Brothers Jack and Kevin Agnew reunite as teammates on the Ohio State men’s cross-country team for the first time since competing together in high school I Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Brotherhood and trust are two of the biggest factors for success in the realm of team sports. However, it is taken to a different level when that brotherhood is actually between brothers.
Kevin Agnew and his brother, Jack, are runners from Bellbrook, Ohio, and are on Ohio State’s men’s cross-country and track and field teams. This season marks the first time the two will be competing together since their high school days at Archbishop Carroll High School.
“There’s definitely more of a trust that you innately give your brother. Like, I trust him to be there and compete well in races,” third-year student-athlete Kevin Agnew said.
Jack Agnew grew up admiring Kevin Agnew and wanted to emulate him. Kevin Agnew said he joined the youth club in third grade along with his brother Jack, who was in the first grade.
The two spent most of their time together running, which established a deep-rooted trust between the siblings.
“We went to the same schools, we were on the same teams,” Kevin Agnew said. “Jack and I have been teammates for a lot longer than I’ve been teammates with anyone else on the team.”
However, this would soon change as Kevin Agnew became a high school senior with aspirations to continue his country country career. He would do so as he committed to the Ohio State men’s cross country and track & field teams in Nov. 2020, according to Ohio MileSplit.
Kevin Agnew, now in his third year at Ohio State, missed last season and only competed in indoor and outdoor track due to a sacrum injury.
He was already battling a shin injury and was hoping to return before the start of the season. His hard work and training would pay off, with Kevin Agnew being cleared to run.
Nearly 62 miles away, his younger brother Jack Agnew achieved high success in cross country back home. He was the 2021 cross-country state champion at Archbishop Carroll High School and a two-time all-state nominee.
It had now become Jack Agnew’s turn to commit and continue his running career. Jack Agnew turned to his brother, Kevin Agnew, with a tough decision to make. He decided to trust his brother’s advice and follow in his footsteps, committing to Ohio State.
“He was just a really good teammate and leader to look up to, as something I wanted to be when I was older,” Jack Agnew said. “ Being all-state and then committing to Ohio State, those were things that I saw and then wanted to do myself.”
Nearly a year later, Kevin Agnew said he is still working towards getting back into peak shape, but with a history of injuries, his training is limited and differs from most runners. He said he can’t run as much and does a low mileage approach, structuring his training around one to two weekly workouts.
“He’s not one of these guys that runs 80 or 90 miles a week,” head coach Sara Mason Vergote said. “That just is not conducive to his body.”
Despite a history of nagging injuries, Kevin Agnew is off to an impressive start in his return this season, having placed sixth overall on the men’s side in Ohio State’s first two meets of the season.
“He wasn’t running, he got back on campus at camp, he turned a huge quarter,” Vergote said. “He was our top guy in Wisconsin. And I expect him to continue to be one of our top guys.”
Kevin Agnew placed second among the Buckeyes in the first race and first in the second race at Wisconsin.
On the other hand, Jack Agnew has yet to run in uniform for the Buckeyes. The freshman won’t likely receive heavy running time this season, but he said he is excited to witness and be a part of the team’s success — a lot of which he says comes from trust.
“The teams I’ve been on tend to do better when the people on the team trust each other and cooperate together in races, and everybody’s into it working together and everybody’s excited and loves being around each other. That’s when the team tends to succeed more,” Jack Agnew said.
Kevin Agnew is poised to run in nearly every race for Ohio State in his return to cross country this season, while Jack Agnew may only run in a few. Vergote said they might use him during Big Ten play, but that wouldn’t occur until the start of track season.
“I expect him to be a big player in the Big Ten down the line here,” Vergote said. “So, we’re just trying to be smart about the decisions we make in terms of using his season or not.”
Still, Jack Agnew said he is determined to be there for the team however he can.
“My goal this season is to help out the team in any way possible, whether that’s in training or just working with them in workouts, or if it comes to me racing this season, helping them in races and helping the team place better and just trying to get the team to be as good as we possibly can,” Jack Agnew said.
