2018 PacWest Conference Track & Field Awards

IRVINE, Calif. – With the program's sixth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championship on the horizon this week, Academy of Art University had two members of its men's team recognized in Tuesday's announcement of the 2018 Pacific West Conference Track & Field awards. Head coach Kevin LaSure was selected as the PacWest Men's Coach of the Year while PacWest Championship Most Outstanding Athlete of the Meet Mobolade Ajomale was selected for his third consecutive PacWest Men's Track Athlete of the Year honor.

This season, the PacWest coaches or designated representatives from each school selected a total of eight student-athletes and two coaches for PacWest postseason accolades. The squad consisted of gender-specific Track Athletes of the Year, Field Athletes of the Year, Track & Field Freshmen of the Year, and Coaches of the Year.

In his third year with the program, LaSure continued the Urban Knights' tradition of success. The men's team alone garnered 12 USTFCCCA All-Region honors, three PacWest Track Athlete of the Week selections, and had Ajomale named the PacWest Most Outstanding Track Athlete at the conference meet. As a collective unit, ART U took third at the PacWest Conference Championship after a total of eight titles were earned including the 100m, 200m, 400m, 110mH, 3000m Steeplechase, 5000m, 10,000m, 4x100m. The team finished the regular season ranked No. 22 in the country and fourth in the West Region.

"It is always an honor and extremely humbling to win an award that is voting by your fellow coaches in the business," said LaSure. "It shows that they have noticed all the hard work and effort your student-athletes have put in to be successful on the track. Anytime a coach wins an award, it is credited to the accomplishments the student-athletes have achieved and all of the hard work and sacrifices they have made to buy into the plans you have in place for them. There are many other coaches in the conference just as deserving of this award so it really means a lot to be chosen among all of the other great coaches in the PacWest."

Truly dominant since entering the NCAA collegiate sphere in 2014, Ajomale once again demonstrated his talents in 2018. USTFCCCA All-Region in four events, he completed the regular season ranked fourth in NCAA Division II in the 200m (20.75), seventh in the 100m (10.32), 18th in the 400m (47.19), and 13th in the 4x100m (40.66). The PacWest Most Outstanding Track Athlete, Ajomale took home his third consecutive conference title in the 100m (tied meet record), 200m, and 4x100m as well as his second career title in the 400m at the PacWest Championships. The 2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist was also once the PacWest Track Athlete of the Week (Mar. 21).

"Bolade has had a great year thus far and probably his best to date," said LaSure. "It doesn't always show in the numbers, but he has taken a greater leadership role this year both on and off the track. It has been really fun to coach him and I know his best days are ahead of him because he is so coachable and eager to learn and improve."

Coming off a successful defense of his 60m and 200m NCAA Indoor Championships, Ajomale dropped his top time in the 100m (10.32) at the Sacramento State Invitational then saved his best marks in the 200m (20.75) and 400m (47.19) for the PacWest Championships. In the final weekend of the regular season, the Richmond Hill, Canada native joined his teammates for their fastest 4x100m time of the year (40.66) at the Azusa Twilight & Multi.

This is the third PacWest Track & Field postseason award in Ajomale's career and the first for LaSure.