Twins separated for more than 6 months due to the pandemic reunited by college basketball

Click here for updates on this story

    BEAVERTON, OR (KPTV ) — Two wins removed from the first Girls Basketball State Championship in school history, the Beaverton Beavers saw their quest for perfection end with the sports shutdown due to COVID-19 in March.

Twins Laura and Sydney Erikstrup were stars at Beaverton High School and are now making their way in the college game. The two recently had a very meaningful family reunion in the Arizona desert.

“The longest we have ever been away is 10 days,” said Laura.

The twins spent their first 18 years together until separate college journeys pulled them apart.

“I left for ASU on June 23 and I never though in a million years that I would ever go this long without seeing her,” Sydney said. “I don’t want anything for Christmas, I just wanted to see her.”

That’s the kind of request many people have at the top of their list this year when FaceTime is often the only time we get with family.

Prior to Sunday’s non-conference game between Laura’s San Diego Toreros and Sydney’s Arizona State Sun Devils, the girls were reunited in a loving embrace that lasted more than a minute as the Beaverton kids welled up with more than six months of emotion.

“We had to sit outside on a bench six feet apart with blankets on, but we got to see each other for two hours and just catch up and talk,” said Sydney.

“We just have to be thankful for the time we do have together,” Laura said. “I didn’t even get to be in Arizona for more than 24-hours but I would take that any day.”

While Sydney was relaxing at home after an ASU victory, Laura was riding for the six-hour drive back to campus in San Diego.

While Laura goes back to her college family, Sydney is a little closer as her brother, Dane, moved to Arizona to play somewhere for senior year, so mom and dad pulled up stakes and ventured to the Grand Canyon state.

“My dad, he jokes, ‘never in a million years’ would I have thought they would be just picking up and moving like this but it makes sense for right now, at least with COVID,” Sydney said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.