CROSS RIVER, N.Y. - On Saturday, Oct. 18, the annual Bowdoin Park Invitation rolled around, and John Jay was there to run it. But the race wasn’t the only thing annual about the event.
Sloan Wasserman was the winner again. Never getting old, said the senior, “That was a huge PR for me. I’m very happy.”
A preliminary to a main event known as the postseason, she wasn’t taking it easy. “I’m trying to get strong efforts in to build up fitness,” she said. “So when I need to be ready to go that fast, I will go that fast.”
Of course, she took enough pause to notice the surroundings. “It was a very nice day out with perfect conditions,” said Wasserman.
The All-State runner also noticed the future. “Maya (Serai) is very similar to me. She’s running very close to the times I had as a sophomore, and so I’m excited to see what the future holds for her,” boasted Wasserman of John Jay’s second-place finisher.
That includes breaking some of her records, which seemed a long way off for Serai. “It’s really hard for me to imagine running that fast,” said the seventh-place finisher.
However, she has no problem envisioning how hard it is to persevere down the stretch. She breaks down the process into small increments. “I just think about putting one foot forward,” said the freshman.
As for Emma Barniv, her method simply accepts the madness. “I’ve really come to enjoy the challenge of the hills,” said the senior.
And the affinity is no coincidence. “I used to run with my mom,” said Barniv. “She would have me sprint up the hill and then walk the flat. So we’d just do hill repeat until I could run without stopping.”
Her time at John Jay nearing an end too, she now takes a long view. “I wanted to help create a positive team environment where we’re all pushing everyone to be better,” said Barniv. “I think that’s the best part of cross country.”
On the boys’ side, Rohan Patel was the top finisher for the Wolves, placing 30th. Coach Dey Dey felt his runner did pretty well. The same goes for Will George, who finished in the top 50.
But the coach knows the team needs a bit of an adjustment. They have to push themselves harder, he admitted.
No such sentiment when it comes to John Jay’s standard-bearer and her last shot to take the state crown. “I’m going to do it,” Wasserman concluded.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here