The Western State Conference Relays opened the season for most of the circuit's teams at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster last Friday. The non-scoring meet featured several non-championship races, including seven relays of various lengths, and only three individual running events, which were paired with four field and four throwing events.
The Cougars performed well in their first competition of the 2022 campaign and boasted three event titles and four new Cuesta Top 10 marks. Returning Freshman Eva Kessler starred for the Cougars when she won the High Jump after clearing 5'3". Kessler's leap was nearly two inches better than her career mark and moved her up to 6th all time at Cuesta. She is now just one inch away from the four leapers tied at the record mark of 5-4, which has stood since Ella Baston cleared the height in 1978. The seemingly unbeatable record is the oldest mark on the Cuesta Record Board by a decade. Returning Freshman Elen Zhu has established herself as the latest in Cuesta's long line of elite pole vaulters. Zhu cleared 10-6 to win the competition and held off teammate Hannah Quimby, who is chasing both Zhu and Kessler. Quimby finished 2nd in the Pole Vault with a leap of 9-6.25, but also finished 2nd to Kessler in the High Jump after clearing 5-1. She also cracked the Top 10 in the High Jump and is tied for 10th all time. Returning Freshman Natalia Delgado leads the Cougars' strong contingent of throwers. Delgado won the Hammer competition with a career-best toss of 125-3, which also moved her into 6th place all time at Cuesta, and also took 2nd in the Shot Put (35-2). True Freshman Thrower Makaylie Howell got the most out her first collegiate competition and competed with distinction in all four throwing events. Howell finished 2nd in the Discus (111-4), 3rd in the Shot Put (32-5), 5th in the Javelin (68-5) and, finally, 10th in the Hammer (56-2). Her Discus mark earned her 9th all time at Cuesta.
The Cougars compete in the 2022 Western State Conference North Meet this Friday (Noon) in Bakersfield. The 15-team WSC splits itself twice during the season. Cuesta and half of the circuit will compete in the WSC North Meet, while the other half competes in the WSC South Meet. The WSC will split along the lines of longitude in April, when Cuesta will host half the loop for the WSC Coast Meet.
