2017-18 Google Cloud Academic All-America Men's & Women's Cross Country/Track & Field Teams
2017-18 Pacific West Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year

GREENWOOD, Ind./IRVINE, Calif. -- Following up their collection of honors as NCAA All-Americans on the track, Google Cloud Academic All-District selections, and Academic All-PacWest, Academy of Art University Track & Field's Gatien Airiau and Marion Presigny were each further rewarded for their scholastic success this week. Both were named to the 2018 Google Cloud Academic All-American Men's & Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Teams, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America, as well as the Pacific West Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year for Men's & Women's Track & Field, voted on by the conference SIDs.

"These two achieved so much in their time here on the track," said director of track & field/cross country Torrey Olson. "It is no surprise to me that their academic success was as high as it was as well. They took ownership of everything they did and I'm proud they will be Urban Knights forever."

Student-athletes were selected by members of CoSIDA and recognized as the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To qualify for the Google Cloud All-America Cross Country/Track & Field Teams in Division II, a student-athlete must have compiled a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 or greater through the most-recent semester, completed one full calendar year at his or her institution (graduate students are an exception to this requirement), and have been awarded All-District honors. On the men's side, a total of 46 individuals from 35 teams were honored while the women had 45 individuals from 37 teams recognized.

PacWest Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors were selected in a vote by the PacWest sports information directors. Each of the winners are now eligible for the PacWest Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, which will be announced on Thursday, June 21.

Airiau's final season with Academy of Art saw him achieve All-American honors in both cross country and track & field while working toward a cumulative GPA of 3.58 in the School of Communications & Media Technologies. Leading the way throughout the Urban Knights' 2017 cross country campaign, Airiau collected one U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association NCAA DII National Athlete of the Week selection following his top finish in a nearly 350-man race at Lewis' Conference Cross-Over, earned All-Pacific West Conference First Team for the second straight year with a third-place result at the PacWest Championships, and later became the third All-American in ART U men's cross country history after taking 22nd at Nationals.

In his track & field season, Airiau set the new program records in the 3000m steeplechase on multiple occasions before capturing PacWest titles in both that event as well as the 5000m. He went on to secure the 3000m steeplechase national championship, his first All-American honor on the track, doing so after a thrilling finish in which he fended off Chico State's Kyle Medina, the DII event leader entering Nationals. Airiau was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America Second Team.

Presigny's brilliant career featured a total of three All-American honors in addition to her cumulative GPA of 3.84 in Academy of Art's School of Fashion Journalism. After making an immediate impact as the track & field program's first All-American in the pentathlon, she wrapped up last season as both the PacWest champion in the 100m hurdles and a contributor to the Knights' All-American 4x400m relay team. This year, she added her 10th USTFCCCA All-Region and fourth All-PacWest selections before ending as an All-American in the 100mH at Nationals. She finishes as the ART U record-holder in the pentathlon and among the program's top five in nine other events. Presigny was named to the Google Cloud Academic All-America Third Team.

This is the first time both Airiau and Presigny have earned CoSIDA Academic All-America and PacWest Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in their respective careers. Behind Valentin Pepiot, they are the second and third CoSIDA Academic All-Americans in ART U history and, following Pepiot as well as McKaela Christenson, they represent the third and fourth PacWest Scholar-Athletes of the Year Academy of Art has seen to date.