If it isn’t broke, why fix it?
That’s the attitude three of Bishop Ford’s best track athletes took when choosing a college. Joseph and Paul Gilhuley, identical twin brothers, and Frankelly Fernandez decided to go to school and run together for four more years. The three, who were part of a very successful 4 x 800 meter and distance medley relays at the Brooklyn school will try to have similar success at St. Francis College. Each recently signed their national letters of intents.
“At first we wanted to go together, but then we wanted to see what it would be like to run against each other,” Joseph Gilhuley said. “But since we had so much success here we wanted to go run together again.”
The trio, along with senior Justin Suarez, qualified to run at the Millrose Games in the CHSAA 4 x 800, after narrowly missing out last year. They placed third in the distance medley relay at the National Scholastic Indoor championships in a time of 10.21.71 and competed at the Penn Relays in the distance medley championship.
“They helped ease it up a little bit knowing that I would be with them,” Fernandez said. “We could work together to improve and just be together for the next four years.
Joseph Gilhuley is one of the top 1,600 runners in the CHSAA, with his top time outdoor being 4:18.72, and also in the 800, joined by Fernandez. Paul, who noted that his brother’s success and improvement has helped push him to improve, is one of the best steeplechasers in the league and will compete in the state championships in the event. Joseph finished second in both of his events at the CHSAA Outdoor intersectional championship and just missed the qualifying time for states.
“I want to try to PR,” Paul Gilhuley said. “I’m going to try to win it it’s going to be hard and try my best.”
The three could have easily gone their separate ways and had pondered what it would have been like running against one other. Joseph had an offer to go to Rutgers, Paul could have attended Seton Hall and Fernandez was considering Stony Brook. They were all impressed with St. Francis academically, its coaches and the fact that it was very close to home. Oh, and there was the chance to run together for hopefully four more successful years.
“We did well in the [distance medley relay] here,” Joseph Gilhuley said. “We could have another good DMR at St. Francis.”
