Completed Event: Cross Country at George Kyte Classic on August 30, 2025 , , M: 3rd out of 13 | W: 6th out of 10
XC
at George Kyte Classic
M: 3rd out of 13 | W: 6th out of 10
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Johansson joins cross country staff
9/6/2024 1:20:00 PM | Cross Country
Former student-athlete ran for Houlihan at UC Santa Barbara
Grand Canyon cross country head coach Shayla Houlihan announced the addition of Stina Johansson to the Lopes staff as an assistant coach.
Johansson ran cross country at UC Santa Barbara under Houlihan, who was the Gauchos' head coach at the time.
"I feel very fortunate that Coach Johansson will be joining me and coaching alongside me this season," said Houlihan, who was named GCU's cross country coach in July. "I had the privilege to recruit and coach Stina at UCSB in my time there. As we continue to build the men's and women's cross country program, Stina will bring a wealth of knowledge with her. She's a great technical coach with her background as a steeplechaser.
"Stina will bring an international presence to our team in a multitude of ways: international recruiting, precision when it comes to all of the ancillary exercises and beyond. Her positivity and love she has for the athletes is the basis of what I build programs on and she brings that energy everyday. She is a one of a kind and we are truly blessed to have her on staff."
Johansson joined the Lopes in late August for early-season training. GCU has one meet under its belt after competing in the George Kyte Classic in Flagstaff last week.
"I'm excited to join GCU and for the opportunity to not only contribute to the development of our athletes, but also to learn under Coach Houlihan," Johansson said. "She had a huge impact on me when coaching me at UC Santa Barbara, and I'm thrilled to coach alongside her as I continue to grow in my leadership.
"While I'm getting my master's in Sport Psychology, I'm also hoping to apply some of that knowledge to the track and help our athletes on the mental side of sport performance as well. I'm very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to contributing to the success of our team and the GCU community."
A native of Tranås, Sweden, Johansson began her collegiate career at Ventura College in California before transferring to UC Santa Barbara for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cross country and track and field seasons.
At Ventura, she won the 3,000-meter steeplechase title for the California Community College Athletic Association.
At UCSB, she was the lone international student-athlete on a track and field roster of 95 individuals. She finished her career in the UCSB record books at:Â seventh all-time for the 5k (17:22.5), 19th all-time in the 6k (20:49.7), third all-time in the indoor 3k (9:51.5) and 11th all-time in the 3k steeplechase (10:42.1).
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Johansson ran cross country at UC Santa Barbara under Houlihan, who was the Gauchos' head coach at the time.
"I feel very fortunate that Coach Johansson will be joining me and coaching alongside me this season," said Houlihan, who was named GCU's cross country coach in July. "I had the privilege to recruit and coach Stina at UCSB in my time there. As we continue to build the men's and women's cross country program, Stina will bring a wealth of knowledge with her. She's a great technical coach with her background as a steeplechaser.
"Stina will bring an international presence to our team in a multitude of ways: international recruiting, precision when it comes to all of the ancillary exercises and beyond. Her positivity and love she has for the athletes is the basis of what I build programs on and she brings that energy everyday. She is a one of a kind and we are truly blessed to have her on staff."
Johansson joined the Lopes in late August for early-season training. GCU has one meet under its belt after competing in the George Kyte Classic in Flagstaff last week.
"I'm excited to join GCU and for the opportunity to not only contribute to the development of our athletes, but also to learn under Coach Houlihan," Johansson said. "She had a huge impact on me when coaching me at UC Santa Barbara, and I'm thrilled to coach alongside her as I continue to grow in my leadership.
"While I'm getting my master's in Sport Psychology, I'm also hoping to apply some of that knowledge to the track and help our athletes on the mental side of sport performance as well. I'm very grateful for this opportunity and look forward to contributing to the success of our team and the GCU community."
A native of Tranås, Sweden, Johansson began her collegiate career at Ventura College in California before transferring to UC Santa Barbara for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cross country and track and field seasons.
At Ventura, she won the 3,000-meter steeplechase title for the California Community College Athletic Association.
At UCSB, she was the lone international student-athlete on a track and field roster of 95 individuals. She finished her career in the UCSB record books at:Â seventh all-time for the 5k (17:22.5), 19th all-time in the 6k (20:49.7), third all-time in the indoor 3k (9:51.5) and 11th all-time in the 3k steeplechase (10:42.1).
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