88 of the 95 UC Santa Barbara Track and Field athletes went to high school in California. 94 of them went to high school in America.

Stina Johansson, the exception, grew up running along the green pastures and serene lakes of Sweden.  She was always intrigued by America, and hoped to one day get the chance to visit. Today, she is the captain of the UC Santa Barbara Cross Country team where she competes as one of the university's leading distance runners. 

Stina's initial reason for coming to America wasn't to pursue running. Johansson moved to the U.S. immediately after graduating high school to become an au pair. After her tenure with the au pair program ended, Stina opted to stay in America, attend community college, and start running again.

After two years of outstanding running at Ventura Community College and winning the CCCAA State Title in the 3K steeplechase, Johansson transferred to UC Santa Barbara. 

"After thinking about it a lot and considering my other options, I just couldn't see myself anywhere else," Johansson said. "This was the place where I would learn and grow the most; athletically, academically, and personally."

Stina began her running journey at a young age in her home town of Tranås, participating in her local track program during her elementary years. She tried out all of the events, even the shot put. As she grew, her coaches noticed her talent for running and put her in progressively longer races, eventually placing her in distance events. As she ran farther and farther distances, running became a way of interacting with the world.

"To me, running is also about exploring new places and being out on adventures in nature," Johansson said. "If you know me, you probably know that I will do an 'exploration run' or 'adventure run' in every new place that I go and to me that's what running is all about: the freedom, excitement, and simplicity of just letting your legs take you across new grounds and being completely in the moment, exploring and discovering new places you probably never otherwise would have found." 

She ultimately fell in love with the steeplechase, an event where runners race 7.5 laps around the track while jumping over barriers and a water pit during every lap. While many runners may be averse to the added difficulties of water and hurdles, Johansson enjoys the extra challenge. 

"It's just such a fun event. I love everything about it. It keeps you engaged in a different way compared to the flat distance events and it's a different kind of challenge," Johansson said. "Jumping over stuff when you're tired is hard and there are so many different components in a steeple race that all have to fall into place at the same time; something that is really hard to do, but when it clicks, it's just so exciting and thrilling and you just wanna do it again and again. I know the steeple is not for everyone though and it may take a specific type of person to do it; it can be pretty brutal, unpredictable, and chaotic, but I love that about it." 

Stina's love for running is exemplified through her performances. She was a consistent frontrunner for the Gauchos during the 2023 cross country season. She placed 12th overall in the women's 6K at the Big West Championships and was the first finisher for UC Santa Barbara in multiple races throughout the season. Stina is also ranked in UC Santa Barbara's all-time rankings for multiple events. Stina is seventh all-time for the 5K (17:22.5) and 19th all-time in the 6K (20:49.7) for cross country. In track, she is third all-time in the indoor 3K (9:51.5) and 11th all-time in the 3K steeplechase (10:42.1). 

Her success not only comes from a great deal of talent, but also a drive to achieve. UC Santa Barbara's distance coach Jason Zarb-Cousin admires her for her resilience and drive. 

"Her work ethic and her desire to be the best at our craft was very apparent from the very first moment I met her," Zarb-Cousin said. "She's probably one of the hardest workers I've seen in my career, in terms of always doing the right thing at the right time and always making sure that she is prepared and ready to compete." 

Stina's approach to running inspires her teammates. Her teammate and fellow captain Sarah Auther admires her optimism and commitment to the sport. 

"I would say Stina's approach to being an athlete is centered around dedication and consistency as she is one of the most dedicated athletes I know. I always see her going above and beyond to do anything that could help her improve as a runner," Auther said. "She is very focused on her goals which is really inspiring to have on a team. That being said, as dedicated and responsible as she is, she still manages to keep things fun during practice and that's a rare thing to find."

It is this very consistency that keeps Stina on course, even in the face of adversity. She has battled ongoing shin and leg injuries the past couple of years and must align her workouts to protect them. She alters her training regimen, innovating new ways to treat her complications. She works with her coach to push her with innovative warmups that keep her challenged without getting hurt

"It's great to have that person that is so invested in their sport that they want to challenge me as a coach, which is great," Zarb-Cousin said.  

She also stays focused when things go wrong, for example, race day complications. During one meet, her event time moved up significantly, and she had to run the race relatively unprepared. She scored a personal record in this race, however, which is a testament to her ability to adapt. 

"I think Stina's success comes from a genuine love for the sport in combination with a lot of dedication. She is always doing things with intentionality and is often the last person to leave the track on the women's side," Auther said. "This has taken her far because she does the things others may not want to do but it makes her that much better. It's also very apparent to anyone who sees Stina run that she loves it, and that is a big reason why she is so successful. It can be hard to come to practice everyday and run as many miles as she does but she makes it look easy."

Stina's tenacity and devotion has an important impact on the team as well. 

"She's really, really easy to coach because there's everything that's asked of her and, and more and is but also as a good teammate, you know, your teammates," Zarb-Cousin said. "She definitely has an influence on even the upperclassmen, because it is a pretty big class and I think a lot of the girls look up to her. Not only was she a top runner or captain, but you know, she's also a huge role model for us." 

Stina grew to love the team aspect of running, and it even helped her to discover a new fondness for cross country as a sport. 

"Before coming here, I had never experienced running cross country as a team and had no idea running could have such a big team aspect to it," Johansson said. "So I actually went from highly disliking cross country back in Sweden, which also was due to the weather being extremely cold and bad during XC season, to absolutely loving it now over here." 

And, the team loves her.

"Since she joined two years ago, Stina has brought such a positive energy to the team. We often joke about how happy she is to be running everyday even if it's at 7 in the morning," Auther said. "Apart from her positivity everyday, it's clear that she has a passion for the sport. This has impacted the team chemistry because just being her teammate makes you want to be better as a result. She is also very knowledgeable about track, especially steeple, and others often look to her for advice."

Johansson actually quit running after high school, feeling burnt out and ready for another path. However, while at UC Santa Barbara, she rediscovered her passion. 

"These past couple years have been full of so much growth. I've learned so much, not only about the sport, competition, and training, but also about myself and what I ultimately want to do with my life," Johansson said. "I think being on the team here at UCSB really showed me that I want to stay in this sport forever, empower others, and help others reach their goals as well and I don't think I would have fully realized that if it wasn't for the interactions and experiences I've had here."

Running has helped Johansson define herself as a person. To her, it represents more than just a sport, but a way of being. 

"It means so much. It's such an important part of my daily life and who I am and it truly is my happy place," Johansson said. "I'm also a person with a ton of energy, and a lot of thoughts and things going on in my brain constantly and I think running has always been the perfect outlet for me to run off that excess energy and calm my brain down somewhat. I think it just keeps me in balance in a way." 

Johansson plans to continue running after graduation and carry the sport with her as long as she can.  

"I don't think I'm ever going to quit. As I said before, I kind of need it to function. I plan to continue competing for a bit too. I know I'm nowhere near running as a pro, but I don't think I'm done racing or that I have reached my full potential yet," Johansson said. "I will probably move on to the little longer distances, maybe to the roads, then eventually I might move on to the trails too, but I also don't think I'm completely done with the steeple yet either."