University of Minnesota Athletics
Hasz Twins Bring Twice the Talent
12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Track & Field
By Ellen Larson, Athletic Communications Student Intern
MINNEAPOLIS -- In high school, twin sisters Bethany Hasz and Megan Hasz trained alone. As the best distance runners in Minnesota, they had few competitors in races and even fewer when it came to their team.
At the University of Minnesota, this is no longer the case. For the most part, they're happy about the adjustment.
"This team has such a great vibe," Bethany said. "The best part is actually having a big group of girls to train with. We got used to running alone, so this is fun."
Megan echoed her thoughts, adding, "Races were a big learning experience this year. We got used to going out in front and leading the race from the start. Now, we're running in the pack. But that's good. It helped me push and be more competitive this year."
This fall, the Hasz sisters have already emerged as standouts. As true freshmen, each competed in six cross country meets and placed among the top four Gophers at every competition. Their best performance of the year came at the NCAA Regionals in Iowa City, Iowa. They both earned all-region honors with career-best 6K times. Megan recorded a time of 20:27.7 for the ninth overall finish, and Bethany posted a time of 20:32.6 for 12th place.
These times also earned them honors at the University of Minnesota. Megan now holds the fastest 6K time for any University of Minnesota freshman in history, and Bethany follows her with the second-fastest. They also have the fifth-best and 10th-best times in program history, respectively.
In addition, these finishes earned them places among the University of Minnesota's all-time top 6K performers. Megan is currently the 10th-fastest runner to ever run a 6K for the University of Minnesota, and Bethany is 12th.
Neither anticipated this immediate success.
"It was definitely unexpected," Megan said. "I never really find these things out myself. My dad told me and I was like, 'Okay, neat.'"
"I was really surprised," Bethany added. "It's a huge accomplishment. I'm really happy with it, and it just makes me more excited to see what I can do from here."
For their entire careers, Bethany and Megan have been running together. It began in elementary school, when they would run mile fitness tests. When they outran all their classmates, they kept going. They participated in youth track programs until they began running competitively in middle school.
"I wasn't really good at any other sports," Megan said. "But I was good at running, so we started cross country and fell in love with it. You get to just focus on yourself without relying on other people. You put all that you have into it, and you know that the outcome is what you worked for."
The Alexandria, Minn., natives did not take long to burst onto the Minnesota high school cross country scene. In 2012 -- their freshman year of high school -- Bethany placed third and Megan took sixth at the Minnesota Class AA State Cross Country Championships.
The next three years, they were the best distance runners in Minnesota. From 2013 to 2015, they traded first and second place in the state, with Bethany taking home the state title in 2013 and 2015, and Megan finishing first in 2014.
But there's no animosity between the sisters. Instead, they celebrate each other's accomplishments.
"We're definitely competitive," Bethany said. "But I want Megan to do well. I'm happy for her if she does well even if I have a bad race."
This support and happiness characterizes their relationship. Bethany and Megan Hasz are as close as identical twins can be. They spend all their time together, taking the same classes, eating meals together, and training with one another. They are both pursuing kinesthesiology majors at the University of Minnesota, and they love their close relationship.
"We never get sick of each other," Megan said. "We do everything together."
When it came time to pick a school, it was a no-brainer to once again stick together. Asked if they ever considered going to different schools, they had identical responses: it was never even a question -- they were going to pick the same one.
The University of Minnesota was always the front-runner. As Minnesota natives, they both appreciated the familiarity and proximity to home. But what really sold it was their experience with the team and coaches.
"We loved everything about it," Megan said. "No other schools felt the same way. We loved the coaches, and we loved all of the girls we talked to on our visit. Everything they had to offer was what we wanted."
Now, with their first cross country season under their belts, Megan and Bethany are proud of what they've done. The Golden Gopher women's cross country team is young, and the team came a long way from the start of the season, culminating in an excellent NCAA Regionals performance.
"That was my proudest moment of the season," Megan said. "We all ran good races. I was proud of the team and myself."
They count the season as both a learning experience and preview of things to come.
"I had a lot of fun during this season," Bethany said. "I was happy with all my meets, and I'm excited to see what more I can do."
Megan spoke to the learning experience, saying, "I learned a lot about balance, because there's just a lot more to do for everything. With academics and training, you have to figure out a nice way to do it all."
In the spring, Bethany and Megan will join the track & field team to continue their journey as distance runners for the Maroon & Gold. Until then, they're focusing on training for the future.
"I just want to continue improving," Megan said. "That's always my goal. I want to work hard and stay healthy. I just want to help the team as best I can."
"I don't have too many specific goals," Bethany said. "I just want to do my best. I want to run well."
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Players Mentioned
