SAN FRANCISCO – Rolling along towards the start of a new season in hopes of improving upon their Pacific West Conference positioning, the Academy of Art men's soccer coaching staff has announced Mark Figueroa (East Hollywood, Calif./Los Angeles City College) as ART U's next addition to the Fall 2022 recruiting class. 

"We're really pleased to be adding Mark to our incoming class," said Assistant Coach Danny Kirkland. "Mark will add great strength, desire to defend, and a physical presence to our back line. His technical ability will also be key to helping us build out in possession. Welcome to ART U, Mark."

The upcoming year will mark Figueroa's freshman season despite having spent last year with Los Angeles City College, as he played in a total of 18 games for LACC. Included within those contests were a total of 10 starts as a defender, four in South Coast Conference games, helping contribute to a total of eight shutouts as the team logged an overall record of 9-9-4.

Prior to college, the East Hollywood, Calif. native attended Birmingham Community Charter High School where he played varsity soccer prior to graduating in 2017. Additionally, Figueroa has seen time with club teams such as NVSC Millonarios and Valley United-Fluminense. 

Among his favorite sports teams are the Los Angeles Lakers, A.C. Milan and F.C. Barcelona, while his favorite sports moment is when Derek Fisher hit a game-winning shot in game five of the 2004 NBA Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. Meanwhile, Figueroa lists his life hero as his father.