St. Could State senior tennis student-athlete Ryan Schoenfeld is netting some praise for pastels and paintings in addition to lobs and volleys this year. A four-year standout on the tennis team at St. Cloud State, Schoenfeld is also an accomplished artist and currently has an exhibit of his work on display in downtown St. Cloud through March.

Schoenefeld, a public relations major with a minor in graphic design, won North Central Conference titles at No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles in 2008. He helped the Huskies win their seventh consecutive NCC championship last year, which was the final season of competition in the NCC (the league disbanded at the end of the 2007-08 season). St. Cloud State also gained its eighth consecutive NCAA Division II tournament bid in 2008.

Schoenefeld, who said his art represents more than him just being inventive, credits his parents for his creativity, since they encouraged him to explore imaginative ideas.

“I remember specifically on one occasion, where I thought it was a good idea to paint on the walls of our family’s garage,” Schoenefeld said. “When my mother got home, she wasn’t too pleased. Instead of getting angry, though, she tried to teach me to channel my creativity into another realm, such as paper.”

Schoenefeld said his parents would always display his artwork. “Their influence,” he said, “is the kind of support and encouragement that allows people to accomplish anything, and that is exactly what I experienced in my own creative evolution.”

Schoenefeld is not alone in his artistic ability as a student-athlete. Champion magazine just featured 13 student-athlete artists in its January 2009 edition. Almost two dozen student-athlete artists also were featured in a special show at the recent NCAA Convention in Washington, D.C.