Two of the top track & field recruits out of high school, Briana Stewart and Vashti Thomas embarked upon very different paths to reach Academy of Art University. Each local to the Bay Area, Stewart happened upon the school when her mother was called during the program's infancy while Thomas, who wished the athletics program had existed when she graduated in 2008, transferred from Division I National Champion Texas A&M two years ago. Now, as they pursue their artistic passions and compete side-by-side as seniors for the Urban Knights, each knows that their decision to come to ART U was the right one.

“I knew that when I signed to go to college out of high school I wanted to choose an exciting major, something that would keep my interest for the rest of my life,” Stewart said. “I fell in love with the Academy of Art University because I knew my opportunity was limitless here. On top of that, I never imagined being able to be an artist and an athlete; it is truly a dream come true.”

“My love for art is what brought me to the Academy,” Thomas said. “I've always been in love with it and I've always considered myself an artist. It was my dream it go to a school where I could improve my skill and learn new things. This was my first-choice school. I've always wanted to be here.”

A pair that has combined to set 13 school records thus far and has brought tremendous national prestige to ART U Track & Field, Stewart and Thomas are two uniquely multi-talented individuals whose efforts have truly put the program on the map.

"These two ladies represent exactly what we try to find in athletes for this program: superstar talents who have a true passion for their craft both on and off the track," head coach Charles Ryan said. "We sell passion here, everyone cannot do this. Bri and Vashti do things on the track that only best of the best college athletes can accomplish and, when they come home or sitting in class, they are doing things that are just as exclusive. That is who they are and that's what this university is about. Not everyone can do this, but those that can are stars."

Now the lone original member of the Urban Knights' first track & field squad in 2009, Stewart first came upon Academy of Art University without much knowledge of what the school entailed. A local product like Thomas, Stewart had been competing for James Logan High School (Union City, CA) where she had offered top marks as a hurdler and triple jumper at the CIF State Championships.

“A coach called my mother about the Academy of Art University and said they were interested in me and would like me to tour the school,” Stewart remembered. “Neither my mother or I knew what the school was. After touring the school on a hot summer day and seeing all of the amazing work the students had done, I was very interested.”

A stand-out athletic talent since the day she donned the Academy of Art black and red, Stewart started her collegiate career with the Knights in 2009. That year, a historical milestone as it was the first in program history, she made an immediate impact with four top placements in a total of three different events (100m, 100mH, triple jump). In 2010, Stewart had a particularly memorable moment setting the school's current record in the triple jump (42') while alongside numerous top Division I opponents at the Stanford Invitational.

After red-shirting the 2010-11 season, Stewart started her 2011-12 indoor campaign with a historic 8.21 in the 60mH and immediately qualified for the USA Indoor Track & Field Championships. However, she was held back from competing the remainder of indoor due to injury and, following months of determined rehab, she returned for the outdoor season where she would post new lifetime bests in various events including the 100m.

"Briana Stewart has no limits to what she can do with her life on or off the track," Coach Ryan said. "She has been proving people wrong her whole life. Athletically, she has hit a lot of hurdles, pun intended, but now it seems that she is finally ready to step into the spotlight and take her place atop the mountain where she belongs. Her coming out party has been a long time in the making and I could not be more excited for her knowing where she has come from and where she is going."

For all that she has accomplished on the track, Stewart is also jubilantly pursuing her dream of becoming a merchandiser for a sportswear company in the classroom. The senior has taken strides as a Fashion Merchandising major, explaining that what she's learned from the many industry professionals at ART U has given her the tools to succeed.

“I want my senior year to be the most memorable year of my life,” Stewart said. “I've worked so hard for this moment and I will not let anything stop me now. The growing process as an Urban Knight has been very enjoyable. I feel as though I've come here as a 17-year-old girl and was able to grow into a productive young woman. This is where I experienced some of the most exciting moments in my life that I'll never forget. This is where I'll give back when I am in the position to do so. I have been prepared by the best and am more than ready to tackle the real world of sports and fashion with the education and training I've received at the Academy of Art University.”

Thomas, a native of San Jose, returned to the Bay Area when she transferred to Academy of Art University from Division I Texas A&M after their NCAA National Championship run. Thomas helped the Aggies with marks in a variety of events at Nationals (60mH, 100mH, long jump, triple jump) which was no surprise after the success she garnered in high school. While attending Mt. Pleasant High School under coach Steve Nelson, Thomas not only broke the national record in the 100mH, but is still ranked on the California All-Time Top 10 list in both the long jump and triple jump disciplines.

After joining the Urban Knights as a junior transfer in 2010 and sitting out a year, Thomas finally had her chance to demonstrate her incredible abilities during the 2011 indoor season. In just her second meet with ART U, the University of New Mexico Invite, Thomas posted a historic 21-3.25 (6.48m) mark in the long jump that put her #8 in the world at the time. She went on to compete at the USA Indoor Track & Field National Championships before becoming the first Academy of Art University athlete to appear at the U.S. Olympic Trials following an outdoor campaign that saw her set five new program records.

"Vashti and her path represent something that athletes, parents, coaches around the nation should really take a minute to learn from," Coach Ryan said. "Everyone thought that because she was the best athlete in the nation coming out of high school that she would be a natural fit at the nation's #1 track program. However, like so many athletes before her, she found that even though she loved her teammates and her coaches, there was still something missing from her college experience. The university experience is supposed to be where young people learn not only about subjects, but about themselves. Vashti, like so many other kids across the nation, learned that athletics alone was not going to fill the void; she needed a place where she could pursue both her dreams on the track and in the classroom. At Academy of Art University, she has a rare chance to do both and my hope is that more people learn from her example and continue to think outside the box. There are hundreds of kids around the nation just like Vashti who still believe they don't have a choice, but they do." 

This season, each their final in terms of athletic eligibility, Stewart and Thomas have taken their performances to an entirely new level. At Boise State's Jacksons Open and Multi's, the pair simultaneously crossed the 60m hurdles finish line with 8.24 times that instantly qualified them to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championship. Stewart would also run one leg of the women's 4x400m team that set a new school record with a 3:46.61 mark.

Two weeks later at the UAB Blazer Invitational, Stewart set another new ART U record with a 56.01 time in the 400m dash, the top placement in the 200m dash to become a championship provisional qualifier, and a 40-5 (12.32m) triple jump that added to her events at Nationals.