Neighbors, co-workers and workout partners is only scratching the surface when describing River Falls Class of 2023 graduate duo Ella Peters and Becca Randleman. While Peters plays basketball at Gustavus Adolphus and Randleman runs track for St. Thomas, the two return home each summer with common ground.

That common ground is a hill they use for difficult workouts near Fourth Street behind a cul-de-sac. The hill leads into the woods, meaning it is buggy, adding another layer to an already challenging routine.

“Those are killer, but they’re fun. They feel good when you are done with them,” Peters said. “If you ever see us, we’re always laughing and stuff, but when we do our hill workouts and we go to the weight room and life, we do push each other.”

It is not just on the hill, though. Peters and Randleman are coworkers at The Sycamore, a River Falls assisted living and memory care facility. They are also next-door neighbors. Despite competing in entirely different sports at the collegiate level, Peters often joins Randleman for track offseason workouts, and Randleman can be found in the gym grabbing rebounds for Peters.

“Every single day, we always found our time to go work out together,” Peters said. “We are definitely inseparable in the summer.”

The two credited each other’s workouts for making them more well-rounded athletes.

“It’s so fun. Every summer I drag her to this hill and we do a hill workout gosh, too many times throughout the summer,” Randleman said. “Doing track workouts alone can be very draining, so I’m really grateful.”

Their college journeys have led them down different paths, but both roads led to success. Randleman holds school records for the indoor 300-meter, 4x400 relay and 400-meter, with outdoor records in the 4x100 and 4x400 relays.

“I reached out to St. Thomas honestly not thinking that I was going to hear back from them, but they did end up reaching out,” Randleman said of how she ended up a collegiate sprinter. “I was much more successful than I ever thought I could be. Just surrounded by such great girls, and I’ve been so blessed to travel [and compete].”

Randleman said the biggest part of representing River Falls is setting the bar high and showing younger students that they can take the same path with the right amount of effort.

“My favorite part, besides just the people that I’ve met… I’d say my best experience has definitely been just competing at the Summit League Championships and scoring points for my team,” Randleman said.

St. Thomas recently made the jump to Division I athletics, and Randleman has enjoyed the difficult competition.

Meanwhile, Peters is the leading scorer for an 18-7 Gustavus Adolphus team, averaging 15.4 points per game and winning MIAC Player of the Week multiple times.,

“It’s been the most amazing experience. I’ve loved every single second of it,” Peters said.

Peters spent her first two years playing her role and learning from a great core of upperclassmen that had Gustavus-Adolphus at 29-2 a year ago. Now, it’s Peters’ turn to be a leader, and she is using things she learned from those who came before her.

“Those girls are gone now. A lot of us who are younger watching them had to fill their shoes this year,” Peters said. “One of the biggest things is being there for each other and showing up for each other, no matter the outcome of the game.”

Together, the improvement has been nothing but steady, and they do not plan to eliminate their workout partnership anytime soon.