Sister Act: Hannah and Sarah Stallings, a Side-by-Side Journey Continues in the Cherry and White

During this holiday week, Temple Athletics will share stories of siblings playing for their respective Owl teams. This is the first of a six-part series.

When it comes to the Stallings sisters, you may think they are inseparable. Although stereotypes suggest that siblings are always looking for separation from one another because of sibling rivalry, that's not the case for Sarah and Hannah, freshmen gymnasts on the three-time defending conference champion Temple Owls.

Separated at birth by a single minute, Sarah and Hannah are identical twins and literally have been in each other's company their whole lives, whether it's living together, gymnastics, or hobbies outside of the sport they love.

The Stallings sisters would find places to test their flexibility early on in childhood, so gymnastics seemed to be a natural fit to perk their interest.

"It's been 13 years since we really got our start," said Hannah. "When we were young, we'd climb up our mother's legs, and one of our fellow church members noticed that and mentioned gymnastics classes to her, and so she enrolled us, and it started from there."

They would grow up and have stellar club careers in the mid-Atlantic region for the Raleigh School of Gymnastics in Raleigh, N.C.

Hannah was a two-time national championship qualifier in 2019 and 2021, including a 2021 fourth-place finish on the beam and top 15 performances on the vault and floor. In addition, she picked up a gold medal at the Region 8 championship on the vault and beam in 2021. From 2018-21 as a level 10 gymnast, Hannah would earn 12 top three finishes in the all-around.

Just like her sister, Sarah also was a national championship qualifier in 2021 with top 10 performances on the bar and beam. At last season's North Carolina State Championship, she would add a second-place finish on both the vault and bars and a third-place result on beam and all-around. Sarah would earn seven event titles as a level 10 gymnast from 2018-21 and achieve eight top three all-around finishes.

The twins parlayed their scholastic athletic success into accepting offers from Temple head coach Josh Nilson to join the defending three-time conference champions on North Broad Street.

According to Sarah, the two started pursuing the college process at the end of their freshmen year of high school.

"I figured if I wanted to do college athletics, this is actually something I should put some effort into."

Both Hannah and Sarah expressed the same sentiment that ending up at the same university was important to each of them.

"We were hoping to end up at the same school, but we knew there was a possibility it wouldn't happen, but it definitely worked out in the end," said Sarah.

"We would have pursued other schools if we were forced to do so. It wouldn't have been ideal if we didn't end up at the same university, but it was a goal of ours to be at the same place from the start," said Hannah.

The sport of gymnastics is predicated on having each other's back, and sisterhood is the ultimate team game.

"I think we were 12 years old when we both made the North Carolina state team," remembered Hannah. "There were only eight of us who qualified, so I thought it was really cool that we both got to do it together."

Sarah went on to mention, "I notice when Hannah competes, I get more nervous watching her than I do anyone else. I also feel more anxious when she's competing, more than I do when I'm out there."

Both Hannah and Sarah enjoy many of the same things in their spare time away from the sport. Both agreed that having shared interests like gymnastics, enjoying watching the same television shows, their commitment to their faith, and baking makes it easier to spend time with one another.

The Stallings shared a room in their childhood home and now have smoothly transitioned into doing the same here at Temple.

"We've shared a room our whole lives, so we're already used to it. I feel like we live well together, and I feel like we both enjoy it, so it's a pretty good setup," said Hannah. She went on to say, "Generally, we have the same schedules. We go to bed at the same time, and it's just easier because another roommate would likely have a separate schedule than mine or hers."

"With a new city and environment, the consistency of one another in the same place has been helpful to make the transition smooth." Sarah chipped in.

Both agreed that having separate roommates would broaden their horizons to meet other people, but they are enjoying sharing space for now.

Though it seems like the two are one and the same, they aren't. Both do have separate interests away from the gym. Sarah is working towards an entrepreneurship degree with baking still fresh on her thoughts, while Hannah, on the other hand, is working towards a health professions degree.

"I want to do ultrasounds and OBGYN type of things. I would really like to work with teenagers or something in the lines of a teen pregnancy clinic. I don't currently have a minor, but I'm thinking of possibly adding psychology, counseling psychology, or something like that because I'd like to work with teenage moms. Still, in my spare time, I love doing things related to photography." said Hannah.

Sarah added, "Since I love baking, I'd love to open a bakery with my entrepreneurship degree."

The two ended the interview by adding the tips they believe can help others tell them apart.

Hannah smiled and mentioned, "I feel like people who know us really well can usually tell us apart, but, for instance, people say my face is a little longer than hers (Sarah)."

On the other hand, Sarah goes on to further explain. "While we're training, it's easier to tell us apart because Hannah tapes her ankles, and I don't. If we were in our in regular clothes, I could see it being harder for a person to make that distinction." She goes on to say, "I feel like when people get to know us, they can rely on our tone of voice as well."

Sarah and Hannah, and the rest of the Owls gymnastics team will kick-off the regular season on Jan. 7 with the Keystone Classic at 7 p.m. as they host Penn State, Penn, and Pitt.

Temple University Athletics

Sister Act: Hannah and Sarah Stallings, a Side-by-Side Journey Continues in the Cherry and White

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