Oh, brothers! Nathaniel, Michael Holt give Provo wrestling a 'twin' killing

PROVO — Michael and Nathaniel Holt share just about everything. The twin brothers are seniors at Provo High School and, if you see one, odds are you'll see the other one with him.

"We probably do everything together," said Nathaniel. "We hang out with the same friends. We go pretty much everywhere together."

They share classes, clothes and plenty of common interests. The thing they're most well-known for sharing, however, is a passion for the sport of wrestling and plenty of successes on the mat.

They're not identical twins. In fact, if you saw them on the street you might not even realize they were related. But, the family resemblance is unmistakable when it comes to their performance as wrestlers at Provo. As juniors last season, Nathaniel won the state championship in the 140-pound division. Michael wrestled at 119 pounds and took second in state, losing the championship match in overtime. Both were region champions.

Most wrestling coaches in the state would be happy to have one athlete with the last name "Holt" on their team. Provo coach Brian Preece is thrilled to have two of them.

"I feel really blessed," Preece said.

Wrestling wasn't always a common activity with the brothers. Nathaniel got into the sport in junior high school while Michael, the longer and thinner of the two, pursued his interested in basketball. It wasn't until their freshman year when Michael decided to drop basketball and surrender to Nathaniel's request to try out wrestling.

"I wanted a tougher sport," said Michael. "(Nathaniel) had always said I should come try wrestling, so I thought I might as well do that. I'm glad I did."

Preece didn't even realize Nathaniel had a twin brother until Michael showed up at practice one day. Three years later, opponents, teammates and fans alike can't talk about one without talking about the other. Naturally, they've become top wrestlers in the state — together.

"I always tried to get him to come and try it with me," said Nathaniel. "He never seemed too interested until his freshman year. Sometimes there are those days when you just don't feel like doing anything. We push each other and make each other better."

Like most sports, it usually takes several long years and a lot of experience to reach the skill level necessary to compete for a championship in wrestling. Michael's progress to a championship level was fast. A lot of coaching, pushing and practicing goes on inside the family.