DIVISION I Cuevas fourth in 800, Boardman places seventh

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
DAYTON -- Monica Cuevas didn't run the 800-meter race of her life on Saturday, but she had reason to be proud.
The Boardman junior finished fourth with a time of 2:14.47 to earn All-Ohio honors in the event at the Division I state track and field meet at Welcome Stadium.
The Spartans finished seventh overall. Cleveland Heights Beaumont finished first.
Pushed too early
"I pushed myself too early and I think I was a little weak at the end, but I'm still glad to be up on the podium," Cuevas said.
"Our team did pretty well, but I think we could have done a little better," Cuevas said. "The person I'm most impressed with is Allison Brager. She really focused and did well."
Brager placed fourth in the pole vault on Friday.
Cuevas was in lane eight -- not her favorite lane -- and was paired with Beaumont sophomore Maggie Infeld. Infeld won both the 800 and 1600 on Saturday.
The 1600 record of Boardman High graduate Laurie Gomez was broken Saturday by Infield with a time of 4:51.39. Gomez set the record of 4:53.39 in 1988.
Cuevas paced herself early with Infeld, which contributed to the quick start.
"That could have been it," she said. "She really pushed me. But she's a wonderful runner. I'm happy to have got here and I think I'm finally getting the idea of how to run this race."
Cuevas, who has the school and district record in the 800, just missed qualifying for state in the 400 last year. She also anchored Boardman's 4x800 relay team, which finished fifth in the state on Friday.
Bland seventh in 100
Boardman sophomore Amber Bland placed seventh in the 100 to earn All-Ohio honors in her second event this weekend. Bland finished fourth in the high jump on Friday.
"I'm not happy with it, but I'll come back next year to strive for a higher position," Bland said. "At least I placed in two events. A lot of people don't make it down here and I'm happy just be among the best athletes in the state."