Track & Field: Sibling revelry, not rivalry

When you talk to Duane and Derek Hynes, though, one thing quickly becomes apparent: No matter how hard you try, it’s difficult to get one to say a bad thing about the other.

Duane, a senior decathlete and co-captain of the men’s track and field team, and Derek, a freshman pole vaulter, have a relationship that can only be described as amicable.

“I think our relationship as brothers is pretty unique. When he graduates, he wants to see me do better than him,” Derek said. “ ‘Sibling rivalry’ doesn’t really describe our situation at all.”

That much was clear to anyone who saw the two on Derek’s recruiting trip last season. When Derek was visiting Princeton as a high school senior, Duane’s friends came up with a nickname for the younger brother that would set most older siblings on edge.

“When [Derek] came on his recruiting trip last year, he hung out with my friends, and they started liking him so much, they called him ‘the real D. Hynes,’ ” Duane said. “That’s what he’s been referred to as since he came on campus.”

Duane has taken the joke in stride, happy that Derek has fit in so well with the team during his freshman season.

“I like [the nickname]. He’s a good guy. I think it’s funny. It’s a good joke,” Duane said. “With him, it’s almost like you get to start over. You get to see yourself as a freshman again. You don’t want him to just jump in and do the same thing you did. It’s cool to see him start making his friends, going out and stuff like that.”

Nicknames aside, Duane has certainly set an impressive example for his younger brother in competition. Last season, the elder Hynes set a school record in the heptathlon, qualified for the NCAA Championships and won at the Heptagonal Championships. Duane also just missed being named an All-American, finishing the season as the 14th-best decathlete in the country.

“[Being on the track team has] been a great experience. I really like the team. We have a really good, solid coaching staff,” Duane said. “For my event group, the decathlon, [head coach Fred] Samara is one of the best coaches on the East Coast, if not the country. He’s really helped me improve as an athlete.”

While Duane has already carved out his place in Princeton’s record books, Derek has started to show flashes of excellence that could one day make him one of the Ivy League’s top pole vaulters.

As a senior in high school, Derek was the Pennsylvania indoor champion in the pole vault. Derek is in the rare position to teach his older brother a few tricks in the pole vault, which is one of the events in the decathlon.

“Derek helps me more than I’m able to help him,” Duane said. “When he started to get into [the pole vault] I was able to help him out in practice and stuff. Ever since his junior year of practice, he kind of surpassed me, so I do more of the watching. He’s getting older and getting better.”

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Just as important as the advice the two give each other during competition is the advice that Duane shares with his younger brother about college life.

“It’s been almost like a privilege having someone here who will show you the ropes and show you what to do. Other than the coaches, just having an older brother here has been fantastic,” Derek said. “[Duane gives me] advice here and there … [on] classes, how to maintain a schedule, how I should take care of myself going to college. Those things have been the biggest help here.”

Often Duane’s responsibilities as a co-captain and an older brother go hand in hand. With both tasks, he is charged with setting a positive example and serving as a source of inspiration.

“The responsibilities are one and the same. As a captain, you provide leadership to the team,” Samara said. “Duane is a tremendously hard worker and sets a good example for everybody. His brother realizes that. Derek is an exceptionally hard-working kid, and you can see where he got his work ethic.”

This season, Duane and Derek have goals which reflect the fact that one of them is getting ready to leave college as the other is just getting settled in. Duane is focused on winning at Heps and qualifying to be an All-American in his senior year, while Derek is concentrating on improving at every meet.

“For me, every meet is trying to put together what you learn in practice,” Derek said. “I want to score in [Heps]. I still have a year of eligibility to make the junior national meet. That is a big goal by the end of the school year.”

To qualify for junior nationals, Derek needs to clear the five-meter mark in the pole vault. His current personal best is 4.8 meters, leaving him less than one foot away from reaching his goal.

“Pole vault is one of those events that you pick up,” Derek said. “It’s almost addicting: The better you get, the more thrilling it becomes.”

At Princeton, Derek has the opportunity to compete in the pole vault throughout the year, a luxury that was unavailable in his high school, since pole vault is only a spring event in Pennsylvania. Derek also has the bonus of having his brother at every meet to provide motivation.

“I feel like I do my best when the team has done well,” Derek said. “It’s even a stronger power when you see your brother doing well. That just motivates you that much more.”

The Hynes brothers’ camaraderie on the track team is part of a welcome trend this year. There are two other sets of senior-freshman brothers on the team: Senior Michael Maag and his freshman brother Peter anchor the distance team, while senior Steve Slovenski and his freshman brother Dave join Derek in the pole vault.

“The joke is that the 2009 class is just reborn as the 2012 class,” Duane said. “It is very rare to have three sets of brothers on the team. It is a big team, but to have three sets of brothers is unique.”

Though each pair of brothers has made a positive contribution to the team this year, it is safe to say that Duane and Derek have a singular bond.

“I wouldn’t say I’m really wise, but I try to show him where I messed up,” Duane said. “If he can get through here doing better than I did, I will have succeeded. I’m just trying to help him do the best he can.”