SAN FRANCISCO -- In its fourth year, the ARTY Awards offered the Academy of Art University student-athletes, coaches, and staff a chance to enjoy the numerous achievements of from ART U's various 2016-17 campaigns. The end-of-the-year banquet recognized Urban Knights from all 16 teams and featured honors for community service as well as academic and athletic excellence.

"I think this is event is extremely important because all these student-athletes put in such hard work during the year," said Assistant Athletics Director of Business Operations & External Relations Cameron De Lay. "It's great to come together for an awards ceremony to recognize all their accomplishments both inside and outside the classroom."

Continuing a tradition started last year, members from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee played a major role in the ceremony hosting and presenting awards throughout the night.

The event opened with the winners of the Community Service Award. With 100 percent participation by the team's student-athletes and coaches, baseball earned the honor after volunteering at more than eight events and averaging 16 hours of community service per student-athlete.

In the classroom, women's cross country/track & field runner Madeline Dignadice received the ARTY for Best Individual GPA, posting a 3.96 over her last two semesters in the School of Photography. On the team side, a collective 3.32 GPA over the last two semesters earned women's golf its second consecutive ARTY award for Best Team GPA.

Expanding recognition to the work done with head strength & condition coach Jessica Balzano in the weight room, two awards were introduced in 2017. Gender-specific "Beast Mode" ARTYs honors credited women's cross country/track & field runner Kaelyn Harbison and baseball pitcher Alexander Kuisel for their consistent efforts to improve their physical bodies.

"As a student-athlete, lifting is a huge requirement of being on a team," said Head Strength & Conditioning Coach Jessica Balzano. "It's super important to me that, in the weight room, student-athletes focus, take it seriously, and want to get better. Smiley and Alex are two of many of my seniors who I feel always give me 100 percent without complaining and always make an effort to be better. And I wanted to show my appreciation for the student-athletes who do this as well as show that the effort does not go unnoticed."

This year's ARTY for Record-Breaking Performance went to Annika Schneider of women's tennis following her achievement of 54 career doubles victories. That selection was followed by men's track & field sprinter Mobolade Ajomale earning the ARTY for Best Moment with his indoor 60m and 200m NCAA Division II National Championships that were less than two hours apart on Mar. 11.

As the winningest pitcher in program history after just her first season with the team, softball's Hannah Rose Balke picked up ARTYs Freshman of the Year. For his efforts leading men's cross country to its historic 11th place finish at NCAA DII Nationals, All-American Joshua Thorson took home ARTYs Newcomer of the Year.

Introduced in 2015, two more awards were announced that focused on "servant leadership" or one's responsibility to serve as a positive role model for others in all aspects of life. The gender-specific honors were named after two individuals dedicated to this concept, inaugural Director of Athletics Dr. Jamie Williams and former Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Meghan Bushnell. Each for their work in the community, dedication to their craft in the classroom, and inspirational efforts on the field, baseball's Jacob Green was bestowed the Dr. Jamie Williams Male Servant Leadership Award and softball's Jessica West received the Meghan Bushnell Female Servant Leadership Award.

Of the vastly talented Most Valuable Players for each gender, Ajomale and Alma Thell-Lenntorp were each selected as ARTYs Individual Athletes of the Year. Ajomale was an aforementioned two-time National Champion while Thell-Lenntorp offered the team's best singles record while helping the Urban Knights to Regionals for the third time in the past four years. For his work helping guide men's cross country to its best finish to date, director of track & field/cross country Torrey Olson was awarded ARTYs Coach of the Year.

"The ARTYs are a special event to be a part of and it is especially meaningful to receive this award in the context of how much the department has grown in my five years," said Olson. "The credit for the award goes, first and foremost, to the young men who competed for us this cross country season. The best teams and team moments are born from the athletes themselves and these guys dreamed big, put in the work, grew close, and gained confidence as a result of their efforts. I learned a ton from them and am thankful to have been able to contribute what I did. I am similarly thankful to my staff who both helped me do my job and did theirs so that I could keep my attention toward our Urban Knights this Fall."

For the second consecutive season, the ARTYs Team of the Year honor went to men's track & field after taking fifth at the NCAA Indoor National Championships with two national titles (Ajomale in 60m and 200m) and four All-Americans. The Urban Knights would also finish second at the PacWest Championships after taking eight titles.

A first-time event in the history of the ARTYs, the Urban Knight of the Year honor was shared by both Alma and Klara Thell-Lenntorp of tennis. Alma backed up her 3.90 GPA in the School of Communications & Media Technologies with an 18-1 singles record while fellow COM major Klara turned in a 3.75 GPA with a 15-4 singles record. Both produced more than 14 community service hours apiece and were 17-4 as a doubles tandem, achieving a national ranking as high as No. 5.

"Alma and Klara are not only great competitors, but every time they step on the court they want to be the best they can be for this program," said head coach Nicole Briceno-Garzon. "They strive to be better every day both academically and athletically and, as a coach, that is all you can ask for. We had a great season and year and they played an important role in that, but more importantly I am really proud of them for continuing to challenge themselves each day and each year believing in themselves more and more. I am looking forward to seeing them come back even stronger next year."

Full list of ARTYs winners below:
 

Fifth Year of the Year	Alexander McNally (TRK)
Community Service Award	Baseball
Best Individual GPA	Madeline Dignadice (WXC/TRK)
Best Team GPA	Women's Golf
Beast Mode	Kaelyn Harbison & Alexander Kuisel
Record-Breaking Performance	Annika Schneider - Broke program's doubles wins record with 54 victories
Best Moment	Mobolade Ajomale - Winning two Indoor National Championships - 60m & 200m
Freshman of the Year	Hannah Rose Balke (SB)
Newcomer of the Year	Joshua Thorson (MXC)
Coach of the Year	Torrey Olson (MXC)
Dr. Jamie Williams Male Servant Leadership Award	Jacob Green (BASE)
Meghan Bushnell Female Servant Leadership Award	Jessica West (SB)
Male Team MVPs	Joshua Thorson (XC), Dominic Payerchin (SOC), Mobolade Ajomale (TRK), Chris Salas (MBB), Erick Luna (BASE), Oskar Frick (MG)
Male Individual Athlete of the Year	Mobolade Ajomale (MTRK)
Female Team MVPs	McKaela Christenson (XC), Melissa Brum (VB), Alma Thell-Lenntorp (WT), Rodericka Ware (WBB), Sterling Hawkins (WG), Natalie Gabriel (SOC), Hannah Hensley & Mistic Scott (TRK), Hannah Rose Balke (SB)
Female Individual Athlete of the Year	Alma Thell-Lenntorp (WT)
Urban Knight of the Year	Alma Thell-Lenntorp & Klara Thell-Lenntorp (WT)
Team of the Year	Men's Track & Field