Cuesta Men's Swim and Dive claimed the program's 19 conference title and 4th in a row with another dominating performance at the 2024 Western State Conference (WSC) Championships. The program's new trophy moved them behind only Men's Water Polo, who claimed its department-leading 31st in the Fall, women's swimming (22) and Baseball (20). Of course, Baseball was one of Cuesta's original sports in 1965, while the aquatics program came along almost 15 years later, when the original pool was finished in late 1978.
Cuesta boasted a roster of eleven different men who earned all-Conference honors (Top 5), while compiling 28 individual award-winning performances. Returning All-American Ethan Merritt won three individual events for a meet leading 60 individual points and was honored as the 2024 WSC Swimmer of the Year. Freshman Rylan Stevenson was the meet runner-up with 57 points, two titles and a Silver, and broke teammate Conner Rocha's school record in the 100-butterfly by less than a quarter of a second to win the event. Rocha and fellow Cuesta Record Holder Brady Lind also landed among the meet's Top 10 scorers as the Cougars grabbed more than a quarter of the 3,898 total points scored and nearly doubled Runner-up and host Ventura's point total, 1,027 to 659.
The Cougars have won nine of their 10 meets this season, including seven in a row, and continue their chase for a CCCAA State Championship in early May. The 2024 CCCAA State Swim & Dive Championship shall be hosted at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa on May 2-4. Cuesta finished 7th last year but shall continue the college's quest for its first CCCAA State Title since Women's Volleyball went back-to-back in 1985 and 1986. Men's Swimming has finished in 2nd place at State three times. Overall, the aqua-jocks were runners-up in 1995, 2001 and 2002, while also taking the team Bronze in 1992, 1998 and 2022.
All-WSC Performers
Brady Lind (100 Free)- Champion
Ethan Merritt (100 Breast)- Champion
Ethan Merritt (200 Breast)- Champion
Ethan Merritt (200 IM)- Champion
Conner Rocha (200 Butterfly)- Champion
Rylan Stevenson (50 Free)- Champion
Rylan Stevenson (100 Butterfly)- Champion
Jakob Baier (200 Fly)- 2nd Place
Brady Lind (100 Butterfly)- 2nd Place
Rylan Stevenson (100 Free)- 2nd Place
Jake Escobar (1650 Free)- 3rd Place
Jake Escobar (50 Free)- 3rd Place
Jake Escobar (100 Free)- 3rd Place
Lloyd Esola (100 Back)- 3rd Place
Brady Lind (50 Free)- 3rd Place
Ryan O'Shaughnessy (400 IM)- 3rd Place
Conner Rocha (50 Free)- 3rd Place
Conner Rocha (100 Butterfly)- 3rd Place
Matthew Wheeler (200 Butterfly)- 3rd Place
Matthew Wheeler (1m Diving)- 3rd Place
Lloyd Esola (200 Back)- 4th Place
Lloyd Esola (1m Diving)- 4th Place
Lloyd Esola (3m Diving)- 4th Place
Austin Majus (200 Free)- 5th place
Jakob Baier (100 Fly)- 5th Place
Seth Boyer (1650 Free)- 5th Place
Ollie Finley (100 Back)- 5th Place
Austin Majus (100 Free)- 5th place
Ryan O'Shaughnessy (200 Breast)- 5th Place
Matthew Wheeler (3m Diving)- 5th Place
