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ADAPTED ATHLETICS SUMMER 2025 NEWSLETTER

OUR DIFFERENCES, OUR POWER

Video Transcript

Our Differences, Our Power

-   Adapted Athletics logo

  Participants on Sports Deck track field

  Parker Harvey running

  Austin Spalla running

  Michelle Cross and Humoody Smith running

-   Khrisitian Martinez and Coach Greg hitting tennis ball

  Male participant hitting tennis ball

-   Khristian Martinez bench pressing

  Alicia Guerrero squatting

-   Male participant with physical therapy student

-   Male participant hitting tennis ball

  Andrew Lee with physical therapy students

-   Alicia Guerrero throwing discus

  Manny Gomez with physical therapy student

  Khristian Martinez and Coach Greg hitting tennis ball

  Male participant strength training

-   Alicia Guerrero bench pressing

  Male participant taking blood pressure with physical therapy student

-   Ana Firvida bench pressing

  Max Rohn squatting

  Manny Gomez with physical therapy student

  Alicia Guerrero squatting

-   Andrew Lee with physical therapy student

-   Male participants hitting tennis ball

  Parker Harvey bench pressing

-   Max Rohn throwing discus

  Alicia Guerrero throwing discus

-   Male participant with physical therapy student

  Male participant receiving cupping therapy with physical therapy students

  Alicia Guerrero throwing shot put

-   Group of attendees cheering with a thank you message reading “Thank you athletes, donors, sponsors, staff.”

-   Text on the screen reading “Together we are Aztec strong”

SDSU Adapted Athletics Team posing for a group photo.

LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR

At SDSU Adapted Athletics, Diversity is more than representation, it's our strength. It also brings us to the final value in the value series of C.R.E.E.D., standing for Commitment, Respect, Excellence, Empowerment, and Diversity, which is designed to act as a guide toward increasing our positive impact in the world. It is a reminder that diversity fuels innovation, empathy, and excellence both on and off the court or field.

This March, during Disability Celebration Month, we hosted our largest event to date: the Adapted Sports Showcase. With over 250 attendees, 10+ partner organizations, and Paralympic and Team USA speakers, the day was a powerful reminder that disability is not a limitation, it's a dimension of diversity that enriches our campus and community.

We proudly celebrated a historic milestone: the graduation of Michelle Cross, the first Adapted Athletics athlete to join the program. After six years of education, dedication, and elite athleticism, Michelle earned her master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling and leaves a legacy of leadership for future Aztecs.

Our reach continues to grow. This fall, we will welcome our most well-rounded recruiting class yet, allowing our program to now represent six U.S. states and two countries, with each athlete bringing unique cultural, economic, and personal perspectives. This diversity is the heartbeat of our program and a testament to what inclusion can achieve.

We’ve also updated our team with two new program assistants who bring energy and fresh vision to our mission. And through our first official equipment sponsorship with RGK Wheelchairs, we're building meaningful partnerships that recognize the value of inclusive excellence.

As we move forward, we remain committed to creating a space where athletes of all backgrounds and abilities thrive. At SDSU, our C.R.E.E.D., guides everything we do. Although diversity may be the final word, it's the foundation of every opportunity your support makes possible.

Go Aztecs!

– A.J. Munoz-Bond,
 Director, SDSU Adapted Athletics

SUPPORT OUR ATHLETES

SDSU Adapted Athletics is the first and only competitive, collegiate adaptive sports program in California. We are grateful for all the support we’ve received. While our program does receive financial support from Associated Students, the program also relies on donations to support our athletes and cover program expenses, including college scholarships, competition and travel expenses, and adaptive equipment. There are multiple meaningful ways you can support us as we empower adaptive athletes to reach their dreams on and off the field. You can make a tax-deductible, one-time or recurring gift by clicking the donate button below. To learn more about other ways you can make donations, sponsor, or partner with our program, contact us at arc.adaptedathletics@sdsu.edu.

DONATE TODAY
An oversized check for $1000 is awarded to Austin Spalla by the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

HIGHLIGHTS & EVENTS

SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs poses with members of the Adaptive Athletics program staff.

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs Visits Campus
February 20, 2025

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, currently serving California’s 51st district, stopped by campus to meet with the Adapted Athletics program. Congresswoman Jacobs, Director of Adapted Athletics, A.J. Munoz-Bond, and team representatives Coach Rolland Slade, Michelle Cross, and Ana Firvida discussed the unique obstacles that student-athletes with disabilities face when striving for greatness in the classroom and on the field. With help from her team and campus liaisons, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs showed her support for our mission and vision and provided potential resources for our program to capitalize on!

LOCATION: San Diego State University

Members of the Paralympic discussion panel sitting at a table.

Adapted Sports Showcase
March 14, 2025

Adapted Athletics, alongside Aztec Adaptive Sports and Adapted Sports Physical Therapy hosted the Adapted Sports Showcase at the Aztec Recreation Center. The event consisted of a Paralympic discussion panel, a wheelchair basketball demonstration by the Roll to Success Silverbacks, and a disability resource fair. Panelists included SDSU’s Michelle Cross, Alicia Guerrero, and Jasmine Burrell, as well as Paralympic athletes Rudy Garcia-Tolson and Kelley Becherer.

