. After all, these Knights are more than teammates on the court—they’re teammates for life.  

Megan and Miranda Murphy
Alleman, Iowa

Did your parents ever try to dress you alike?

Miranda: We have very different styles. She’s a little fashionista, and I’m very plain. … Our mom dressed us alike when we were little, until we were like 4, and then we just did our own way from there.

Megan: Miranda entered a tomboy phase so there was no more pink or sparkles or anything, where I was all about the sparkles and girly-girl frilly stuff. 

Who is the evil twin?

Miranda: We definitely have different personalities, but I wouldn’t say she’s evil. 

Megan: I’ve always been a little sassier, especially when I was younger. She was always more relaxed, and I was just a little more feisty.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would survive?

Miranda: I would. Definitely.

Megan: Yeah. She’s a little more adventurous. We always had the joke that she got all the common sense, and I’m just kind of …

Miranda: Ditzy.

Megan: Yeah. I guess.

What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

Miranda: For our first (basketball) game she wore these socks that had little beads on them. I always made fun of her for that. 

Megan: Those were my favorite. They were the socks that had the beads on the end, and when you folded them down the beads hung above your shoe. I wore them everywhere. My dad even teased me about that because he hated it because he was the coach. My mom just thought it was so cute.  My dad was like “You cannot wear those socks to play basketball.” 

Do you have an advantage on the court because you are twins?

Miranda: You have that connection right away. You already know kind of what she is thinking or going to do next.

Megan: We picked up our first basketball together, and ever since then we’ve been playing together all the time. I know how she plays. She knows how I play. It’s definitely an advantage.

Bo and Breann Bader
LaPorte City, Iowa

Did your parents ever try to dress you alike?

Breann: Yes, I always had to wear boy clothes when we were babies. Remember, the overalls and the goofy little outfits in the pictures?

Bo: Sure. 

Breann: He never had to wear dresses, but we were always matching in colors. 

Bo: Or at Christmas now, she always tells me what color to wear. 

Breann: Oh yeah, so we kind of still match. 

Who is the evil twin?

Bo: You are.

Breann: You. I don’t know. We both have our evil sides I guess. If you make Bo mad, he’s going to get really mad. 

Bo: We are kind of different. She’s just all over the place, and I’m just laid-back most of the time, but when something gets me mad I get excessively mad. 

Do you have any tattoos?

Breann: I have a tattoo on my foot and it says “Love you always,” and it’s in my dad’s handwriting. It hurt so bad, so I probably wouldn’t ever get one again, but I’m really glad I got it because its really meaningful and special.

Bo: I don’t have a tattoo, and I probably plan on not getting one.

What is the best part about having a twin?

Breann: Always having someone there for you to talk to you and stuff. We are pretty close, so we always hang out and can tell each other everything, so that’s pretty nice.

Bo: I thought you were going to say we are in the same classes so I can do your homework.

Breann: That’s another perk, I guess.

Do you ever play against each other?

Breann: We used to and sometimes we still do. We just get way too competitive, and it always ends in an argument.

Bo: When I got a lot bigger we stopped playing because she’d sometimes get hurt. When we were the same size, we played quite a bit.

Breann: We still shoot together and rebound for each other because nobody likes to rebound the ball.

Katie and Kristie Sommer
Marion, Iowa

Who is the evil twin? 

Kristie: I think it could go both ways, depending on the situation.

Katie: I’d say mom says you are more mean.

Kristie: Yeah. Growing up I was always the mean one.

If you were stranded on a deserted island, who would survive?

Kristie: Me. Definitely. 100 percent.

Katie: Yeah, definitely her. I don’t really like the wilderness or anything, so I couldn’t do that. Nope.

Did you consider attending different colleges? 

Katie: Yeah, but all the schools recruited us together. We were like a package deal. 

Kristie: And we definitely play better together.

Does your twin have any noteworthy quirks?

Katie: I would say probably her laugh. Her laugh is, ugh, I don’t like it at all. It’s just annoying but it’s what makes her different again. 

Kristie: My thing about her is she gets uptight about everything and it is so annoying. 

Katie: OK, sorry. 

Do you have any tattoos?

Katie: We have two actually. They are twin tattoos. 

Kristie: Hers starts it, and mine finishes it.

Katie: Mine says “Together forever and never apart.” 

Kristie: Mine says “Maybe in distance but never at heart,” and it has two butterflies.

Do you have an advantage on the court because you are twins?

Katie: With me being a point guard and her being a shooting guard, I always know where she is on the court. I don’t even have to look where she’s at, I just know.

Kristie: Like fast breaks, especially since we are both fast, we just get it and go.

Katie: I rely on her on the court, and she relies on me. We need each other.

What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

Kristie: For basketball, we actually hit the 1,000-point club, and we actually did it one game apart from each other. So that was really cool.