SAN FRANCISCO – Director of athletics Brad Jones has officially designated head softball coach Sonja Garnett as the Academy of Art athletics department senior woman administrator.

"I look forward to being a part of the future of this department as the SWA under the leadership of Brad Jones," said Garnett. "This position is going to provide an opportunity to be more involved with our department's student-athletes and staff, the best parts of athletics."

Garnett, newly appointed member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American ranking committee, is approaching her fourth season at the helm of ART U Softball. After joining the program in the summer of 2014, she guided the Urban Knights to their best record in three years that following spring, breaking several school records in the process. Highlights of the seasons that followed included an upset of No. 16 California Baptist, the highest ranked team Academy of Art had faced since 2011, and the first two no-hitters thrown in ART U history last season by freshman pitcher Hannah Rose Balke.

Over the course of three years, Garnett's program has won 25+ games in two seasons and featured 12 All-PacWest Team selections, 29 Academic All-PacWest honorees, five DII Easton/NFCA Scholar-Athletes, 13 PacWest weekly awards, as well as one Daktronics and NFCA All-Region Team member.

"In getting to know Sonja over the past few months, I've been very impressed with her program as a whole," said Jones. "She is going to be a strong asset administratively and we look forward to doing some great things together."

One of the top pitchers in the history of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), Garnett spent two seasons as an assistant coach for Cal State Monterey Bay, helping the program win the CCAA Championship (third to date) and then go on to reach NCAA Super Regionals for the first time ever in 2014. That year, CSUMB produced the most wins in program history (48) and carried three Daktronics All-Americans. When all was said and done, the Otters were ranked #11 nationally on the final National Fastpitch Coaches Association NCAA DII Top 25 poll.
 
Garnett got her start as an assistant at her alma mater, San Francisco State, for the 2007 season. Garnett helped lead the Gators to three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances as SFSU won the 2005 West Regional and went on to a fifth place finish at the NCAA Division II World Series that season. She also served as an assistant coach at Whittier College in 2011.

Owner of a stellar playing career as a SF State Gator herself, Garnett earned both NFCA All-America honors and was CCAA Pitcher of the Year on three occasions. Garnett ended her collegiate career holding the seven major pitching marks in the SFSU record books: wins (103), saves (11), ERA (0.96), strikeouts (609), appearances (188), complete games (127), and innings pitched (1,068.2). She still ranks among the NCAA leaders in appearances, innings pitched, saves, starts, and wins.

In the classroom, Garnet twice captured ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII honors while earning her bachelor's in liberal studies at San Francisco State. She went on to earn her master's in kinesiology with an emphasis in sports management from Long Beach State, graduating with a 4.0 grade point average and taking the Outstanding Capstone Award for her final project.

Currently in her fourth year with Academy of Art, Garnett will begin as the department's senior woman administrator effective immediately.

"I look forward to being a part of creating and carrying out the vision of our department," said Garnett. "I am passionate about Academy of Art, our student-athletes, and our brand as a department. I look forward to making an impact through this role."