From Start to Finish: The Career and Impact of Vanca Pandey `26

By: Leon Hall `27

Vanca Pandey ’26 is leaving a legacy to remember. Vanca, who plans to study neuroscience or medical science in college and enter a pre-medical track, started attending Country Day as a freshman and has never looked back. She joined the soccer team her freshman year, but later felt the calling to try cross country. During her first year at Country Day, she made first team all-city, first team all-conference, and won the CCDS Invitational – an impressive start to her high school career.

“I’ve enjoyed getting more people to join cross country and being able to do it with my friends,” says Vanca. Throughout her Country Day athletic career, she has learned to push herself mentally and physically. During her junior year, Vanca was the only girl on the cross country team because the other was suffering from an injury. The experience taught her that she must push herself to reach her highest goals. During Vanca’s cross-country high school career, she made First Team All-City and First Team All-MVC all four years. She also won the CCDS Invitational three times and holds 12 of the 25 best overall times in program history.

Out of all her achievements, Vanca said her most memorable was making it to the state meet her senior year, where she finished 25th out of 214 runners with a time of 19:18.79, the second fastest finish of her season. She was seeded 52nd and blew out even her own expectations. Vanca encourages more people to participate in Country Day athletics, especially cross country and track. “When more people do a sport, the more a team really succeeds and grows, and this makes a big difference at a small school like Country Day. Even if you join to spend extra time with friends, the experience can build long-lasting relationships and create community within yourself and others.” Vanca credits her coaches for pushing and encouraging her to do her best, supporting her and her athletic career. “Vanca brought a spirit of competitiveness to the team and represents girl runners everywhere,” says Dr. Heather Williams, Vanca’s cross-country coach. “She unified the team during the entire season. Even though she was the only runner competing at state, her team showed up to run with her, showing how much Vanca has deeply impacted the culture of the program.” Building on that sense of community, Vanca hopes more students will take advantage of Country Day’s athletic opportunities. “You’ll never regret joining a sport. The memories you make and the relationships you build will stay with you for a lifetime.”