Giovanni Lanaro

Giovanni Lanaro

  • Nickname:
    "Gio"
  • Title:
    Head Coach - Women's Cross Country / Men's Track & Field
  • Phone:
    909-274-5224
  • Email:
    glanaro@mtsac.edu
  • Year:
    6th (Head Coach), 17th overall
  • High School:
    West Covina
  • Team:
    Men's and Women's Cross Country / Track & Field
  • Event(s):
    Pole Vault / High Jump / Multi Events
  • Accolades:
    2016 USA Track and Field National Collegiate Pole Vault Coach of the Year | 2022 SCC All-Sports Women's Coach of the Year
  • University/College:
    Mt. SAC/Cal State Fullerton
  • Mt. SAC Starting Year:
    2006

In his 17th season with the program, Giovanni Lanaro takes over the reigns of the men's program for a second season and will step aside as the Women's Head Coach after 5 seasons. A former "World Class" and Olympic Pole Vaulter, Lanaro brings excitement and knowledge to the Mt. SAC Program working primarily with the pole vaulters, high jumpers and multi eventers. His knowledge and his ability to share and teach it, has been invaluable to Mounties Track and Field Program.

Last season (2022), due to the untimely passing of Head Coach Ron Kamaka, Lanaro directed both the men's and women's program to the "Triple Crown," winning conference, Southern California and California State Championships.  In 2021, he also directed the women's cross country program to the "Triple Crown" and was named the 2021-2022 South Coast Conference All-Sports Women's Coach of the Year. 

Since taking over the vault and high jump crews he has worked with an amazing 7 individual pole vault state champions (Cameron Van Dieren-2012, Tiziana Ruiz-2014, Reed Scale -2015, Giovanni Hernandez-2016, Christian Mueller-2018, Darla Gonzalez-2019, Calvin "Gus" Oury-2021 ), one high jump state champion (Joseph Bryant) and numerous state finalists.  In the pole vault, Lanaro guided Darla Gonzalez to the college record of 13'03"1/2 (4.05M) and vaulters Hernandez and Scale over the 17'00" (5.20M) mark.

In 2017, Lanaro was honored by the USA Track and Field Pole Vault Development/High Performance Committee as the 2016 National Collegiate (all U.S. universities and colleges) Pole Vault Coach of the Year for his phenomenal work with the Mt. SAC Vaulters during the 2016 season.

Lanaro's vaulting career is an incredible one.  His personal best before entering Mt. SAC was a mere 11 feet, 6 inches.  During his freshman year, Lanaro, captured the 2000 California State Community College State Championship and placed 4th at the USATF Junior National Championships.  During his sophomore season, he captured the 2001 USA National Community College Championship and broke the long time school record of 17'01" held concurrently by legendary vaulters Bob Seagren (Olympic Gold and Silver Medalist) and Bill Halverson. That season he surpassed the former record an incredible 8 times, finishing his Mt. SAC career with a best jump of 17'08"1/2 (17'06"1/2 in season).

After Mt. SAC, Lanaro continued his career at California State University at Fullerton (CSUF), under the guidance of current Mt. SAC Head Coach, Ron Kamaka. While at Fullerton, he garnered the Cal State Fullerton Record (18'04"1/2) and three NCAA Divison 1 All-American Honors.  In 2021, Lanaro was inducted into the CSUF Athletics Hall of Fame, becoming the first male track & field athlete to be enshrined.

After finishing college, Lanaro returned back home to Mt. SAC to train and coach alongside former Mt. SAC Track & Field Coach and longtime USATF Men's and Women's Pole Vault National Chair, Brian Yokoyama. 

Lanaro who has dual citizenship with the US and Mexico, represented Mexico at 4 World Outdoor Championships, 2 World Indoor Championships, the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (Greece) and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing (China). At the 2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow (Russia), Lanaro put his mark in the world scene by placing 4th.  The following year, at the 2007 Mt. SAC Relays, he vaulted over 19'01" (5.82M) to set a new Mexican, Central American, Hilmer Lodge Stadium and Mt. SAC Relays Record.  The mark established him as one top pole vaulters in the world and placed him among the world's top ten pole vaulters, a super elite group he continued to be a part of for 6 more seasons.

Lanaro became a full-time professor in the Kinesiology Department at Mt. SAC in 2015.  He received his Bachelors Degree in Kinesiology from Cal State Fullerton and his Masters Degree in Kinesiology from Azusa Pacific University. Lanaro resides in Upland (CA) with his beautiful wife, Mireya (Beltran), a former Mountie and Mexican Heptathlon Record Holder along with their young children, daughter Giuliana and son Noah.


Click here to view the South Coast Conference All-Sports Coach of the Year article on Giovanni Lanaro

Click here to view the IAAF Article on Giovanni Lanaro prior to the 2006 World Indoor Championships in Moscow. 


Updated 09/15/22