Men's Track and Field heads to Bakersfield this Friday for the 2021 Western State Conference Finals.  The Cougars are in 2nd place after last weekend's Preliminary Meet and have title contenders primed for almost every contested event this weekend.  Thrower Luke McMahon (Paso Robles HS), Leaper Thomas Rodda (Templeton HS) and Hurdler Zachary Egan (SLO HS) are all ranked #1 in the conference going into this weekend.  McMahon, a sophomore, improved his 2020 Hammer Throw by 36-feet this year and leads the WSC at 151' 11.25", while Rodda at 44' 0.75" and Egan with a time of 1:01.10 lead the circuit in the Triple Jump and 400 Hurdles, respectively.  Thrower Gabriel Katches (Paso Robles HS) broke his own Cuesta Discus record to win last week's event final, however he is also sitting at the #7 spot all time in the Shot Put (47' 4.5") and seeded 4th in the event.   Returner Darius Jackson (Hanford: Arroyo Grande HS) is a title threat in both the Long and Triple Jumps, where he is currently ranked 2nd and 3rd in the WSC.  On the track, Sprinters Connor Prichard (Arroyo Grande HS), in the 100m, and Evan Schweitzer (SLO HS), in the 400m, should both earn a spot on the podium, while Colby Ratzat (Cayucos: Morro Bay HS) and Cullen Eckert (Santa Cruz: Scotts Valley HS) hold down the middle-distance events.  All four track athletes are ranked in the WSC's Top 4 going into the finals.   

LAST WEEK- Freshmen Gabriel Katches (Paso Robles HS) and Luis Cervantes (Santa Maria: Righetti HS) both placed during their "timed finals" events at the 2021 Western State Conference Preliminary Meet.  Katches won the Discus after breaking his own Cuesta Record by nearly 20-feet.  His toss of 188' 8" is the best in the State this year, while he has added more than 35-feet to Cuesta's previous decade old record.  Cervantes was the Runner-up in the 10,000-meter run (34:42.73).  The Cougars are currently tied for 2nd in the WSC with the bulk of the events scored this weekend.