Twins pack double punch for Wrestling

After two years away at the University of Nebraska, wrestlers Joe and Josh Henson have came home to the state of Pennsylvania, where the twins were born and raised. The pair of juniors are not returning just to drop by their hometown for a few weeks and return to school, however. This time, the twins are here to stay. Their new home is the University of Pennsylvania. The Hensons' old home is in Hanover, Pa., a city in South Central Pennsylvania where the two of them grew up. Being twins, Joe and Josh were each other's entertainment. "We pretty much were each other's companions the whole time," Joe said. "That's how we were competitive and that's how we started in sports." Joe and Josh tried every sport. One day in kindergarten, Josh decided that he wanted to take a shot at wrestling. "[Josh] begged my dad to let him wrestle," Joe said. "My dad didn't want him to, but finally he begged enough, so my dad let him." Joe, on the other hand, thought he was destined for something else. "I thought I was going to do gymnastics," Joe said. "But then I saw him win a couple of medals; and he got to wear a uniform. So in first grade, I decided, 'Enough gymnastics.' I was going to wrestle." The brothers kept up each other's interest in the sport. They used their living room as practice space, and spent many an afternoon trying to pin each other. "[We used to wrestle] a lot in the living room," Joe said. "There's not a lot space to be offensive in the living room; that's why we're both real solid defensively." They also continued to wrestle, quite simply, because they were good at the sport. "That's what we were the best at, so that's what we did," Joe said. "If we would have been 6'5", we would have played football." The Hensons, who are a good half-foot shy of 6'5", only got better as they got older. By the end of their senior year, both had been Pennsylvania High School State Champions. After high school, both of them went to the University of Nebraska, where their success continued. Joe was a two-time NCAA qualifier and first-team All-Academic Big 12. Josh became a University National Greco Roman Champion. Following the 1999-2000 season, the two of them decided to transfer from the University of Nebraska to Penn. "There were some coaching changes, so we re-evaluated where we were and what our goals were, academically and athletically," Josh said. "It just seemed like a smart move to transfer here. [Penn is] the top academic-athletic combination in wrestling." Despite recognizing the value of an Ivy League education, the Psychology majors jokingly admit they have no idea what they want to do in the future yet. "Well, we're going to graduate some day," Joe said sarcastically. "I don't think we've formulated any specific career goals at this point," Josh added. Since arriving at Penn, Josh has had nerve problems in his shoulder. He hopes to be back early in the new year to continue wrestling. "I've been trying to do some cross-training, stay in shape and stay mentally focused," Josh said. Joe, meanwhile, does not seem to have lost a step from his Cornhusker days. In his debut in a Penn wrestling singlet at the Keystone Classic, he was runner-up to a wrestler ranked in the top-10 nationally, Marc Hoffer of American University. At the Penn State Open, Joe took third place after defeating 2000 All-American Jamarr Billman, 3-1, in overtime. Despite not being entirely sure of their career goals, Joe and Josh are very clear about what they want in their remaining years of college wrestling. "The main goal is to be an All-American, and eventually become a national champion," Joe said. These goals are not entirely out of the question, either. Since Joe wrestles at 149, and Josh wrestles at 165, it is even possible for the two of them to claim titles simultaneously. When asked how it was that they came to wrestle at such different weight classes despite being twins, their self-declared sarcasm came out again. "That'd be one for the Biology Department to take up," Joe joked. "I guess I just ate more," Josh said. "Scientists have been pondering that for a long time." They may be full of jokes off the mat, but the two brothers and roommates are all business on the mat. And the Henson brothers will certainly be a force to be reckoned with for the next few years.

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