Cuesta Men's Water polo held its second invitational of the season and took the title by sweeping the competition with four straights.  The Cougars pounded their opponents by a combined score of 76-36.  Cuesta, after taking a designated Western State Conference game against Citrus, 20-8, and blowing past Cabrillo, 25-8, on Friday, started slowly against San Diego Mesa on Saturday morning.  The Olympians took a 3-1 lead in the first quarter, but the Cougars battled back to even the game, 5-5, at the intermission.  In the second half, the Cougars took their first lead less than 30 seconds into the third period, but, after a couple of Mesa goals, Freshman Thor Samuel re-tied the game the five-minute mark and 2025 Cuesta Athlete of the Year Grant Huston scored the go-ahead goal the next time down the pool. The Cougars never trailed again on their way to victory, 14-12.  Cuesta closed the tournament against unranked San Mateo and, after hanging with the Bulldogs in the first half, 6-5, closed strong with an 11-3 second half run to close the tournament.  The four-game sweep earned the Cougars the unofficial tournament title, while improving their overall record to 14-10. 

Cuesta's current five-game winning streak, which matches their season-opening streak, has the squad looking strong as they head into the final two weeks of the regular season.  The Cougars travel south for a three-day, six game road trip next weekend.  On Thursday, Cuesta, at separate venues, shall play at both Biola University (Noon) and Santa Monica (4 PM), before heading to Garden Grove for four more games at the Golden West Tournament on Friday and Saturday.  The Cougars are scheduled to open the against El Camino (10:20) on Friday morning and play three more games at the event.