There’s a one-year age gap between Valparaiso junior Ani Gilliana and sophomore Ena Gilliana.

That might be where the differences end, however. They’re often mistaken for twins.

“I feel like we’re both similar in every aspect, and we’re seeing more similarities as we grow up,” Ani Gilliana said. “We’re always together, we’re doing our workouts together and I feel like that influences how we perform.”

Ani and Ena Gilliana even compete in the same event in track. They entered this season as two of the top middle-distance runners in the area after qualifying for the state meet in the 800-meter run last year.

They weren’t named co-champions in the 800 at the 2023 Portage Regional, but the margin between them was miniscule. Ani Gilliana finished first with a time of 2 minutes, 18.09 seconds, and Ena Gilliana was second in 2:18.36.

Finishing that close was no accident, according to Ena Gilliana.

“I imagined that there was an invisible string between us,” she said. “So when she went, I had to go as well. Going into this season, I’m imagining the same thing because it helped me so much.”

Ani and Ena Gilliana plan to compete in the 800 again and could also factor in the Vikings’ 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams. They have a similar drive, according to Valparaiso assistant John Arredondo, who works with the team’s distance runners.

“They’re very mature from an athletic point of view,” he said. “From day one, I just tell them what they have to do on that day, and they do it. They do all of the little things that they need to do.”

Driven though the sisters are, Ani Gilliana said they don’t try to one-up each other.

“The only time it’s competitive is during the race,” she said. “And it’s not like we’re saying ‘I’m going to beat you’ before the race. It’s more like, ‘We got this.’”

Ani and Ena Gilliana believe they make each other better.

“We had an intrasquad meet a couple of weeks ago, and in that last 200 of the 800, I was like, ‘Oh, this is getting tough,’” Ani Gilliana said. “But Ena was right on my hip, and she started kicking, so I felt like I had to kick too. I’m never upset when Ena beats me. It just motivates me to work harder so I can run with her.”

That doesn’t mean they don’t annoy each other at times.

“They’ll still get on each other’s nerves,” Arredondo said with a laugh. “Ena’s the one who’ll still be talking to everyone, while Ani is the one waiting, saying that they have to go, because she’s the one who drives.”

Ani and Ena Gilliana have another sister, Ava, who was an all-state athlete in track and cross country before graduating from Valparaiso in 2020. Ava Gilliana is a senior at Air Force, where she was an NCAA qualifier in the 800 last year.

“When I was going into sixth grade, I thought that what Ava was doing was so cool,” Ena Gilliana said. “It was insane to see how confident she was and how much that confidence changes you as a person. It influences your whole life, and it influenced our lives as well.”

Ani and Ena Gilliana, who continue to influence each other, are optimistic about this season. After playing basketball as a freshman, Ena Gilliana decided to focus on track this winter.

“I’m just excited because we’re a lot closer now,” Ani Gilliana said. “With Ena not doing basketball, we got to train together more, and now we’re at the same level, and I feel like that’ll help us both excel.”

Dave Melton is a freelance reporter.