Arianna Ghiorso is ready for return to NAIA Cross Country Championships

Enough was enough.

After spending hours taxiing her four children to various youth sports across town, Micheline Ghiorso made a choice she believed would allow her family to spend more quality time together.

She pulled each of her kids, including Master’s sophomore Arianna Ghiorso, out of their activities and placed them into a running club that would consolidate their schedules.

“Arianna was doing soccer and ballet, and the boys were doing soccer,” Micheline says. “My oldest (Francesca) was doing ballet. We were running around like crazy.”

Then came another revelation.

“We found out she was fast,” Micheline says of Arianna, who will represent Master’s for the second time at the NAIA Cross Country Championships in Vancouver, Washington, on Friday.

Really, Micheline and Mark Ghiorso remembered their daughter was fast – or at least she was supposed to be. Doctors had diagnosed Arianna with hip dysplasia as a 2-year-old, a development they said she would grow out of, and something that would boost her ability to run in the future.

It’s hard to argue.

Ghiorso qualified for a return trip to NAIA nationals earlier this month by finishing third at the Golden State Athletic Conference finals in Orange, California. It was the second time in as many years she finished third at the event, and this time, because of her own expectations, it came as a bit of a disappointment: She wanted to win the conference’s individual crown, a reasonable goal based on previous performance. 

She plans to bounce back in a big way Friday at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, in part, because she now employs a more confident mindset than last year, when she finished 86th at nationals.

“Coach (Zach Schroeder) has told me that in order to accomplish your goal, you can’t have a doubt in your mind that you’ll do it,” she said. “I think the difference going into this year versus last is that I actually believe I’m capable of being an All-American.”

Ghiorso wasn’t the only one of her siblings to excel after Micheline placed them in a running club. Arianna’s older brother, Anthony, runs for Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa. The brother and sister each qualified for NAIA cross country and track and field nationals last season, giving them two opportunities to catch up and support each other. 

“I’m very proud of her,” Anthony says. “She’s made great progress athletically at Master’s. Coach Zach has been so good for her and she has complete trust in him, and now she’s seeing great improvements in her times and confidence because of it.”

It was Ghiorso’s high school coach who first told her she could run in college. 

After joining a small Christian running club with her siblings at age 10, Ghiorso progressed to a YMCA team and then onto the squad at Rocky Mountain High in Meridian, Idaho, where she finished 19th at the state cross country championships as a junior. 

As far as choosing a college, Ghiorso wanted a Christian university where she could compete at a high level. She met Schroeder and his wife, Amie, an assistant coach, and the trio established an instant connection. 

Ghiorso prayed about the decision and ultimately felt the Lord was calling her to Master’s. 

“The kind of coach she runs for is really important to her,” Micheline said. “She had a connection with Zach and Amie from the beginning. So I could see that and I knew she was looking for not just a Christian school, she was looking for a school that really stood behind what it taught and wasn’t just Christian in name only. Master’s really stood behind who they said they were and Christianity would be a part of her daily life, every aspect and in every classroom.” 

The Mustangs are glad to have her. 

After proving to be the perfect sidekick for senior Mikala Tockstein, TMU’s No. 1 runner last season, Ghiorso was forced to step into the team’s top spot in year two. The transition has had its challenging moments, but she believes she’s better for it. 

“It’s taught me to race toward the top,” Ghiorso said, adding, “(Because I know) I’m the top runner, it helps me believe I can run with the top girls from other schools, too.”

Schroeder expects similar results Friday at 11:30 a.m. from an athlete he calls one of the most-coachable runners he’s ever worked with. 

“We hope to see her be exactly the same girl she's been all season long,” Schroeder said. “We expect to see a confident, go-to-the-front effort that produces an All-American award.”

Micheline and Mark will also be on hand to watch a woman they’ve seen compete since she was 10. 

“That girl is Mach 2 with her hair on fire,” Micheline says. “She is the sweetest girl and doesn’t have an unkind word for anyone, but at the same time, she is a fierce competitor.”