Photo Gallery (images by Cody Glenn)

SAN FRANCISCO – Returning to the city by the bay to lace up their cleats one more time, Academy of Art University Men's Soccer united for ART U's largest Alumni Day ever this past spring. A mixture of more than 40 former and current student-athletes representing each season of the program's 10-year history, many of whom traveled internationally, arrived for the weekend and in particular a beautiful afternoon on the pitch out at City College of San Francisco.

"What a day for the program to have everyone back from the previous teams," said head coach Mike Keller. "Our program is unique in that all of our alumni are young so that has given us the opportunity to really stay connected, invest in one another, and positively affect each other's lives. The school identity also propels this opportunity since the majority of guys work in creative and related fields, only making the bounds between them stronger."

Members of the program's pioneer 2008 squad included Vilmundur Sveinsson, Jaime Patino-Calvo, Miquel Amezquita, Richard Luna, Daniel Waller, and Richard Martin. Those in attendance who first donned the ART U red and black in 2009 were Brazer Bozlak and Frankie Diaz while 2010 newcomers featured Grimur Grimsson, Andrew "Boomer" Cruz, and Andrew Durano.

"It was awesome to see all the guys again for a weekend," said Sveinsson. "We all clicked right away even though some of us haven't seen each other for years and I think that shows the precious and deep friendships we've established."

The senior year for several original freshman, 2011 was also represented by Jonmundur Gretarsson, Aron Ekberg, Brady Fiero, and Leonardo Bartelle. Five Urban Knights who began in 2012 made the trip to Alumni Day including Thorvaldur "Thobbi" Sveinsson, Runar Gudbjartsson, Jon "Jay" Eldon, Carlos Hernandez, and Kristof Urbanyi.

Many of that group crossed over with Malcolm McLellan and Patrik Haley, who debuted in 2013, as did the 2014 freshman quartet of Alex Walsh, Dominic Payerchin, Alexander Tombach, and Jón Jóhannesson who celebrated their Senior Day this past year. Finally, in addition to a collection of current student-athletes on the team, 2015 and 2016 representatives Justin Erhunmwunsee and Jonny Navarro joined in.

"It was really awesome and special seeing how many alums showed up for the game," said junior defender David Sigurdarson. "I could tell right away that they had some great years here at ART U that were loaded with memories, friendships, and experiences that they're thankful for. This gave us, the current members of the squad, a boost to enjoy and make the most out of the time we have here together as a team and friends."

In addition to the collection of student-athletes, Academy of Art welcomed back Daniel Rosaia, the first head coach in the program's history. Rosaia, who guided the Urban Knights from 2009-2012, was responsible for recruiting many of the student-athletes in attendance and highlighted his Academy of Art career by earning Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year in 2010.

"When I first met Coach Rosaia, he told me that the best thing about college is when we meet up 10 years later, we will think back and talk about all the good times we had," said Urbanyi. "We are now halfway there and I think I know what he was talking about. I was lucky to play and study at Academy of Art out of all the schools in the United States. I met some of the best and most talented people I know. Through soccer we built friendships for life with teammates and coaches."

In the wake of a successful Alumni Day, Academy of Art now looks to continue to building this tradition of reuniting on the last Saturday in April every year. If you are an alum and would like to participate in future events, please contact head coach Mike Keller at mkeller@academyart.edu.