Tonnesen, Stultz, are newest MCC Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
Mesa, AZ – Track and field national champion and Olympian Pau Tonnesen and women's sports pioneer Sandra J. Stultz will become the newest members of the Mesa Community College Athletic Hall of Fame when the 2019 induction ceremonies are held later this month.
The two will become the 57th and 58th members of the Hall of Fame and continue a trend of recognizing the most outstanding figures in MCC athletic history.
Tonnesen became the first athlete in NJCAA history to win all four multi-event national championships during his stay at Mesa. He captured the heptathlon indoors and decathlon outdoors in both 2012 and 2013. In addition, he won the pole vault national title both indoors and outdoors as a sophomore giving him six national titles in his T-Bird career.
He transferred to the University of Arizona where his career continued to flourish. He was a PAC-12 multi-event champion and finished second in both the NCAA Division I heptathlon and decathlon.
He went on to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio representing Spain, the birthplace of his mother. He placed 17th in the decathlon, arguably the most difficult competition in all of sports.
He continues to compete internationally in world championships and is pointing toward the 2020 Olympics.
Stultz was instrumental in the growth of women's sports at Mesa, serving as Athletic Director for women's sports, Sports Information Director and softball coach. She was also a certified athletic trainer as well as holding certifications as a volleyball, softball and basketball official.
A tireless advocate for women's sports, she served in many roles and assisted in many ways.
In 1992, for instance, when a hurricane hit Florida, which was to be the site of the NJCAA volleyball national championship, she jumped into action. In just a week she secured a site at Arizona State University, rounded up volunteer workers and ran the event without a hitch.
As Mesa's second softball coach she led the Thunderbirds for nine years, compiling a record of 325-125 over nine seasons.
The induction ceremony will be held Thursday, Oct. 24, with a reception at the MCC Art Gallery Patio beginning at 6 p.m. The program will start at 7 p.m. in the MCC Theatre.
Click here to see the entire Mesa Athletic Hall of Fame
Join the Mesa Booster Club today
Check out the MCC Online Team Shop