When the Texas cross country team went on a camping trip in August, women’s cross-country assistant coach Sarah Smith separated a pair of twins on the team. The twins, Marissa and Melody Espinoza, credit this as one of the many moments that have allowed them to flourish independently.

“My goal as a coach is to put people properly in uncomfortable situations,” Smith said. “One of my goals was to create new relationships and really come together as a team.”

Melody reflects on the camping trip as being one of the first times where they were apart, and how it allowed them to foster different relationships among the team.

“That was one of the first times we were actually separated,” Melody said. “That separation did help us build different bonds with different people and letting (my teammates) get to see who we are for us.”

The Espinoza twins grew up running together, but when they started running for Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, Texas, they developed an unhealthy connection with their sport. This mainly stemmed from the issue of always being grouped together, and from an outside perspective, it made it seem like they were the same person pursuing the same things.

After finding success as state qualifiers for their high school, the two spent a year at the University of Texas at San Antonio before moving to Austin to run for Smith. While Smith separates the two in social environments, she also gives them space away from each other while running to help them foster a healthier relationship with the sport.

“I think now we’re slowly starting to overcome that, with the help of Coach Smith a lot as well,” Marissa said. “When we do runs separate from each other, with different people on the team, I feel like it really separates mine and my sister’s relationship to create our own relationship with running.”

One of Smith’s goals as a coach is to provide an environment for her students to develop as an athlete and as a person, starting with practice. 

“Ultimately, making sure that practice is one of the best parts of their day, and that our environment is an empowering situation,” Smith said. “One of my biggest goals as a coach is providing the proper environments for development in all different areas.”

Earlier this year, Marissa ran a personal best in the 5-kilometer event to help Texas to a victory at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, finishing the course in 17:34 minutes. Melody also ran a personal best on that course, beating her sister out with a time of 17:13.7 minutes. 

The environment that the sisters find themselves in is a product of Smith’s coaching values. She hopes that not only Marissa and Melody, but the rest of her athletes are able to develop in multiple ways as individuals.

“Coaching is fun for all those ‘aha’ moments. Athletes figure things out and they have their successes and wins,” Smith said. “But it’s also super rewarding in later stages when you see them reach bigger life goals and are really becoming who they’re meant to be.”