Cuesta Track & Field competed in two different events last week.  The Cougars sent the bulk of the team to the Jack Albiani Meet in Modesto, while the team's harriers headed to Los Angeles for the Occidental Distance Carnival.  Cuesta Record Holder Gabriel Katches led the Cougars with two event titles in Modesto.  He reached a season-best, although short of his Cuesta Record, in the Discus (172-1) and won the Shot Put (48-0.5) with the 6th best mark in Cuesta history.  Katches was one of six scorers on the team.  Hurdler Cameron Avila (pict) added a 2nd place in the 400-hurdles (:59.24). plus a 6th place in the 110-hurdles (:18.17), while Pole Vaulter Dean Dodge (pict) also nabbed 2nd place in the Pole Vault (13-9.25).  On the track, Sprinter Evan Schweitzer took 5th in the 400-meters (:50.06), while Connor Prichard took 6th in the 200-meters (:22.67).  Triple Jumper Thomas Rodda also placed for the Cougars with a leap of 40' 6" to take 6th place.  The Cougars did not produce any podium worthy races in Los Angeles, as the race was open to all levels of competition, including NCAA Division I, but the Cougars all improved against their elite competition.  Returning Freshman Luis Cervantes knocked almost two-minutes off his career-best in the 10,000-meters with a time of 32:59.79, while all-WSC Harrier Xander Mahan ran his first 5K of the season in 16:29.94.  Milers Jordan Reilly and Axel Reich saw big drops in their time.  Both cut more than seven seconds off their previous best marks.  

The Cougars take this week off to train and prepare for the 2022 Western State Conference Ocean Meet on March 25 in SLO.