Octavian Wells adding to family's winning legacy at Grant

It was one of those rare occasions in the Wells household, where brothers Jonathan, Sean Jr. and Octavian were all together.

Moments like these are the ones all three cherish the most. As all are highly successful track and field athletes, their schedules take them here, there and sometimes everywhere - all at once. So when they get together, it's special.

"It does get pretty crazy, but we make it work," said Sean Wells, Sr. "Through social media and the like we find ways to all stay in touch with each other."

Two collegiate track and field All-Americans and one high school all-state runner make the Wells brother a unique group.

Sean Jr. is the oldest and is now a senior at Grand Valley State in Michigan. He competes and track and field there and has done so since he graduated from Grant in 2012.

Sean Jr. won three state medals at Grant and won the 110 and 300 hurdles as a senior. Since he has arrived at Grand Valley State, he's owned the hurdling record books, indoors and outdoors. He completed the rare Division II double last season, winning the 60-meter hurdles indoors and the 110-meter high hurdles outdoors in the national championship meets. He also holds the school record in both events and earned All-America honors last season.

"Sean has a really strong drive and unique personality," Sean Sr. said with a chuckle. "That's what makes him the type of competitor and person he is."

Jonathan graduated from Grant in 2014 after tearing up the Bulldogs record books during his four years. He became only the third male track athlete at the school to win a state title, and the first to win multiple titles in the same year. Jonathan won the high jump and long jump state titles in 2014 while helping Grant finish fifth in the state as a team.

"That was one of the great things about (Jonathan)," said Grant coach Tom Evans, who has coached all three Wells brothers. "He came up to me before a meet one time and asked, 'What do you need me to do so the team can win?' He such an incredible talent, but he's very humble and focused."

Jonathan runs at Illinois and has had plenty of successes in just a year and a half at the school. He finished fifth in the Big Ten outdoor championships last spring while helping Illinois to the team title. This school year, he placed eighth in the NCAA indoor championships in the high jump, earning him All-American honors.

Jonathan has decided to red-shirt for the outdoor season in hopes of potentially qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the high jump at Oregon in June. He is also preparing to become a decathlete for the Illini starting next season.

"Jonathan has confidence in his abilities - but with a quiet demeanor," Sean Sr. said. "He has a unique ability to not put limits on his potential."

Octavian is the last of the Wells trio to come through the Grant program. The senior is still mulling college offers that include Grand Valley State and Illinois. He hopes to make his final call sometime in April.

"I just want to sort through all the information and see what all my options are," Octavian said.

Octavian burst onto the scene late last season, earning his first medals in state meet competition in the 400 meters and the 1,600-meter relay. His anchor leg during the state meet prelims on Friday was one that had all in attendance at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Field buzzing. His comeback from more than 60 meters behind the leader gave Grant a heat win and ultimately a fifth-place finish on Saturday. Octavian also placed fourth in the 400 dash.

"Octavian is a little bit of both Sean and Jonathan," Sean Sr. said. "He is a processor. He is able to sit back and analyze what he needs to do to get better, and then goes out and does it."

With the distances between the three brothers during the season, those times around the dinner table when all are home can get very chatty - but never heated.

"Every time my brothers are home from college we have a good debate about times, races or just fun stuff," Octavian said. "It could be something as simple as Sean Jr. saying I ran this time and won this event. Then Jonathan saying, 'Why didn't you run this time?' Then a couple of weeks later Sean Jr. will call us up and tell us he ran that time or did that event and get all excited. It's just so great that we can spend that time together."

The legacy each of them has left at Grant is clearly etched on the record board inside the field house. Sean Jr. still holds the 110 and 300 hurdles marks. Jonathan owns the long jump and high jump marks, while Octavian is the owner of the sprint marks, ranging from 100 up to 400 meters, along with a role in the record 1,600 relay.

"I think what is truly great about all of them is that they are students of the sport of track and field," Evans said. "I feel like sometimes as a coach I overanalyze and over-think things, but all three of them have really made me into a student of the sport as well."

Each one admits the records are nice, but all are quick to point out that it's never been about records or the other by-products that come along with being a high performer.

"It's never really been for us about the medals or the tangible things that come with track," Jonathan said. "I have played football and wrestling and basketball, and Sean Jr. has played basketball and Octavian basketball and track. It's about how we all continue to develop."

Back to that dinner table setting, and it's about time for the three to feast. Sean Jr. claims that of the three siblings, he is the best chef.

"I make a quesadilla-taco thing, and I think that's what I could make for them if they came up to visit," Sean Jr. said. "Octavian can cook pancakes and I think I saw Jonathan slice up veggies at Thanksgiving, so I am definitely the best cook."

That's about as feisty as this sibling rivalry between the three gets. The rest of it is more like competitive support, and though they are separated by distance these days, they are closer than ever in their bond.

"As a family, we really have a lot of faith in God," Sean Sr. said. "It has always been about encouraging and bringing out the best in all of us."

One question that will remain unanswered is what might have happened if all the Wells brothers had somehow been able to compete in high school at the same time.

"Oh man, that would be something," Sean Jr. said with a huge smile, with Jonathan and Octavian beaming right along with him. "The three of us together - I think we could go out and win a team state title."

No argument here - not with this family's track record

"We are Wells," Jonathan said. "We will race to the very end."