Sacred Heart Cathedral is proud to announce the appointment of Craig Gianinno '89 as the new Mental Performance Coach, the first of its kind within the SHC Athletics program.
Gianinno, a certified Mental Performance Coach, brings more than 25 years of experience as an educator, coach and mentor in both high school and collegiate athletics. His leadership extended to the collegiate level as Director of Player Development for the University of San Francisco's Baseball Program (2017-2023), and to high school athletics as Head Baseball Coach at Junipero Serra High School (2009-2017), where he guided championship-winning teams in the West Catholic Athletic League and earned 2012 Coach of the Year honors. His dedication to athletic excellence has been recognized through numerous accolades, including Hall of Fame inductions at Bellevue University. He is the founder of the American Baseball Coaches Association Leadership and Culture Panel. He also served as Assistant Varsity Coach for SHC Boys Baseball in 1999.
"I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return home to San Francisco and serve my alma mater, Sacred Heart Cathedral. I'm excited to be at the genesis of building a Mental Performance program that strengthens and supports all the hard work our coaches and student-athletes pour into their craft every day." Gianinno said.
In this newly created role, Gianinno will focus on enhancing psychological readiness, emotional resilience, and faith-aligned character development among SHC student-athletes. The program will provide mental skills training designed to elevate performance under pressure while nurturing personal and spiritual growth in alignment with Sacred Heart Cathedral's mission and values.
"We are thrilled to bring Coach Gianinno onto the SHC Athletics staff. He is a veteran coach in culture building, leadership development and mental performance, and will be a great resource for our student-athletes and coaches," Athletic Director Margi Beima said.
"We've been very blessed to have the transformative leadership initiative at Sacred Heart Cathedral. This is another area beyond the classroom where we are enhancing the great value of holistic education in transforming the futures of the students in our care," President Melinda Skrade said.
Gianinno holds a Master of Arts in Education. He has been a credentialed teacher in both New Jersey and California. He also has a Bachelor of Arts from Bellevue University, where he was a member of the 1995 College World Series National Championship team.
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