Cuesta Men's Track & Field begins the 2025 season at the Moorpark Open last weekend and is looking forward to a great campaign. Leapers Joey Mikles and Cal Corn (pict) are the Cougars' only returning all-Western State Conference selections, however they were also joined by all-time Cuesta Top 10 performer William Dawes as CCCAA Regional Qualifiers. Mikles earned all-WSC honors, after flying 21-5.5 in the Long Jump, while Corn claimed his accolades by clearing 5-10.75 in the High Jump. Dawes took 6th that weekend and missed the honors (Top 5), but his earlier marks of 23-4.5 in the Long Jump and 44-9.75 in the Triple Jump moved him into the 3rd and 5th spots, respectively, all time at Cuesta. Dawes will also be back on the Cougars' relays, where he helped take both the 4x100 and 4x400 relays to the 7th place at the WSC Finals.
2024 CCCAA Cross Country State Champion Weston Greenelsh leads a talented group of newcomers out at the track. Greenelsh is already considered a State Title contender on the track, after reaching CIF in each of his last two seasons at SLO High. Fellow all-WSC Harriers JP Walsh, who joined Greenelsh at the CCCAA State Finals, and Nick York, who was also an all-Mountain First Team Track Star for Arroyo Grande, will re-join Greenelsh on the track. Newcomer Anthony Frere, who's sister Adrienne Frere was an all-WSC Harrier for the Cougars, is also expected to push the pack in the distance events.
In the shorter running events, Dawes, Mikles and Corn should get plenty of help from the newcomers. Freshman Alexander Oldham won the non-traditional 300-meter hurdles at the Moorpark Open and joined fellow newcomers Frere, Duffy Hays and Nathan Cooks for 5th place in the 4x400 (3:39.18). Oldham also added 5th place, behind teammate and Bronze Winner Cal Corn (5-10.75), in the High Jump (5-8.75). Cooks was a five-time all-League performer at Atascadero High and specializes in the 400-meters, so the Cougars are looking forward in his performance in the relays and on his own. The Cougars are also hoping that Freshman Benjamin Schneider can return to form. Schneider won the 400-meters (:52.35) at the prestigious Halden Invitational and qualified for the Stanford Invitational, before an injury derailed his Senior season.
In the jumps, Dawes opened the season by winning the Long Jump at the Moorpark Open with a leap of 22-1.5. He currently ranks 3rd all time at Cuesta for the event, after clearing 23-4 last season. In Moorpark, he was joined on the podium by his teammates Gavin Beck (20-8.5) and Mikles (20-4.5), who finished 4th and 5th, respectively, in the event. Dawes skipped the Triple Jump last week, but Mikles claimed 3rd (40-8.75) in the event and was only two inches off his all-WSC mark from 2024.
The Cougars roster appears a little light in the throwing events, but the Cougars expect all-Ocean Thrower Hunter Whitson from Morro Bay and fellow Rookie Cesar Amaya, from Atascadero, to earn plenty of points with the implements.
The Cougars next meet is scheduled for February 15 at the Monterey Peninsula's Lobo Open. The Cougars first conference competition and only home meet of the season is the Western State Conference (WSC) North Meet on February 28 (Noon).
