Cuesta Wrestling competed in the Southern Dual Tournament last Saturday at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.  The 4th-ranked Cougars took 5th place in the eight-team event, while going 4-2 in their duals.  Cuesta opened strong with wins over Imperial Valley, 34-12, and Rio Hondo, 31-20, before falling to #3 Cerritos, 28-10. The Cougars bounced back with a win over #8 Lemoore, 33-20, before splitting their last two matches with Palomar and Bakersfield.  Returning State Place Winners Preston Scharf (165/274) and Grant Eklund (157) were both undefeated at 6-0 on the weekend, while 2024 3C2A State Qualifier Dom Marquez (133) posted a 5-1 mark.  Overall, the Cougars the 12-man "range" posted a 34-21 at the event.  

 

The Cougars' Grapplers shall enjoy their only homestand of the season this weekend when they host a pair of duals and the 22nd Meathead Mover Invitational.  On Friday, following a Cuesta Women's Volleyball Game (4 PM), Cuesta Wrestling shall host a pair of SouthEast Conference Duals against Victor Valley (6 PM) and East Los Angeles (7 PM).  On Saturday, the Meathead Mover Invitational is expected to host about 20 teams and shall run all day.  

 

Cuesta's four wins at the Southern Duals boosted the Cougars season record to 5-3, while the final win over Bakersfield represented the program's historic 300th dual win since Cuesta Wrestling began in 1965 under Coach Warren Hansen.  Current Coach Joe Dansby (pict-L), in his 24th season, has guided the Cougars to 128 of those dual wins, which ranks second among Cuesta's six coaches over the past 59 seasons.  Dansby, with 128 duals wins, is in position to equal Hall of Famer Gary Meissner's (1972-2000) Cuesta standard of 130 career wins, when the Rams and Huskies arrive on campus for their SEC Duals on Friday.