There are few athletes that are able to succeed in both high school and college athletics. Westside alumnus Milo Greder is one of those few. The two time 1600m champion is now running track and cross country at Iowa State University (ISU).

Greder has been able to make an impact as the number 4 runner on Iowa State’s varsity team. Being able to translate his success from Westside to Iowa State, Greder has been able to fight his way to back to be an important piece in a strong program.

He was a member of Westside’s class of 2017. During his time in Omaha, Greder became Westside’s fastest all-time in the 1600m and the 3200m. With a time of 4:09.6 in the 1600, he took his last step into the Nebraska track record-books as the state all class record holder.

Greder, who also ran cross country, was a top three runner in the Midwest and was able to secure third at the Nike Heartland Regional race held in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He proceeded to run to at the Nike Nationals race in Portland, Oregon. Greder has always been a top 2 runner in Nebraska, creating a rival with Millard West’s Seth Hirsch. Greder finished second at state during his junior and senior seasons.

Greder said he believes that his success at the high school level has helped him become a better runner.

“Westside really helped me understand the sport and what it takes to go on to the next level of running. Having both coaches of xc and track that really understand what it takes to be good made it really easy for me because I just had to trust in the system that they were providing,” Greder said.

Head track and former distance coach Tobin Ehlers has been a factor in Greder’s success on the track. From planning workouts to helping him cross the finish line at the state championships, Ehlers has been there to help Greder since he came into the program.

“He’s great, best in the state,” Ehlers said. “You strive to be that fast, he never missed a day, and that’s what you want from an athlete whether it’s track or football or whatever.”

Greder said he is grateful for his time at Westside, but says  the jump in training has proven to be difficult. He said he has been able to handle it as he is still beginning his college career.

“The transition was a little harder than expected. Jumping mileage from low 40s to 70 miles a week put a lot of hurt in my body,”Greder said. “It took a while to get used to the system. Injuries were pretty common my freshman year but after a great summer, my sophomore year has been a lot better.”

Boasting a time of 24 minutes 11 seconds for an 8k in just his second year running at Iowa State, Greder made the jump. Starting out his freshman year Greder was unable to run very often due to injuries, and he came back later that cross country season stronger than expected. Joining the varsity squad as a true freshman to be able to run and win as a team, the first of a back to back Big 12 championship run.

“Having an environment in college and surrounding yourself with other phenomenal athletes makes you want to work harder and get championships for the team,” Greder said. “The team aspect is very important and the fans that support really want the team to do amazing, and not only just the top runners.”

Greder is now looking forward to competing in indoor and outdoor track later his sophomore year. He says he hopes to place highly at Big XII meets this year and also get as close as he can to running a sub 4 minute mile.