JON GERARDI/Sun-Gazette Williamsport’s Isabelle Sanders (left) and Madeline Sanders (right) pose together after they took first and second, respectively, in the Class AAA 1,600 race at the District 4 championships on Saturday. The Sanders sisters are state-bound not only in the 1,600, but the 3,200 as well.

MILTON — Williamsport juniors Madeline and Isabelle Sanders were smiling immediately after receiving their District 4 medals for taking first and second in the Class AAA 1,600 race on Saturday at Milton High School. Sanders claimed district gold with a time of 4:55.90 and her sister Madeline was right behind her in 4:58.25.

The two ere far and away in the lead by midway through the event and no one was getting close to overtaking them. Third-place finisher Janie Cotner of Danville ran a 5:18.91, 33 seconds behind Isabelle.

Not only did the Sanders sisters get to place first and second in the event, but they also are heading to states together in not one, but two events.

Two days prior, the sisters reversed the outcome in the Class AAA 3,200 race as Madeline won district gold and Sanders took silver.

“It’s awesome, I love being able to race with Maddy. It’s great to have a training partner right there with you,” Isabelle said. “It’s fun to compete together, so I’m glad we’re both going together. Hopefully we’ll both get out there and run some PRs.”

“I think it’s great to have someone to work with,” Madeline said. “That’s a really rare thing on teams to have someone in your own family that you can run with every day and train against, it really helps.”

Their times in the 3,200 on Thursday and the 1,600 on Saturday were both record-breaking times.

In the two mile, Madeline won in 10:43.01 while Isabelle ran a 10:47.03 to take gold and silver, respectively. And, like Saturday, they cruised from the start as Selinsgrove’s Ashtyn Lukens was nearly a minute behind them for third. The record the Sanders sisters broke was that of Lewisburg’s Baylee Espinosa from 2024, breaking it by 16 seconds.

Their times in the 1,600 broke the record set by Lewisburg’s Jenna Binney in 2024 by 10 seconds.

The Sanders don’t just set records, they obliterate them. It’s also why Isabelle broke the school record this year in the 1,600 and Madeline broke the school record in the 3,200.

“It’s super fun, you know, and it’s a great year for breaking records and stuff,” Isabelle said. “It’s been awesome breaking them together, and we go back and forth. Her name is up there for the two mile, mine’s up for the mile. It’s super fun and next year we’ll go after those together.”

“It’s definitely a blessing to be able to run together and break records. I think it’s great,” Madeline said.

Isabelle’s school record in the 1,600 is 4:55.01, which she also re-broke on Saturday. Madeline’s top two-mile time this year is 10:43.01, set on Thursday on Day 1 of the championships.

The two don’t consider themselves to have a sibling rivalry where they’re looking to get the best of one another. Rather, they instead are constantly pushing each other to be better and want one another to succeed.

“A bit (of a rivalry), but it’s more about working together for us,” Isabelle said. “That’s definitely a healthier dynamic too, going back and forth to work together, not against each other.”

It’s a part of what makes them so successful in distance events.

“We celebrate one another’s successes,” Madeline said. “There’s an idea of pushing one another and going back and forth, but we never want anyone to do badly.”

Isabelle has the seventh-fastest time in the 1,600 Class AAA at the state meet and is seeded as such. Her district time of 4:55.90 is behind only Gwynedd-Mercy’s Reese Miller (4:48.04), Peters Township’s Kathryn Froelich (4:53.10), South Fayette’s Angela Zeng (4:54.27), Altoona’s Ashlyn Noce (4:54.37), Carlisle’s Ana Bondy (4:55.44) and Emmaus’ Madeline McCartney (4:55.45). A solid performance at states in the mile by Sanders can easily see her reach the podium at Shippensburg, a year after Williamsport didn’t have any medalists.

Madeline is seeded 16th in the mile with her time of 4:58.25.

In the 3,200, Madeline is seeded ninth with her time of 10:43.01. The only runners ahead of her are Froelich (10:15.64), Zeng (10:21.19), Daniel Boone’s Julia Leady (10:26.96), Downingtown West’s Julia Kelly (10:30.21), Conestoga’s Alexia Tubbs (10:34.23), Gwynedd-Mercy’s Reese Miller (10:36.15), Wissahickon’s Berkeley Marcelis (10:38.55) and Peters Township’s Adelaide Lulich (10:39.88).

Much like Isabelle in the mile, Madeline has a solid chance to get to the podium at Shippensburg with one more great performance.

And, having the state’s best pushing you is beneficial for runners like Isabelle and Madeline. It’s what helps them do great, especially when the two sisters are pushing one another down the stretch.

“It’s great to be pulling each other and getting up there. It certainly gives you more of a reason to drive and really helps us to work together,” Isabelle said of competition pushing them.

“I think it definitely helps in long events like the 3,200 and 1,600 to have someone with you pushing you who wants you to go with them,” Madeline said.

Now it’s time for the Sanders sisters to head to Shippensburg and compete with the best.

“I’m really excited. It’s not always frequent that we get to run against better runners that are ahead of us out there,” Isabelle said. “It’s super exciting and I’m really excited. We’re definitely shooting for PRs.”

“It’s definitely going to be an amazing opportunity to run with people faster than us and really close around us.”

There’s still one more meet to go obviously at Shippensburg to go for the duo, but the Sanders sisters both have taken time to reflect on what they’ve accomplished so far this year. Given Williamsport’s long track and field history — which dates back to the 1920s when Joseph Fenstermacher won the program’s first gold medals in 1929 — it’s quite the accomplishment for Isabelle and Madeline to hold two school records.

“It kind of has (set in), yeah. It’s been really awesome that we all push each other. I just thank God that I get to run. Our team overall is a fairly young team. We’re juniors, so I’m really excited to see where we’re going with our young team,” Isabelle said. “Maddy said we had an awesome 4 by 8 (on Thursday) with (Loisa Hofstrom and Mila Veldhuis). They’re both freshmen and they’re amazing. It’s great to have people who aren’t just us to push the team. It’s really fun.”

“Our team has definitely been doing really well this year. We’ve been blessed with great races and seasons for everyone,” Madeline said. “Our freshmen coming up were in the 4 by 8 with us, Mile and Loisa, they’ve done a great job and it’s been amazing to work with them.”

And no doubt those runners are grateful to be able to run and train with the Sanders.