Cuesta Men's Swimming opened the 2022 campaign at the Larry Baratte Preview Meet at the Ventura Aquatic Center.  The meet is named after Ventura's former Championship Coach Larry Baratte, who succumbed to cancer in 2020.  The Cuesta men were led by 2021 Cuesta Male Athlete of the Year Lucas Esenwein (pict) who dominated in the 50-Freestyle with an amazing early season time of :21.18.  Esenwein holds the Cuesta record in the event at :20.81, but his early season, unshaved and untampered, time would still crack Cuesta's all-time Top 10.  He also took 2nd place in both the 100-freestyle and 100-butterfly events.  Freshman Andrew Lopez and Returning Freshman Stash Perry also won events at the meet. Lopez was the Cougars only double-event winner.  He claimed both the 200-Individual Medley (2:01.07) and 100-Breastroke (1:01.31), while taking 3rd in the 100-Backstroke.  Perry pounded out a victory in the 500-Freestyle (5:04.37) and added a 3rd and 4th in the 200-Freestyle and 100-Butterfly, respectively.  Cuesta scored 162 points in the meet to outpace Runner-up, and host, Ventura's 120-point total.  

The Aqua-Cats compete in their first official Western State Conference competition this Friday (11 AM) at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita.  The event is one of three WSC Mini Meets scheduled before the conference championship beings on April 21 in SLO.