During a sporting season, most Division I athletes spend more time with their teammates and coaches than they do with anyone else.

A common cliché is that members on a team become “brothers” or “family.” For Skyler and Derek St. John, it isn’t a cliché.

The two brothers utilized Iowa State as a destination to reunite.

When two siblings are intertwined while working together, the relationship can be different when you’ve known the other person your whole life. For the St. John brothers, the chemistry can be used as a strength.

“I’ve obviously known [Skyler St. John] all my life, so it’s maybe a little bit easier [to coach him] just because you know what maybe makes him tick a little bit better,” Derek St. John said.

Skyler St. John said he has a strong relationship with Derek St. John and the two see eye-to-eye.

Not only are the two brothers mentally in sync, but the duo also has a similar physical frame and style.

During Derek St. John’s wrestling career, the former Hawkeye wrestled at the 157-pound class. In Skyler St. John’s career, he’s split time wrestling at 157 pounds and 165 pounds. This season, Skyler St. John will start out as a 165 pounder on the depth chart.

“I’d say we’re pretty similar [physically],” Derek St. John said. “Obviously, there’s finer little details that are a little bit different, but overall, the body types and style of wrestling are pretty similar.”

Before the St. John brothers could benefit from each other’s presence on the same team, the two had a windy road.

Derek St. John completed his collegiate career as one of the most decorated 157-pound wrestlers at the University of Iowa.

At the conclusion of Derek St. John’s career, he wasted no time getting back into the sport. Derek St. John accepted an assistant coaching job at North Dakota State in 2014. In his one season with the Bison, North Dakota State accumulated a 9-4 record.

Derek St. John continued his coaching ascend at Virginia Tech in the two years following his lone season at North Dakota State.

When Skyler St. John enrolled in college, he followed in his brother’s footsteps, earning a scholarship with the Hawkeyes. The brothers had different levels of success in Iowa City.

After redshirting in his freshman year at Iowa, Derek St. John’s work on the mat garnered him four-straight All-American honors. Derek St. John had the knack for providing clutch performances on big stages.

At the NCAA Championships, Derek St. John finished fourth as a freshman, second as a sophomore, first as a junior and fifth as a senior.

Skyler understands the experiences Derek St. John had in his collegiate career and realizes he can benefit from Derek St. John’s wrestling wisdom.

“Well, obviously he’s been there, so you open up your ears and listen to what he’s got to say,” Skyler St. John said.

In Skyler St. John’s stint at Iowa, the Cedar Rapids native struggled to find an abundance of mat time. He was unable to compete during his redshirt season due to injury.

In his redshirt freshman season, he finished 4-2, while snagging a win in his only dual appearance.

In Skyler St. John’s final season donning the black and gold, he compiled a record of 5-3 with a 1-1 dual record. He spent time wrestling at 157 and 165 pounds throughout the season.

After the 2016-17 season, the departure of then-Iowa State wrestling coach Kevin Jackson granted former Virginia Tech coach Kevin Dresser the opportunity to return to Iowa and coach the Cyclones.

Eventually, Dresser elected to accept the job at Iowa State. One of Dresser’s assistant coaches happened to be the eldest St. John brother, Derek.

With Derek St. John relocating to Ames, it seemed like a prime opening for Skyler St. John to join his brother.

“He was pretty much the biggest part, pretty much the only part,” Skyler St. John said about his brother’s influence into coming to Iowa State.

Since practices have started for the Cyclones, Skyler St. John’s demeanor and hard work have stood out to Dresser.

“I see a guy who comes in, keeps his mouth shut and works hard,” Dresser said about Skyler St. John. “That’s what we need.”

Skyler St. John’s work ethic and the luxury of his familiarity with Derek St. John gives the redshirt junior an edge. He needs every advantage he can get because he has stout competition at the 165-pound spot.

Logan Breitenbach is another redshirt junior in the mix for the 165-pound spot. Last season, Kevin Jackson cemented Breitenbach as a Cyclones starter.

Breitenbach finished the 2016-17 season with a 5-11 record, including a 0-8 record in duals. Despite the fact that Breitenbach finished the season with a losing record, the 165 pounder received valuable mat time.

Before Breitenbach and Skyler St. John were battling for the starting position at Iowa State, the two got a taste of competing against each other last season.

While Skyler St. John was at Iowa, Breitenbach and Skyler St. John bumped into each other while pursuing the Pat ‘Flash’ Flanagan Open Championship.

Skyler St. John got the best of Breitenbach, pinning the 165 pounder at three minutes and 35 seconds into the match. Skyler St. John’s momentum carried him to a first place finish, while Breitenbach recovered for a third place finish.

Even with the loss to Skyler St. John on his record, Breitenbach is confident he will retain his place as the top athlete at the 165-pound spot.

“He’s definitely a tough wrestler, but I don’t see myself giving up the spot,” Breitenbach said. “I’ve been the guy representing Iowa State for the past two years, so [I look] to continue that trend.”