Men's Water Polo finished off their season of doubt on the medal stand at the CCCAA State Championships.  The Cougars began the season without a coach when John Marsh retired at the end of Summer after 19 seasons of elite water polo.  The Cougars still had a strong sophomore core but lost two starters to four-year schools and two more who opted to Redshirt.  The situation was dire and compelled the program's sophomore leaders and returning assistants Layne Porter and Chandler Mankins to keep Cuesta's "Winningest Program" afloat.  The Cougars started strong and won their first tournament, but then dropped three games, including two against eventual State Tournament teams, just before their 44th Cuesta Invitational.  The athletic department hired Coach Greg Enloe just days before the tournament and the team responded to their new leader's presence with seven wins over their next eight games.  Enloe, the program's third coach since its founding in 1979, hit the ground running and the team battled its way back to a Western State Conference Title and the program's 44th straight playoff berth.  The Cougars bent, but never broke in the post-season and won a triple-overtime game over Orange Coast to return to the CCCAA State Championships for the second straight year.  The Cougars faced the North's #2-seed Sierra in their first-round elimination game and, despite losing to the Wolverines in the 2022 CCCAA Bronze Medal game and twice by one-goal this season, the Cougars came alive with five goals in overtime to return to the Final Four, 17-14.  Unfortunately, Cuesta drew defending State Champion and topped ranked Golden West in the semi-final.  The Cougars trailed the Rustlers, 10-9, going into the final frame, but two quick power-play goals were too much for the Cougars to overcome and they dropped to the Third Place Game, 13-11.  The Bronze Medal game turned into another donnybrook as the Cougars played their third overtime game of the post-season and second against Long Beach City.  The week before, the Vikings beat the Cougars, 17-14 in the Regional Semi-final, but the Cougars had also previously beat them early in the year; in Coach Enloe's debut on the bench, 12-10, on September 22.   Cuesta finally settled the game with three unanswered goals in the second overtime to take the Bronze, 16-13.  The Cougars' Third Place finish marked the program's best since the poloists finished 3rd in 2006.  Cuesta Water Polo's finish capped a season of milestones, triumphs, and change.  Over the course of 2023 season, the Cougars welcomed the program's third coach, collected their 1,000th win, earned their 31st conference title and 44th (never missed) playoff berth, while reaching the State Finals for the 10th time and earning a trophy (Top 3) for only the 4th time.  

All-Western State Conference honors and awards shall be announced after the Thanksgiving Break.