Giancarlo Joyner '21 Recruiting Profile

Overview

I learned early in my track and field career--as a third-grader at the CYO Diocese of Oakland (California) Championships—that there will probably be someone faster than you in any race you enter, even if your name is Noah Lyles. In fact, most days you don’t win your race because sometimes you’re the freshman competing against juniors and seniors—which I did in nearly every meet my first year at Bishop O’Dowd High School. I qualified 23rd of 24 400m runners for the NCS Bayshore Conference Championships. At Bayshore, I won my heat, managed to PR and finished 10^th  of 24—the only freshman in the top 10. Even though I didn’t make it to the Meet of Champions state qualifier, this still felt like a win for me. One reason I love track and field is that winning isn’t the only measure of success. Working hard, steadily improving, beating my PR and scoring points for my team are equally valid metrics.

This year as a junior, my academic goals include raising my GPA to 4.0—not an easy feat at such an academically challenging private school as O’Dowd. But I’m confident I will succeed by virtue of my first honors and AP classes, together with greater maturity and focus. My athletic goals include going sub-50 in the 400m, sub-2:00 in the 800m and sub-3:24 in the 4x400m relay. In my last race as a sophomore, I ran a PR of 51.67 in the 400m finals of the USATF Region 16 Championships. Based on that result, I believe my 400m goal is in range.

Another goal, of course, is to follow the lead of some of my O’Dowd teammates and compete at the next level. These inspirational teammates include fellow 400m runner, Tierra Robinson-Jones, who now runs at Texas A&M.  Seeing her run in the NCAA Championships and her team win the 4x400m relay inspires me to believe I can do the same. Her leg at the NCAA championships reminded me of the time she handed me the baton in the 4x400 at a league meet. She was the only female in the race because we needed another runner and unlike others, Tierra (like me) is always willing to run a 4x400 relay leg. She destroyed the guys on her leg, and as the anchor, I refused to lose the lead she gave me. She continues to be a role model today and came to one of our practices this summer to give us a pep talk.

In summary, being a scholar-athlete at an academically excellent university is the greatest thing I can imagine after high school. Continuing the passion and joy I have for track and field while continuing to prepare for a career in design and architecture is my vision for the future. 

Other things to know about me:

• How I got started: I first developed a love for running in first grade when my mom signed me up for flag football pee wee division. The idea of play flag footfall on my new best friend’s team sounded awesome to me as a 6-year-old. I had no idea how fast I was until the coaches rated me first in the peewee draft “combine.” That first season, I led the league with 32 touchdowns in 10 games and was named the athlete of the week in my local newspaper. Who knew how valuable speed could be? Shortly after discovering the potential of my speed, my parents and friends also encouraged me to try another sport: track and field. I competed in CYO track and field from third grade on, made it to Diocese every year, and took home a medal in the 100, 200, 400, long jump and 4x400. In 8th grade at our league (SACMAL) championships at Chabot College, I won the 400m, ran on the winning 4x100m relay, and took second in the long jump. This helped my school Canyon Middle School win SACMAL for the first time in 10 years.  

• Other inspirations: My mom and dad are track heads. My mother, who grew up in Italy, was a sprinter through the age of 16 and went to the Italy national championships. A highlight of her life was running in Torino on the same track as Pietro Mennea, the former 200m world record holder. My dad ran the 400m in high school and made it to the state meet in the 400m and 4x400m. His team won a medal in the latter. You should hear our conversations about track and field at the dinner table! My dad ran in Hawaii, a state of 1.5 million people. Conversely, I compete in a state of 39 million residents, by far the most competitive state in the country. It will be considerably tougher for me to get to state. But my philosophy is to set ambitious goals rather than limits because you never know!

• Other reasons I love track and field: Even though track and field—particularly the 400m and 800m--is a painful sport, it is one of the most personally rewarding.  The mind-over-matter discipline track requires helps me in many aspects of my life. That, together with the camaraderie and friendships, I've developed, not just within your team, but across teams and competitions, makes me believe I couldn't have chosen a better sport.