LOCATION: Aztec Recreation Center

Alicia Guerrero, a member of the Paralympic Discussion panel.

Aztec Invite
March 22, 2025

Adapted Athletics Para Track and Field showed up in force to dominate at this year's Aztec Invite! Alicia Guerrero hit a new PR in the shotput breaking through her 10m line while Michelle Cross hit her PR in the 200m. With the greatest fan attendance for our program to date, this year's home meet was one for the books!

LOCATION: SDSU Sports Deck

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wheelchair Basketball Athletes compete to score.

Wheelchair Basketball Clinic
July 19, 2025

Four fantastic organizations in San Diego are joining together to create the second annual Wheelchair Basketball Clinic at SDSU. Challenged Athletes Foundation, MESA Foundation, Roll To Success, and Adapted Athletics are teaming up to bring awareness and build community within the San Diego athletics environment by combining wheelchair basketball players from San Diego with SDSU D1 Men’s and Women’s Basketball team players. The event will include fun activities to challenge athletes of all abilities, education on adaptive sports, and a mixer to foster greater community connection between D1 college athletes and their adaptive athlete counterparts. Event is invitation only.

LOCATION: San Diego State University

Parker Harvey participating the para bench press lifting competition.

Lift-A-Thon
November 15, 2025

The fourth annual Lift-A-Thon is scheduled for Saturday, November 15th at the Aztec Recreation Center. This event puts your true strength to the test in various lifting competitions including the para bench press. Students and Aztec Recreation members are able to join. With each rep, more money is donated to the program. Help us hit a new record!

LOCATION: Aztec Recreation Center

Adaptive spots athletes from various backgrounds appearing at the CREED showcase.

Adapted Sports Showcase
March 6, 2026

The second annual Adapted Sports Showcase is scheduled for Friday, March 6th at the Aztec Recreation Center. This event is designed to showcase the work of the three groups (Adapted Athletics, Aztec Adaptive Sports, and Adapted Sports Physical Therapy) involved in creating a sustainable system of support for adaptive athletes on campus. Individuals and organizations will be invited to attend in various capacities, including tabling opportunities. The goals for next year’s event are to increase reach, elevate programming, and maximize impact. This is one event you do not want to miss!

LOCATION: Aztec Recreation Center

FEATURE:KHRISTIAN MARTINEZ

Parker Olenick smiling for the camera.

A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE

When you first meet Khristian Martinez, you will instantly notice his positive spirit and quiet determination. Behind the smile is a story of resilience, transformation, and a deep love for sports that has helped shape his journey at San Diego State University.

Khristian Martinez, community athlete turned student athlete, is ready to build and grow his community at SDSU. A dedicated accounting student, Khristian's path to SDSU Adapted Athletics began in an unexpected place, a vacation in Mexico. In May of 2022, a cliff collapse left Khristian with a T-12 complete spinal cord injury. The months that followed were filled with countless challenges of relearning, rebuilding, and as Khristian puts it, “denying bad affirmations.” He also describes it as a period of discovery as “it allowed [him] to join a new community.”

DISCOVERING ADAPTED SPORTS

Khristian’s introduction to adaptive sports came through aquatic therapy, where he was first invited to play wheelchair basketball with the Roll To Success Silverbacks. It was at one of those practices that Khristian met A.J. Munoz-Bond, Director of SDSU Adapted Athletics, who introduced him to the program. “It was like Pandora's box,” Khristian recalls. Khristian then began working out with the Adapted Athletics program in the spring of 2023 and started the “humbling” and “foreign” process of learning how to play wheelchair tennis and officially transitioned to a wheelchair tennis community athlete in May 2024.

After being a member of SDSU’s Adapted Athletics program as a community athlete, Khristian has now officially been accepted into San Diego State University and will be transitioning to a student-athlete. The transition marks an exciting new chapter in his journey, representing growth, and filled with significant opportunity. “Being an athlete helped me connect to SDSU,” Khristian shares. More importantly, the Adapted Athletics program has provided him with a support system. “One of the biggest things I’ve learned is how to ask for help, and the people here are eager to help,” he says. “I have an excitement to come everyday and put my best foot forward.”

GROWTH ON & OFF THE COURT

Khristian's athletic journey has been nothing short of inspiring. In his very first wheelchair tennis tournament, he went from struggling to serve to taking home the runner-up title in doubles. “It felt like being a little kid winning a participation trophy,” he laughs, though the achievement represented much more. It was a reminder of his growth and the possibilities ahead. His goals as a student-athlete are grounded in staying humble and work ethic. On the court, Khristian aims to be the best teammate possible and always give 100%. Off the court, he’s determined to excel academically and become involved in campus clubs and councils, aiming to lead by example.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS,
PARTNERS AND DONORS!

We couldn't do any of this without the support of our generous sponsors, partners and donors. If you have donated one-time or supported us from the start, we are grateful!

A special thank you to our major supporters: