Women’s volleyball at Mesa College is on a spike. In the spring, the Olympians won the state beach volleyball title after winning the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title for a fourth straight year.
Psychology major Emerald Moreno is inspired by a passion for understanding and interpreting others, along with a deep faith that psychology is her calling. She plans to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, minor in Spanish, and continue exploring a future in law.
After a major surgery and months of recovery, Tracey Kushner faced a decision that would reshape her future. In 2024, she returned to San Diego Mesa College determined to finish the degree she had started years earlier.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego Mesa College proudly celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 during its annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026, honoring 1,958 graduates who earned more than 2,017 academic degrees and 414 certificates. A total of 727 graduates participated in the ceremony, joined by family, friends, faculty, staff, and community supporters.
May 12, 2016
“This facility is a gamechanger,” Astian Agraz said as he eyed the rows of state-of-the-art fitness equipment on the first floor of San Diego Mesa College’s Exercise Science Center, which opened this spring.
Agraz, the linebacker and Mesa football team captain, wasn’t just talking about wins and losses.
“People are seeing this new facility and new equipment and starting to understand what exercise science is all about,” Astian said. “Our old facilities were beat up, so coming here, it’s a lot bigger, with new weights and new machines. This facility wins by a landslide.”
The building definitely has a wow factor.
A high-volume ceiling dominates the first floor lobby that leads into the weight training area. Aerobics and spin rooms are just around the corner. They open to an exterior exercise plaza, which leads to the athletic training room complete with a wet lab, treatment room, and offices. The second floor includes administration and faculty offices, a fitness lab and cardio area overlooking the equipment below, and an exterior exercise roof terrace.
The two-story, 27,200-square-foot steel structure is slated to be a geographic campus landmark, strategically situated on the new Sunrise Plaza entry and adjacent to the multi-use Mesa Commons that will open this fall.
“I believe that college athletics, physical activity, and exercise science play an important role in a wellrounded college education,” President Pamela T. Luster said at the facility’s grand opening event in April. Luster is also president of the California Community College Athletic Association, which oversees intercollegiate athletics across the state.
“It definitely will bring a long-awaited recruiting aspect for our coaches,” said Kevin Hazlett, department chair and assistant athletic director, who led the building’s design team along with instructor and former coach Manny Bautista.
With the addition of sand volleyball in 2015, Mesa College now has 21 athletic teams. All will use the facility for training and conditioning classes, which are open to all students.
Asked what he’s most proud of, Hazlett quickly answers, “The student reactions to the facility have been remarkable.”
Astian agrees. “The mindset of everyone has changed, especially among student athletes. Now that we have this facility, it’s really motivating us to work extra hard.”
Tags: exercise science center, Exercise Science, Exercise, Athletics
Jennifer Nichols Kearns
Director of Communications
[email protected]
(619) 388-2759
Women’s volleyball at Mesa College is on a spike. In the spring, the Olympians won the state beach volleyball title after winning the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference title for a fourth straight year.
The San Diego Mesa College Athletic Program has cemented its place as one of the nation’s premier two-year college athletic programs, finishing second in the 2024–2025 Ron Case Cup standings. The award, one of the highest honors in two-year college athletics, recognizes excellence in championship competition across all sports.
San Diego –On Monday, July 22 to Thursday, July 25, 2024, the San Diego Mesa College Softball program and Nike’s US Sports Camp program will host a half day and day camp for local girls, ages 6-14, at all levels of experience with Softball. Campers will learn the skills required to successfully play at a competitive level and maximize their potential as players.
Psychology major Emerald Moreno is inspired by a passion for understanding and interpreting others, along with a deep faith that psychology is her calling. She plans to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology, minor in Spanish, and continue exploring a future in law.
After a major surgery and months of recovery, Tracey Kushner faced a decision that would reshape her future. In 2024, she returned to San Diego Mesa College determined to finish the degree she had started years earlier.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — San Diego Mesa College proudly celebrated the achievements of the Class of 2026 during its annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 29, 2026, honoring 1,958 graduates who earned more than 2,017 academic degrees and 414 certificates. A total of 727 graduates participated in the ceremony, joined by family, friends, faculty, staff, and community supporters.
