One was a star, the other not too far. Two athletes have emerged as leaders on the John Jay Cross River High School cross-country Team this fall season.

Sophomore Sloan Wasserman of the girls’ team and Junior Andrew Condon of the boys’ team have each pulled off two of the most outstanding seasons individually in school history.

Wasserman had a high pedigree in racing well before her high school days. She earned a spot on the varsity track team as an eighth grader and settled in well. Her 10:56 2-mile time at the Loucks Games in 2022 was just the beginning, as she went on to qualify for new balance nationals that season, placing

7th with a 2-mile time of 11:01, and is now the 2023 Westchester County and Section 1 cross-country individual champion as well.

Soccer is also one of Wasserman’s greater passions, as she was part of John Jay’s women’s soccer team in years prior, though decided to leave to pursue cross-country. Having not run a full cross-country season before, her hope was to improve from her previous spring track season, and she certainly did that.

“My expectation was to do better than my track season,” Wasserman said. “I wanted to win, and do as well as I could, and I feel like I did that.”

Beyond her individual performances, she also accredits her success to her teammates, and the improvement she has seen in the women’s team overall, as they placed third overall in Class B this year, which is their first top 3 team finish since 2019.

“They have made so much improvement,” Wasserman said. “It has been so impressive. I do not remember us getting any team [recognition] whatsoever. The fact that we placed third this year, that is great.” 

Senior Meg Winter, second best to Wasserman on the girls’ team, acknowledges that Wasserman serves as a role model for the rest of the team. She feels that, with time and effort, the comradery between the boys’ and girls’ team has become much stronger due to the efforts of Wasserman. 

“She sets a good example with her work ethic and commitment to the team,” Winter said. “Some social skills we are working on as a team, so that’s something we’re working on as a team; joining the boy’s and girl’s teams together.” 

Despite her success this season, Coach Dey Dey, in his first season as coach, recommended that Wasserman does not compete in any regional championship races. Although she was in the running to qualify for Nationals, Dey feels there is a specific strategy to why he made this decision. Dey is a professional runner himself, and claims he made this decision on behalf of Wasserman to prepare her for the winter season without the risk of injury. 

“I try to learn [the kids],” Dey said. “Consistency: that is what I have been telling them. I want them to be there every day.  

Andrew Condon, similarly, to Wasserman, has set a high standard for the boys’ team. His 19th place finish at this year’s New York State Championships came as a huge surprise to many. The junior came into this season with a personal best of 18:20 in the 5k. He has since taken more than one and a half minutes off that time, trimming it down to 16:43, and is now an all-section and all-Westchester County honoree for cross-country. 

Expectations were not set too high for Condon this season. He feels his performances during the spring and the previous fall were okay, but not his best, and that he even surprised himself. 

“Coming into the season, I really had no expectations,” Condon said. “This spring and last fall, I was fine, but I was not spectacular. I came in this season, and really surprised myself.” 

The boys’ team has also become more of a “team” according to Condon. He feels in previous seasons that it was simply “a bunch of individuals” as he states, and that the team has now begun to bring itself together. 

“I feel like we’ve become more of a team,” Condon said. “This year, during the workouts, we were all working together, having fun with it. We enjoyed it more, which made it so that we all got a lot faster.” 

Condon is accompanied by fellow junior Lucas Mongiello, who consistently places second on the team behind Condon. Mongiello feels he is directly impacted by the leadership and role model mentality of Condon, and that the team has picked up his habits as well. 

“He’s great at what he does, and definitely takes a leadership role,” Mongiello said. “The stuff he does for the team, he spreads it on [others]. We are doing good stretching, especially before races. Obviously, he has taken off a little bit more [than me] in workouts. But in meets, we push ourselves really hard.”  

Wasserman and Condon have both begun constructing their list of colleges. Wasserman is currently looking at University of Miami, University of Alabama, and Georgia University. Condon has also put a lot of time and effort into college searches, and hopes to go Division I, though he feels there is still room for improvement.