Cuesta Swim and Dive completes its regular season with a Western State Conference Mini-Meet at Allan Hancock in Santa Maria this Friday (11:30).  After this week's warm-up meet, the Cougars have three events post-season events left on their schedule- the Combined Regional/Conference Diving Championships, the WSC Swimming Championships and the 2026 3C2A State Championships in Csota mesa.  Both teams will be a threat at both the conference and regional championships. 

 

The men, who finished 6th at the State Meet last year, have won the past five Western State Conference crowns and all three of their first three conference meets this season.  The Cougars also have 2025 3C2A State Swimmer of the Year Grant Huston, who had set his sights on the Cougars record book.  After taking down eight records last season and currently owns seventeen of the program's eighteeen recognized marks.  He is only still behind a new mark from current Freshman Zach Pechan in the 50-backstroke (:24.23).  Along with Huston and Pechan, fellow All-American Brady Lind returned from his Redshirt season and now owns six Cuesta Top 10 marks, including 100-Individual Medley and 100-butterfly, where only Huston blocks him from the top spot.  The men, who have placed as a team at every 3C2A to, at least 1990, have the depth to to make a run for the title.  Besides Huston, Lind and Pechan, the Cougars. Freshmen Jett Hardy, CJ Simmons and Tanner Alford have all earned a spot, in at least one event, on the Cougars Top 10.   The Cougars have also won four of their six events this season. 

 

 The women's team is led by returning All American Annika Pauschek, who is vying to become Cuesta Women's Aquatics first four-time All American*.  Pauschek is expected to chase a conference crown and return to the State Meet.  Her time of 2:12.55 in the 200-backstroke is fastest of her three Cuesta all-time Top 10 marks.  She is joined on the Cougars' Top 10 by fellow sophomores, Kailey Ardouin and Ryder Gangemi.  Ardouin owns Top 10 in three of the most taxing events.  She ranks 5th in both 200-butterfly (2:35.89) and 400-individual medley (5:07.66) and 6th in the 200-breaststroke (2:43.89).  Gangemi is the newest member of the Cougars Top 10.  She is three places behind Ardouin, in the 8th spot, for the 200-butterfly (2:41.50).

 

 

 

*(NOTE) Cuesta Aquatics Coach Rachel Shiffrar (ne' Griuetzmacher), Courtney Christy and Ally Bernard were all three-time All Americans during their time with Cuesta Aquatics.  Shiffrar and Christy were only all-State, but not All American, as freshmen Water Poloist, while Bernard missed All American in swimming by three places as a sophomore.