Pioneer Athlete Spotlight on Gianna Kougios, Clayton Valley Charter High
CONCORD, CA (July 30, 2024) — Since the age of seven, Kougios has been making a splash in both her athletics and academics as she excelled in swimming as well as club leadership, internships and in the classroom. Kougios first swam on the Oakhurst Swim Team and eventually landed on the Dana Hills team where she is completing her final season this summer.
At Clayton Valley Charter, Kougios participated on the varsity swim team all four years and the JV water polo team. During her high school career, she received all-Diablo Athletic League honors three times.
Her sophomore year in 2022, her medley relay team placed ninth in the fastest CVCHS times, which they surpassed this spring while setting the all-time best Ugly Eagles mark. Kougios also qualified for the North Coast Section meet three years in a row and made top five in all her events at the DAL Championships her junior year.
Coach Niki Rodriguez says, “Gianna is without question one of the hardest working, sweetest and most dedicated kids I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach. She is one of the most consistent swimmers I have ever seen. . .Gianna is one of those kids I am going to miss so much.”
Kougios associates her swimming ability with the skills she learned from dance and gymnastics as a child. Outside of the pool, Kougios excels in the classroom, earning a 4.13 GPA. She was a part of the CVCHS Engineering Academy and the California Scholarship Federation. She was also the co-chair of volunteering in the Senior Women Club where she organized a Breast Cancer Awareness Walk-A-Thon.
During her junior summer, Kougios was the first high school intern hired by the Walnut Creek architectural firm AVELAR and she is interning there again this summer in preparation for her college courses. She is looking forward to attending the University of Arizona in the fall to major in architecture and hopefully join a swim team.
The Pioneer congratulates Gianna and thanks Athlete Spotlight sponsors Dr. Laura Lacey & Dr. Christopher Ruzicka who have been serving the Clayton and Concord area for over three decades at Family Vision Care Optometry.
Do you know a young athlete who should be recognized? Perhaps he or she has shown exceptional sportsmanship, remarkable improvement, or a great heart for the sport. Send your nomination for the Pioneer Athlete Spotlight today to sports@pioneerpublishers.com.
Corinne Jeandheur
Corinne Jeandheur is a senior at Clayton Valley Charter High School. She runs on the CVCHS cross country team in the fall as well as competing on the track and field team in the spring. She also plays the piano and bakes in her free time. Jeandheur is a member of the CVCHS Engineering and Design Academy and concluded her sophomore year with a 4.33 GPA. She is serving as co-president of the California Scholarship Federation at Clayton Valley Charter this school year and continuing her academic and community involvement in the National Honor Society. She is very pleased to be writing the monthly Athlete Spotlight for the Pioneer.