Sauk Valley Media boys track co-athletes of the year: Morrison’s Brady Anderson and Levi Milder

Morrison sophomore teammates Brady Anderson and Levi Milder were instrumental in the success of the Mustangs’ track and field team this spring.

Whether they were leading the team by example or performing in key relay positions, the success of the two sprinters started with their hard work and willingness to follow their coaches’ instructions.

“We could’ve told them if they ran through a cornfield it would help them get faster,” said Morrison coach Chandler Gilbraith, “and they’d be like, OK.”

That sort of commitment helped the two and the team to a strong finish after having high hopes for the season.

The duo ran on three relay wins at the Class 1A state meet to help Morrison finish fourth in the state. Anderson anchored all three relays and Milder was in the No. 2 spot in the 4x100 and 4x200.

Anderson was fifth in the 100-meter dash in 10.84 seconds, and Milder placed sixth in the 200 (22.38).

The 4x100 (42.42) and 4x200 (1:28.08) were run at state by Camden Pruis, Levi Milder, Zach Milder and Anderson. The 4x400 (3:21.89) was Zach Milder, Pruis, Chase Newman and Anderson.

Anderson and Levi Milder have known each other since their schooling began and they’ve been competitive over the years.

Who is faster head-to-head? It goes back-and-forth.

“He’ll get me once, and I’ll get him back,” Anderson said. “Neither of us wants to lose to each other, so we just push each other to be as good as we can.”

In the weight room or at practice in track, football, or wrestling, they can count on holding each other accountable. On bad days, they are there to motivate each other.

“We just try to work as hard as we can,” Milder said, “and push each other to be better every day.”

They have each other’s back, and it has helped the team as a whole.

“If I had a track team or football team that had characters like them,” Gilbraith said, “you could win a Super Bowl with those two. They’ve always been competitors with each other, and it has worked out nicely in our favor.”

Gilbraith said they placed a lot of the weight of the season on their shoulders. They responded well.

Anderson even worked on his running form in the hallways between classes. Levi grew his confidence this year and was the only sophomore in the 200 finals at state. They were committed on and off the track.

“You’ve got to be perfect,” Anderson said. “You can’t miss a step, everything has got to be perfect.”

Case in point was how close the finishes were at state. The total margin of victory between the three relays was .25 seconds.

They did not lose a relay race all season.

“Track is one of those sports where everybody has to do their part,” Anderson said, “and everybody did their part.”

Anderson does research on running on his own. His dad, Nate Anderson, is an assistant coach on the team.

“The coaching was great,” Milder said. “I think we really worked harder this season and worked for it and had discipline. We put in the work and got what we worked for, so it was good.”

With two years yet to go, they have goals of finishing even higher as a team. Until then, the duo will continue to push one another.

“You just couldn’t ask for better kids,” Gilbraith said. “Both stepped up.”