2010-11 Swimming & Diving Roster
Alex Gianino
- Position:
- Freestyle, Breaststroke, Individual Medley
- Class:
- Freshman
- Hometown:
- Yonkers, N.Y.
- High School:
- Hackley School
Career Best Times: 57.12 in 100-yard breaststroke; 2:00.43 in 200-yard breaststroke; 1:48.47 in 200-yard individual medley; 3:50.08 in 400-yard individual medley.
2012-13: Co-captain of the Tar Heels with senior Brett Nagle.
2011-12: Had nothing short of a spectacular sophomore year…placed in the Top 10 of three individual events at the ACC Championships…took fifth in the 400 IM in 3:50.62…was eighth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:01.06…captured 10th place in the 200 IM in 1:48.47…also had an excellent Nike Cup meet highlighted by a pair of runner-up individual finishes…he was second in the 200 IM in 1:49.46 and in the 400 IM in 3:51.24…in his third individual event he was sixth in the 200 breaststroke in 2:02.42…also swam on two freestyle relay teams which took Top 10 placings at the Nike Cup…won the 400 IM in the dual meet versus NC State.
2010-11: Won the 400 IM in the dual meet against Duke in what was then a career best 3:51.13…captured two events at the College Cup Invitational…took the 400 IM in a new career best of 3:50.08 and the 200 breast in a then personal best 2:01.29.
Prep: Graduated from The Hackley School in Tarrytown, N .Y. on June 12, 2010…swam from 2005-10 as a club and high school swimmer, specializing in the 200 & 400 IMs and the 200 breast…was coached in high school by John Gillard…swam for the Badger Swim Club under coach John Collins…team captain…four-year All-League honoree…a scholastic All-America choice…garnered All-America honors in the 200 IM…named Con-Edison athlete of the week award…holds school records in the 100 breast, 100 free, 200 free, 200 IM and 400 IM and league marks in the 200 IM and 100 breast…Metropolitan Swimming LSC and Badger Swim Club record holder in 400 IM at 3:52.35…Empire State Games and Westchester County Swim Association record holder in 200 IM…won Hackley academic honors.
Personal: Full name is Alexander James Gianino…son of Anthony Gianino and Katherine Cefola…was born November 10, 1992 in Bronxville, N.Y. …has a brother and a sister…stands 6-1 tall… exercise and sports science major…has been active in the Carolina Leadership Academy both as a CREED mentor and a CLA Rising Star.
20 Questions With Junior Alex Gianino
Section #1: Swimming & Diving
1. The best thing about being a Tar Heel swimmer is feeling like part of a brotherhood.
2. My favorite thing about competing for Coach DeSelm is that Rich is a great coach that truly cares about the well being of his swimmers.
3. Since last year the aspect of my training I’ve worked on the most is finesse.
4. My best friend on another college swimming team is Mike McViker at Brown.
5. My greatest strength as a swimmer is the element of surprise.
Section #2: Hobbies & Interests
1. Away from the pool and academic pursuits I like to spend time playing golf and watching sporting events at UNC.
2. The best movie I’ve seen recently is Prometheus.
3. If I could compete in another sport at UNC it would be women’s volleyball.
4. The music act I’d most like to see in person is Hootie & the Blowfish.
5. The personal interest I have that might surprise my teammates is deep sea fishing.
Section #3: Food & Beverage
1. After a big meet, I’d like to eat at a buffet spread that included sausage egg and cheese, chocolate chip pancakes and French toast.
2. My favorite beverage is milk.
3. My favorite food made by a relative is California Roast.
4. My favorite place to eat in Chapel Hill is Spanky’s.
5. My favorite guilty pleasure food wise is Oreo’s.
Section #4: Personality
1. If I possessed the gift of time travel I’d like to go to the ancient Chinese opium den where dodgeball began.
2. My most prized personal possession is my wrist band.
3. If I could go to dinner with a famous person it would be the King himself (Elvis).
4. My dream job is to be the general manager for the New York Knickerbockers.
5. The most interesting person I’ve met at UNC is Sir John Thomas Stilley aka TJ Stunna.
