Junior Jeff Wetmore’s expression remains calm and composed as he hears the heavy footsteps of teammate junior Max Orenstein close in. Wetmore’s eyes stay focused straight ahead, until he hears a slight pause in Orenstein’s steps. Wetmore turns his head to watch as Orenstein moves closer in on his left side.

Jogging up beside Wetmore, Orenstein grins as the duo warms up during practice, joking around as they make the turn and run down the straightaway.

While Orenstein, a psychology major, and Wetmore, an applied economics major, keep it light away from competition — sharing more than a similar interest in things, from the ABC television show “FlashForward” to a notable consumption of junk food — their chemistry and familiarity have translated to success on the field.

“A lot of our workouts are all about pacing,” Wetmore said. “It’s nice knowing you have someone out there who’s going at the same rate as you.”

Competing against each other in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter events for the last two seasons, and qualifying last year for nationals — in the same race —the two have become more familiar as roommates this season. While competing with each other has raised the level of competition, it has also developed a certain level of bragging rights between them.

 “I just want to beat [Wetmore], and he really wants to beat me,” Orenstein said. “There has been races where he’s beaten me and it’s close at the finish line, and I’ll say something to him even before the race is over.”

Understanding what the other is capable of on the track makes for a close race every time.

“That’s one of the big pluses of Jeff and Max,” Head Coach Jim Nichols said. “They’re both extremely competitive, to the point where there’s one hundredth of a second one way or another on who’s going to win and who’s going to lose. That’s the fun part in it.”

A fierce competitive nature is something that both Orenstein and Wetmore agree helps them to prepare right up until the second before they take the line.

“We warm up together before races, and we do the same things,” Orenstein said. “We have a ritual handshake that we sometimes do, depending on the race, and we do it in front of the starting line so that everyone can see it.”

Running side by side, Orenstein’s arms are held more relaxed at 45-degree angles from his body compared to Wetmore’s similar but more upright posture. Both runners have their strengths that tend to play out during every race.

“[Orenstein] gets out in front, and I have to work on catching him, which works for me because I like to chase,” Wetmore said. “I have to have someone ahead of me to go for, otherwise, I tend to kind of coast, and he has to feel like he’s being chased.”

While both individuals hold school records in the 200- and 400-meter dash, handing off to someone they’re accustomed to racing against adds another dynamic to their chemistry.

“I hand off to him every time — he’s the anchor,” Orenstein said. “He’s the anchor, and I’m usually the third leg, so we finish off the race as best we can, and I’d say we have that down pretty good.”

Both Orenstein and Wetmore said a high level of competitiveness is something that both athletes always strive to maintain.

“[Track] has always been almost the most important thing to [Orenstein],” said freshman Julian Orenstein, Max’s brother and teammate. “[He’s] probably the most competitive person I know, and he doesn’t like to lose anything. We’ll be playing video games, and he’ll get in my face if he wins.”

For Wetmore, his determination and personal accountability allow him to easily shrug off his faults and refocus for the next race.

“He’s competitive to the point where he works so hard to win,” said Robert Rappole, Wetmore’s high school track coach. “If he loses, it’s because he lost. It’s not somebody else’s fault, it’s that he accepts that it’s him.”

While running the 200- or 400-meter dash at the upcoming meet can dictate if they’ll run a longer or shorter distance at practice, it’s their ability to push each other in preparation that has contributed to their success in competition.

“They both compete in the same events, but they don’t train the same,” Nichols said. “They’re not going head-to-head every day in practice in a competitive type of setting, but they challenge each other as much as they challenge everybody else on the team.”

As decorated upperclassmen on a relatively young team, Orenstein and Wetmore are more than willing to offer advice to the underclassmen.

“Basically, if I see something that I know should be different, I’ll say something,”

Wetmore said. “But I don’t make it my job to go out and make sure everyone’s perfect because I have flaws.”

As Orenstein and Wetmore work toward replicating and building on the success from last year. Their bond both on and off the track remains an apparent influence on their approaches to competition.

“Individuals can rise within the program, which Jeff and Max have done, but talent isn’t the only thing that’s important — character is,” Nichols said. “Peer pressure is a very powerful thing, and it can be used in a positive or a negative way, and they’re helping use it in a very positive way.”