One of the most decorated Academy of Art University student-athletes in the department’s 17-year history has been further immortalized.
As announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association on Wednesday, Feb. 19, ART U Men’s Track and Field legend Mobolade Ajomale was officially inducted as a part of the Class of 2025 USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Athlete Hall of Fame.
One of eight student-athletes inducted in this year’s Hall of Fame class, Ajomale joins Lerone Clarke (Lincoln (Mo.)), Sheena Devine (Bemidji State), Caroline Kurgat (Alaska Anchorage), Lauren Martin (Adams State), Aucencio Martinez (Adams State), Kurt Roberts (Ashland), and Lauren Stelten (Minnesota State).
“It’s an honor to be inducted into the D2 Hall of Fame,” Ajomale said. “Looking back on my journey, I’m just grateful! For every moment. The highs, the lows, and the people who were part of my NCAA career. Huge thanks to Coach Charles Ryan for giving me a chance when no one else would, Coach Brandit Payne for at times believing in me more than I did myself, and Coach Kevin LaSure, words aren’t enough to express my appreciation for his mentorship and guidance as an athlete and a young man. I wouldn’t have accomplished any of it without God’s grace in my life, the support of my family, and every teammate who pushed me to be better each day. I am humbled and honored.”
A native of Richmond Hill, Canada, Ajomale joined the Academy in 2014 and redshirted his first track and field season. He exploded on the scene as a freshman, dramatically becoming the NCAA DII Indoor 60m National Champion, West Region Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and a three-time All-American all before starting his first outdoor season. After scoring 32.5 points with 100m, 200m, 400m, and 4x100m titles at the 2016 PacWest Championships and being named Male Track Athlete of the Meet, Ajomale went on to add a pair of top-three finishes in the 100m and 200m at Outdoor Nationals. He contributed to Team Canada’s bronze medal in the 4x100m relay at the 2016 Olympics then proceeded to secure national titles in the indoor 60m and 200m each of the next two seasons (breaking the NCAA DII indoor 200m record twice along the way), adding a pair in the 100m and one in the outdoor 200m.
As a senior, Ajomale defended his 200m title at Indoor Nationals, was part of the Urban Knights’ 4x400m relay whose 3:10.07 was sixth fastest in DII history, then claimed his fourth consecutive PacWest titles in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m. That was all before he ended his career at Outdoor Nationals with All-American honors in the 4x100m, 100m, and 200m, going out a champion after a successful title defense in the 200m. He became just the fourth male student-athlete to go back-to-back in the 200m since the era officially began in 1976.
Ending as a 10-time individual champion and 20-time All-American, Ajomale had his name atop eight different event categories in the ART U record books. Beyond the program, Ajomale ranks fourth in the NCAA DII in the indoor 60m and indoor 200m, and ninth in the outdoor 200m, among other marks. Along with his Olympic bronze medal, he finished as a three-time NCAA Division II National Track Athlete of the Year (Indoor 2017, Outdoor 2018, Indoor 2019), six-time DII West Region Track Athlete of the Year, and four-time PacWest Track Athlete of the Meet. Ajomale became the first student-athlete in ART U Athletics history to be named PacWest Athlete of the Year twice after collecting the honor in 2018.
“A well-deserved honor that Bolade earned each and every day out on the track,” said Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Kevin LaSure. “Bolade had a collegiate career that will be hard for anyone to duplicate. When Bolade set goals of winning 10+ National Championships, earning 20+ All-American Honors, and making the Canadian Olympic Team, they seemed like extremely tall tasks, but when we watched him work every day we knew they were attainable. Bolade is one of the most, if not the most coachable athletes I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. His ability to execute a race plan under extreme pressure is unmatched. I’m just happy I was able to be a part of his journey and witness firsthand just an amazing body of work day in and day out.”
Already a member of the Academy of Art Athletics Hall of Fame after being inducted in 2020, Ajomale is the second ART U student-athlete to earn a place in the USTFCCCA NCAA DII Athlete Hall of Fame after Vashti Thomas was inducted in the Class of 2019.