Click here to view Mario Giannini's TFRRS Profile
Notable Awards
• Chico State Male Athlete of the Year (2024-25)
Notable Cross Country Awards
– CCAA Runner of the Year (2025, 2024)
– NCAA West Region Champion (2024)
– CCAA Individual Champion (2025, 2024)
– All-American (2024)
– All-West Region (2025, 2024, 2023)
– All-CCAA (2025, 2024, 2023)
– CCAA Runner of the Week (Sept. 8–14, 2025; Oct. 6–12, 2025)
– USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year (2025, 2024)
Notable Track & Field Awards
– First-team All-American – 10,000m (2026)
– All-West Region – 5,000m (2026)
– All-West Region – 10,000m (2026, 2024)
– CCAA Event Champion – 5,000m (2026)
– All-CCAA – 5,000m (2026, 2025, 2024)
As a Junior – Cross Country (2025)
– Won his second straight CCAA individual championship, finishing first with an 8k time of 24:20.5
– Earned CCAA Runner of the Year honors for the second straight season
– Earned All-West Region honors after placing 10th at the NCAA West Regional with a 10k time of 30:02.2
– Helped Chico State win its ninth consecutive NCAA West Region title
– Competed at the NCAA Championships, finishing 57th with a 10k time of 31:01.1
– Recorded a season-best 8k time of 23:31.0 at the Kim Duyst Twilight XC Invitational, placing second
– Ran a season-best 4.97-mile time of 23:51.6 at the Lewis Crossover, placing third
– Helped Chico State win its 23rd consecutive CCAA Championship
– Named CCAA Runner of the Week twice during the season
As a Junior – Track & Field (2026)
– Earned first-team All-American honors after placing sixth in the 10,000m at the NCAA Championships with a time of 29:35.11
– Earned All-West Region honors in both the 5,000m and 10,000m
– Won the CCAA title in the 5,000m with a time of 14:20.10
– Recorded a season-best 10,000m time of 29:04.56 at the Bryan Clay Invitational, ranking fourth on Chico State’s all-time top 10 list
– Posted a season-best 5,000m time of 14:05.34 at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, ranking fifth on Chico State’s all-time top 10 list
– Ran a season-best mile time of 4:07.03 at the Chico Invitational
– Won the 5,000m at the Johnny Mathis Track & Field Meet with a time of 14:23.39
– Won the 1,500m at the Wildcat Invitational with a season-best time of 3:50.77
– Helped Chico State win the distance medley relay at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic with a time of 10:07.54
As a Sophomore – Cross Country (2024)
– Earned All-America honors after placing 28th at the NCAA Championships with a 10k time of 30:15.4
– Won the NCAA West Region individual championship with a 10k time of 30:25.6
– Earned USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year honors
– Won the CCAA individual championship with an 8k time of 24:06.1
– Earned CCAA Runner of the Year honors
– Recorded a season-best 8k time of 23:28.9 at the Kim Duyst Twilight XC Invitational, placing third
– Placed ninth at the UAH Chargers XC Invitational with an 8k time of 24:03.5
– Helped Chico State win its 22nd consecutive CCAA Championship and eighth consecutive NCAA West Region title
As a Sophomore – Track & Field (2025)
– Placed fifth in the 5,000m at the CCAA Championships with a time of 14:40.16
– Ran a season-best 5,000m time of 14:00.05 at the Sacramento State Hornet Invite
– Posted a season-best mile time of 4:15.83 at the Chico Invitational
As a Freshman – Cross Country (2023)
– Earned All-West Region honors after placing 18th at the NCAA West Region Championships with a 10k time of 31:09.1
– Earned All-CCAA honors after placing second at the CCAA Championships with an 8k time of 24:46.6
– Competed at the NCAA Championships, finishing 48th with a 10k time of 30:28.8
– Won the Ash Creek Collegiate Invite with a 6k time of 17:27.6
– Placed second at the San Francisco State Invitational with an 8k time of 24:49.8
As a Freshman – Track & Field (2024)
– Earned All-West Region honors in the 10,000m
– Earned All-CCAA honors after placing second in the 5,000m at the CCAA Championships with a time of 14:21.09
– Recorded a season-best 10,000m time of 29:53.50 at the Franson Last Chance
– Ran a season-best 5,000m time of 14:21.09 at the CCAA Championships
– Posted a season-best 1,500m time of 3:50.04 at the Hornet Invite
– Clocked a season-best 3,000m time of 8:17.04 at the Hornet Invite
– Won the 5,000m at the Wildcat Invitational with a time of 14:45.38
– Placed second in the 1,500m at both the Hornet Invite and Wildcat Invitational
– Helped Chico State place second in the distance medley relay at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic with a time of 10:20.77
Personal
- Born February 11,
- Son of Scott and Meghan
- Has two siblings, Charlie (now his Chico State teammate) and Gino
- His hero is cartoonist Gary Larson (“He’s responsible for 51 percent of my total laughter, and that’s a conservative estimate”)
- The person he most admires in the sports world is long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge (“He is both an incredible athlete and a good person. He seems like a great role model and very positive guy”)
- Chose to attend Chico State “because of how much the team seemed to care about the sport and each other. Also, I wanted to get to run and go to school with my brother”
- His greatest sports moment is posting a time of 9:00 in the 3,200m run during his senior year of high school
- The most interesting thing he’s ever done is go camping next to a giant glacier in Alaska
- The most impressive thing he’s ever accomplished is doing 12 pull-ups in a row
- Has learned by competing in distance running that “being a good person is priority number one, even over running, school, or work”
- Enjoys drawing, and playing volleyball or ping-pong with friends when he has some free time
- Says his biggest non-sports talent is “drawing nature things, especially trees and fish”
- Can play the guitar, and can play the instrument behind his back
- At the top of his bucket list: “Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with my brothers”
- Majoring in ecological, organismal, and evolutionary biology
- Plans to eventually earn a master’s degree in watershed ecology.
Personal
- Born February 11
- Son of Scott and Meghan
- Has two siblings, Charlie (now his Chico State teammate) and Gino
- His hero is cartoonist Gary Larson (“He’s responsible for 51 percent of my total laughter, and that’s a conservative estimate”)
- The person he most admires in the sports world is long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge (“He is both an incredible athlete and a good person. He seems like a great role model and very positive guy”)
- Chose to attend Chico State “because of how much the team seemed to care about the sport and each other. Also, I wanted to get to run and go to school with my brother”
- His greatest sports moment is posting a time of 9:00 in the 3,200m run during his senior year of high school
- The most interesting thing he’s ever done is go camping next to a giant glacier in Alaska
- The most impressive thing he’s ever accomplished is doing 12 pull-ups in a row
- Has learned by competing in distance running that “being a good person is priority number one, even over running, school, or work”
- Enjoys drawing, and playing volleyball or ping-pong with friends when he has some free time
- Says his biggest non-sports talent is “drawing nature things, especially trees and fish”
- Can play the guitar, and can play the instrument behind his back
- At the top of his bucket list: “Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with my brothers”
- Majoring in ecological, organismal, and evolutionary biology
- Plans to eventually earn a master’s degree in watershed ecology.
