Sibling rivalries often last lifetimes, with neither side willing to concede, but junior cross country runner Brittany Tinsley has an argument that’s hard for her older sister to ignore.

Her older sister convinced her to run cross country in seventh grade instead of playing other sports.

“I was like, ‘Running is so dumb, why would anyone want to run? It’s boring.'” Tinsley said. “I wanted to play basketball.”

Now she is preparing for nationals this weekend after collecting All-ACC honors for the second straight year.

“She was the initial person to inspire me to run,” Tinsley said. “But here I am now [running at N.C. State], and she’s not even running anymore.”

Not only is Tinsley still running, she is leading nationally-ranked N.C. State into Terre Haute, Ind., after helping the Wolfpack qualify for the 19th time in the past 20 years.

“We ran really well [at regionals], and I think if we can continue that at nationals it will help us place high,” she said “We run well as a pack.”

Tinsley said she is particularly excited about running in Terre Haute on Monday because of her experience last year.

“Last year, the morning of the race I woke up really sick, not able to eat or drink,” Tinsley said. “I ended up running the race and placed towards the end of the race.”

Her coach, Laurie Henes, said it was a rough time for the runner.

“She lost 10 pounds off of a 100-pound frame in a week,” Henes said.

Tinsley added that last year’s disappointment has only sharpened her resolve to perform well.

“It’s been my motivation all season, especially now that it’s getting time to go back,” she said. “This year I’m ready to go and run where I’m capable of running.”

Tinsley finished ninth in a field of 225 this past weekend at Southeast Regional competition, not far behind senior teammate Angelina Blackmon, who led the Wolfpack by placing sixth overall. State won the meet easily, making it 13 regional championships in a row. Tinsley said the Pack’s perennial success was part of why she decided to attend N.C. State.

“A big part of [the decision] was the program and the tradition,” she said. “Cross country has always been a big sport here.”

Tinsley also suggested that being in Raleigh didn’t feel so far away from her home in Ohio after all.

“There are a lot of people from Ohio that are down here,” she said, citing Henes, other runners and men’s coach Rollie Geiger, who attended Kent State.

“All of the people from Ohio down here make me feel more at home.”

Geiger said her desire to run in a successful program has helped her push the team to higher levels.

“Brittany’s very competitive,” he said.”She wants to be successful and be a part of a program that is successful. She wants the team to be committed to gold, and she leads by example.”

Henes also praised Tinsley’s leadership qualities.

“She does everything right, be it sleeping, eating or training. Anything you ask Brittany to do, she does, and sets a great example,” Henes said.

Tinsley acknowledged the expectations placed on her, but said she felt the most pressure from herself.

“I feel like it’s my job to lead the team and do the best that I can so we can continue at our high level of success,” she said. “I want to continue to improve, and I want to get better, so I put a lot of pressure on myself to run well every race. I don’t feel a lot of pressure from my coaches or my other teammates or anything like that.”

Still, it was her older sister’s pressure back in middle school that ultimately brought her to N.C. State.

“I credit her for my wanting to run in the first place,” Tinsley said.