Click here to view Mario Giannini's TFRRS Profile
Notable Cross Country Awards
• USTFCCCA All-American (2024)
• CCAA Runner of the Year (2024)
• USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year (2024)
• CCAA Individual Champion (2024)
• CCAA Newcomer of the Year (2023)
• All-CCAA (2023, 2024)
• NCAA All-West Region (2023, 2024)
• CCAA Runner of the Week (Sept. 11, 2023)
As a Sophomore - T&F (2025)
- Only appeared in two meets
- Placed fifth in the 5,000m (14:40.16) at the CCAA Championships
- Made debut in the mile (4:15.83) at the Chico Invitational
As a Sophomore - XC (2024)
- Selected All-American after finishing 28th overall af the NCAA Championships with a 10K personal-best time of 30:15.4
- Voted USTFCCCA West Region Athlete of the Year
- Won the NCAA West Regional in 30:25.6 (10K)
- Captured the CCAA Championship medalist award after winning the conference meet in 24:06.1
- Selected CCAA Runner fo the Year
- Ran a personal-best time of 23:28.9 (8K) in the season-opening Kim Duyst Twilight
- Placed ninth out of 336 runners at the Alabama Huntsville Charger Invitational
As a Freshman - XC (2023)
- Voted CCAA Newcomer of the Year
- Ran a time of 30:28.8 (10K) for 48th place at the NCAA Championships
- Earned NCAA All-West Region after finishing 18th in 31:09.1 (10K)
- Finished second behind winner and teammate Dylan White at the CCAA Championships in 24:46.6
- Took second at San Francisco State Invitational in 24:49.8 (8K)
- Won the Ash Creek Collegiate Invite in 17:27.6 (6K) in collegiate cross country debut
As a Freshman - T&F (2023)
- Did not compete
As a Freshman - XC (2022)
- Did not compete
Pre-Chico Days
- Joins his brother Charlie on the Wildcat roster in 2022
- During his senior year at Chico High School, developed into one of the best distance runners in Northern Section history
- As a senior, captured his second career Northern Section Cross Country Championship November 10, 2021 with a three-mile time of 15:29.2—the third fastest time ever run on the Northern Section course
- Broke the Bidwell Park course record on the way to winning the Eastern Athletic League XC title November 4, 2021 with a 5,000m time of 15:29.6
- Concluded his senior cross country season with a 5k time of 15:24.9, good for eighth place at the November 27, 2021 State Championships
- Helped lead the Panthers to the 2019 Northern Section XC championship
- On the track, Giannini would break two long-standing school records with a 1,600m time of 4:12.18 May 13, 2022 at the Northern Section Division I Championships (ranking him fourth on the all-time Northern Section list in the event), and a 9:00.59 3,200m time May 20, 2022 en route to winning the Northern Section title and posting the third fastest time ever by a Northern Section athlete.
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.
