When they got to middle school and high school, skiing was offered as a team sport, which allowed the Spragues to become even closer.

“Everyone who ran cross country [in high school] also skied cross country in the winter,” Cara said, “so [Kevin and I] hung out with the same group of friends.”

“Nordic skiing is a big sport for me,” Kevin added. “I was on two state championship teams during my junior and senior year in high school, after Cara graduated.”

Clearly, all four Crimson athletes were inspired to take up these sports by those close to them, but inevitably, the “nature vs. nurture” debate must come up.

Are these two sets of siblings genetically predetermined to be successful Harvard athletes? Or, rather, is it that an athletic family atmosphere has turned into a love for sports?

It seems that the Spragues just took a casual interest in running, but perhaps it does have something to do with family genes. Their great grandfather held a cross country record at Van Cortlandt Park in New York and qualified for the 1916 summer Olympics, which would have been held in Berlin, Germany, had it not been cancelled due to World War I.

The Spragues’ rich history has allowed Kevin not only to run for a Division I school, but also to enjoy the sport he loves with a sister he is very close to.

“I tried to keep my decision [of which college to attend] open,” Kevin said. “I approached it like any other school, and it turned out that I loved Cambridge and the running program.”

So is it nature or is it nurture that has brought these brothers and sisters along the same path?

Either way, both sets of siblings plan to make their mark on Crimson athletics, and Harvard cross-country is more than happy to keep it all in the family.