Gianna Cupertino '25 Recruiting Profile

Hello, my name is Gianna Cupertino, I am a senior at J.I. Case High School in Racine, WI graduating June 2025. I have been a multi-sport athlete my whole life. My athletic career began as a gymnast at age 4. I participated in competitive gymnastics for 10 years. Gymnastics provided a strong foundation for me physically and mentally.  Being a gymnast requires mental & physical stamina to be able to compete as an individual as well as a team member. Gymnastics taught me mental toughness, body & health awareness, as well as strong academic prioritization. Being a gymnast for a majority of my adolescent years allowed me to quickly learn how to balance schoolwork while committing 20 hours per week of practice in the gym. 

While continuing my gymnastics career, I was introduced to track & field when I was 8 years old. Track & field was a natural compliment to gymnastics as it allowed me to compete individually as well as support teammates and contribute to team overall success.  At the age of 14 as I was entering high school, I decided to finish gymnastics at level 9 and compliment my track career with volleyball. I played club volleyball and earned a spot on the Varsity High School team as a freshman. 

In my sophomore year, I decided to commit 100% of my time to track & field. I have always been very passionate about track and field. As mentioned earlier, my track career began at 8 year old when I began running sprints and transitioned to hurdles when I was 10 years old, quickly growing to be a strong passion of mine. In my sophomore year of indoor season I was ranked top 5 in the State with trajectory to have a very successful outdoor season.  As with all good things in life, 'hurdles' are necessary to grow and persevere.  As outdoor 2023 season was to begin, I suffered an avulsion fracture to my hip which took me out of the remainder of my sophomore season and the beginning of my indoor junior season.  With a strong determination to be back on the track and mental toughness, I was able to overcome this adversity with no surgery and successfully competed 3 outdoor meets of my junior year allowing me to successfully qualify to compete the 100M and 300M hurdles at the State level. I then continued my summer 2024 club track season competing the 100M hurdles, 400M hurdles and 4x100M relay.  I successfully qualified for the AAU Junior Olympics competing at a national level in the 400M hurdles. 

Complimenting my academics and athletic career, I also enjoy volunteering. Every year, I volunteer at the local Special Olympics track & field event. This is a true joy being able to work with others in a sport that brings me so much passion. I also work as a playground leader in the summer months working with young children helping them develop social skills and participate in various activities. Family is also extremely important to me as I am the oldest of three and strive to be a great role model for my siblings as well as my 11 younger cousins. 

My ultimate goal is to continue to excel academically as I pursue a career in Physical Therapy while continuing to pursue my passion for track & field by competing  at a collegiate level.