Seeing triple: catching up with the Kellers

When Miami first-years Jonas, Dominic and Luke Keller tell people they’re triplets, they often get asked to show their IDs.

“That’s not the first conclusion that they jump to, that we’re triplets,” Luke said. “They just think when we walk together, they think we’re college friends until we tell them.”

Born a minute apart, the boys share a birthday but each have a personality and style all their own.

With his wild brown hair, dark eyes and quiet demeanor, Jonas is the oldest and tallest. A biology/pre-med major, he sports a black Miami t-shirt, black shorts and red, white and blue Nikes.

Dominic has shorter dark hair, dark eyes and a serious expression. He wears tan shorts, a light pink sweatshirt and two beaded brown bracelets. He’s a business economics major.

Luke is the shortest and youngest, always smiling. His white t-shirt and grey Adidas jacket, gold-blonde hair and blue eyes set him apart from his brothers. He’s also a business economics major.

“We all like to think we’re the leaders I guess, but in reality, no one is really far separated from the other two,” Jonas said. “We all kinda run parallel.”

The triplets have been a tight-knit unit since day one, and Luke remembers goofing around being a big part of that dynamic.

When the boys were five or six, their mom would do laundry, place a basket of clean clothes in their room, and the triplets would throw clean clothes down the laundry chute. When the boys were 10, they won their first baseball championship as a team with their dad as coach.

“Just the thrill of celebrating with Luke and Jonas was amazing, with my dad there as well,” Dominic said.

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Growing up, they shared friend groups, a love for baseball and a room until they were 12 or 13. They attended The Seven Hills School in Cincinnati and traveled to all 50 states together.

The triplets, like any set of siblings, argue every now and then, but it’s never too serious. During high school, the boys’ dad bugged them for “fighting like girls over clothes.”

“It’s definitely an ego thing,” Luke said. “There’s inner competition between the three of us to be the best. Grades, sports, who’s dating the prettiest girl, it’s all that. Sports is the biggest competition thing.”

When they were younger, to celebrate their December 16 birthday, they’d host “Keller Bowl.” Even when it was snowing, the boys’ mom would outline a giant football field in white spray paint with a K in the middle of the backyard and invite a bunch of friends over to celebrate.

Luke describes himself as nice, social and confident. His proudest moment was starting a sports-broadcasting club in high school. He says he’s more energetic and a bit more obnoxious than his brothers.

“I would always get in trouble for messing with Jonas and Dominic,” Luke said. “Especially during high school, they would be minding their own business, we would all be doing homework and I would just go in their room and tackle them.”

Dominic describes himself as caring, friendly and funny. His proudest moment is senior season when he threw a perfect game during the last home high school baseball game. His favorite color is red, and his favorite movies include the “Dark Knight” trilogy.

Jonas describes himself as smart, responsible and fun. His proudest moment was when he and his brothers played piano at nursing homes during Christmas-time.

“I’d say I’m a little bit more quiet,” Jonas said. “I’m more introverted compared to them. My decision-making is a little more responsible sometimes, that’s at least what my friends think.”

The triplets’ parents, Dennison and Theresa, were Miami mergers and the entire family are huge OSU fans, so it makes sense that when the time came to decide where to attend college, the triplets all had varying ideas of where they’d like to go.

Dominic was originally interested in South Carolina, Ohio State and Dayton, but then he got into the Farmer School of Business. Jonas was pretty set on Ohio State. Luke went Early Decision at Miami, and eventually his brothers started to change their minds.

“Jonas saw that Dom and I were going to Miami, we were gonna have fun,” Luke said. “So he sort of wanted to join the party, so he chose Miami, too.”

At school, the three visit each other’s dorms, play ping-pong and go Uptown together. When they’re in the same room, the trio joke around with each other, reminiscing over old times. Jonas and Dominic bug Luke about how terrible he is with directions.

And despite the differences in hair color and height, the triplets’ faces split into the same grin when they laugh. So far, the boys love the campus and their classes, and they’re beginning to sign up for clubs and organizations.

“I like being a triplet,” Jonas said with a smile. “And it makes me famous.”

dattilec@miamioh.edu