SAN FRANCISCO – After a six-year run that saw the Academy of Art University cross country/track & field program develop a consistent presence at the NCAA Division II National Championships, director of track & field/cross country Torrey Olson has announced he will depart ART U to become the head cross country and track & field coach at Cal State San Marcos. In his time with the Urban Knights, cross country finished 11th as a team in its first trip to Nationals in 2016 and produced four All-Americans while track & field delivered nine top 10 finishes including four podium appearances and two national championships.

Olson joined the program in the summer of 2012 as the Urban Knights were set to enter into their first year as official NCAA DII members. That season would be one to remember with Pacific West Conference Runner of the Year Jenny Bergren becoming the program's first All-American, men's cross country posting its best team finish of the season at the PacWest Championships, and women's track & field winning both the Indoor and Outdoor national championships, an NCAA first for a program in its initial year of postseason eligibility.

The 2013 cross country season featured new ground broken by the Urban Knights as three individuals competed at NCAA Regionals with Nicolas Rifflard qualifying for Nationals. Under Olson's guidance, Rifflard would go on to be named an All-American in the 1500m during the successive track & field season which saw ART U crown 12 All-Americans while setting 24 new school records.

In the fall season of 2014, Olson coached the men's cross country team to a second place finish and the women's team to a record fourth place finish at the PacWest Championships followed by the men's first NCAA DII West Regionals team appearance in program history. PacWest Newcomer of the Year Valentin Pepiot, the Urban Knights' third NCAA Nationals individual qualifier, was the top finisher from the PacWest in the postseason finale, ART U carried dual PacWest Freshmen of the Year in Mack Marbas and McKaela Christenson, and Christenson herself went on to be named PacWest Scholar-Athlete for women's cross country. The track & field campaign that followed featured seven All-Americans, 19 new school records, and one national champion.

"From recruiting kids off the gym's treadmill my first year and celebrating full NCAA DII membership to an across-the-board national presence in cross country and track & field, it has been quite a journey," said Olson. "I am so fortunate to have been given all the opportunities I've had here. I am thankful to Charles Ryan, Colin Preston, and Brad Jones each for giving me opportunities and support, as well as their trust, along the way. I am also thankful to the student-athletes for giving me their trust and working hard to make the program better. It hasn't all been smooth sailing, but when I look at where the program is now, both who we have here and what we have accomplished, as well as the impressive student-athletes we have graduated, it is clear the program has come a long way. I have certainly come a long way as well and I am fortunate to have learned as much as I have. Our student-athletes have been in many ways the best teachers."

After Olson was named Academy of Art University director of track & field/cross country in August 2015, the Urban Knights had the cross country program's first top 10 Regional team placement with the men's team producing a tandem of NCAA Nationals qualifiers including Pepiot who finished seventh to become an All-American. The men's squad took second place at the PacWest Championships  and was consistently led by Pepiot, who won the PacWest Conference individual title and was also named PacWest Runner of the Year and PacWest Scholar-Athlete of the Year, along with fellow Frenchman and PacWest Newcomer of the Year Pierre Fontanarosa. On the women's side, Christenson earned her second consecutive U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-West Region honor while leading the Knights to fourth at PacWest. Working alongside LaSure, the track & field program's new head coach that year, the Urban Knights had their two highest men's team finishes to date (third indoor, fourth outdoor) and 21 new school records. Pepiot, the PacWest Track Athlete of the Year, claimed two more All-American honors with inspired races in both the 1500m and 5000m at Outdoor Nationals.

ART U's 2016 cross country campaign was the first to see two full teams compete at Regionals with the men's team advancing and eventually finishing 11th at Nationals. Led by All-American and PacWest Runner of the Year Joshua Thorson, PacWest Newcomer of the Year Gatien Airiau, and PacWest Freshman of the Year Marvin Thomas, the men finished second at the conference championships then fourth at Regionals while the women took third at the PacWest Championships. Track & field featured 19 new school records, three individual national champion trophies, and 13 All-Americans as well as top-three finishes for both genders at the PacWest Championships.

In what would be his final year with the program, Olson progressed both cross country teams to runner-up finishes at the 2017 PacWest Championships then top-seven results at Regionals. Two representatives, Airiau and PacWest Newcomer of the Year Swann Phelippeau, reached Nationals where Airiau became an All-American for the first time. Airiau went on to capture one of track & field's five national titles in 2018 in addition to being one of two Academic All-Americans and PacWest Scholar-Athletes of the Year while the program saw its largest number of qualifiers for Indoor Nationals, 10 PacWest champions, and 21 total All-America selections.

"There have been so many fantastic moments here," said Olson. "Jenny Bergren becoming the University's first All-American at the 2012 Cross Country Championships, the moment later that year when we first knew we were going the win the NCAA Indoor Championship as a team, defending the title outdoor that Spring, the two podium finishes for the men's track & field team in 2015-16, the moment we first qualified to the NCAA Cross Country Championships as a team, the numerous individual national champions, seeing more and more of our student-athletes' work in the Spring Show, and seeing a record number of graduates this past Spring. It's overwhelming to think about all these great moments. I have been so fortunate to be a part of these teams and to learn and grow with them."

Now coming off one of its best seasons in its 10-year history, Academy of Art will pen a new chapter in 2017-18.

"Across the board, this program is ready to break new ground," said Olson. "We have some fantastic kids and terrific coaches in our program here and they will do great things next year and beyond. I truly believe we will see both genders high up on the USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings at the end of the 2018-19 year. While I am sad I won't get to view those successes from the inside, I can't wait to see them come to fruition."