The two men are, upon first meeting, an unlikely pair of friends.

The first is a 285-lb. force with a firm handshake and a deep and powerful voice. He’s serious and pensive, focused on his endless stream of work as a pre-med.

The second is a 125-lb. jokester whose charming laugh and constant smile are contagious. Social and charismatic, he’s always interacting.

Meet sophomores Bode Ogunwole and Robbie Preston, perhaps an even more unlikely pair of roommates.

That’s Bode in his room, locked into his medical reading. His focus is impeccable even though he can barely fit into the generic wooden dorm chair.

That’s Robbie sprawled on the couch, PlayStation controller in hand. He chats with another roommate while playing the new Grand Theft Auto videogame.

By the way, Bode and Robbie are two of the best wrestlers in the country. They have demolished their competition this season and have kept the Harvard wrestling team (1-13, 1-4 Ivy) afloat. Combined, No. 7 Ogunwole and No. 16 Preston have lost a meager five matches all year.

Turn the subject to wrestling, though, and the differences between the two roommates vanish. They are both supremely skilled in their class, Ogunwole in the heavyweight and Preston in the 125-lb. division. Furthermore, they are both contenders for All-America and NCAA bids, honors for which they will compete in this weekend’s crucial EIWA championships in Annapolis, Md.

Ask Bode about this upcoming weekend and his demeanor becomes even more serious, his concentration and drive amplified. He has put his heartbreaking double-overtime loss in last year’s NCAA quarterfinals behind him and is eager to redeem himself.

“I didn’t train to lose,” he says. “I want to win the EIWAs and do well in Nationals. It’s what I’ve worked so hard for all year.”

Turn the question to Robbie and his smile fades, his mind envisioning the upcoming matches for which he has trained so long.

“I want to win the EIWAs,” he agrees. “My expectations are to win the EIWAs. It’s my goal to go to win the national championship and [become] All-American.”

Maybe the two roommates aren’t so different after all. Maybe wrestling has bonded Bode and Robbie in ways that a casual observer would not see, enforcing common core values so important to their success.

There’s the shared love and passion for their sport that has grown with time. For Ogunwole, it started when his high school’s wrestling coach saw him playing football and had instant dreams of getting the quick and powerful athlete on the mat. For Preston, wrestling education began before he learned how to read.

“When I was in first grade I would always see the fourth graders working hard on the mats and wanted to be a part of it,” he explains. “Ever since then, I [have] been.”