The constant banter between Evelyn and Evonne Britton is packed with slights, accusations and plenty of teasing.

"When we used to share a room," Evelyn said, "my sister was so messy. I'm the clean one, and I always had to straighten-up after her."

"That's so untrue," Evonne said. "I was always picking up your stuff."

"Lies. You're such a liar."

"No way."

It could be a typical, light-hearted debate between any two sisters spending a little too much time together.

But at Penn State, it might be hard to find closer and more accomplished sisters than the Brittons.

The budding track stars, separated by only two years, are otherwise almost inseparable. They finish each other's sentences. They laugh at each other's jokes. They share clothes -- then bicker about it. And they live just two doors apart in their McElwain Hall dorm.

"They're really good sisters," said Penn State track and field coach Beth Alford-Sullivan. "But they're also fantastic athletes."

Evonne, a freshman, comes to Penn State as a highly touted recruit. After winning the 2009 Texas 4A State Championship in the 100-meter hurdles last year with an impressive time of 13.80 seconds, she generated much interest.

The group of schools recruiting the wiry 5-foot-8 runner read like a who's who in college track and field.

LSU, 14-time national champion. UCLA, winner of 15 Pac-10 titles over the past 22 years. And Tennessee, coached by J.J. Clark, an assistant coach for the U.S. women in the Beijing Olympics.

"It was a tough decision," Evonne said. "I had so many things to consider."

Among those factors was her sister, who spent the last two years playing volleyball at Texas Tech. Evelyn, a 6-footer with a muscular physique, was ready for a change.

"I liked it there, but I just wanted something new," she said. "There were a couple of reasons for transferring, but the main one was my sister. I just couldn't imagine her going to college without me."

So as Evonne's college search progressed, so did Evelyn's.

"I remember for a while she was really considering Florida," Evelyn said. "So I would keep thinking to myself, 'All right, Florida's nice. I could go there.' It went like that for a while, but I'm glad she chose Penn State."

And the Nittany Lions are glad to have the Brittons.

Alford-Sullivan predicts Evonne will have an immediate impact in the 100-meter and 400-meter hurdles and said Evelyn is a great addition to the throwers.

"[Evelyn will] be a good role model," said Alford-Sullivan, last year Big Ten Women's Coach of the Year. "[She's] a seasoned college athlete who is a hard worker and has experience managing her time. The team can learn a lot from her."

The girls -- nicknamed "Texas" by their teammates -- claim their transition from The Sun City to Happy Valley has been almost seamless.

"Sure, it's a lot different there," Evelyn said of her hometown of El Paso, nestled in the Chihuahuan Desert, just a discus throw across the Rio Grande from Mexico. "But I think we've adjusted to Penn State really well. The team and the coaches have been so nice to us, which has helped."

The sisters come from a close-knit family. Their father, Edward, trained and coached the girls for as long as they can remember.

"We always worked out together," Evonne said. "We would go out and he'd make me go do sprints while Evelyn would lift weights or work on footwork. It was hard but also fun."

And while at Texas Tech, Evelyn looked after her older brother, Ed, a Red Raiders' wide receiver. She would often check in on him, and even do his laundry.

So as the Britton sisters ready for their Penn State debut, the Blue/White Meet on December 13, Sullivan is keeping a distant eye on the future.

The girls also have two younger brothers: Elijah, a high school junior who is already recognized as one of the country's top prep hurdlers, and Ebrahim, a freshman football standout.

"If they're as great all-around-kids as their sisters," Sullivan said, "we'll absolutely be recruiting another Britton soon."