Cuevas sails to 800 title in regional

The Boardman High senior has won all of her 800-meter races this year.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- Boardman High senior Monica Cuevas was trotting around the Falcon Stadium track after Saturday's Division I regional meet when a reporter jogged up next to her, trying to run, write and avoid the rain.
After a few questions, she looked up and asked, "Can you read what you're writing?"
Not really.
"Well, just make something up," she said with a smile. "Write something about turtles."
And then she was off.
The best way -- maybe the only way -- to keep up with Cuevas is during her cool down. She's the fastest 800-meter runner in the area -- maybe even the state, although she's not making any predictions -- but she also might be the funniest, feistiest and most focused.
Cuevas cruised to first place in the 800 on Saturday -- two days after anchoring the winning 4x800 relay.
Next stop, state.
Looking ahead
"I've been waiting for this," she said. "I'm looking forward to it now, but I'm sure once I get there, I'll be nervous."
Cuevas hasn't lost an 800 race this year. She lost just one last year and it came at the state meet. She was paired in the same lane with Cleveland Heights Beaumont sophomore Maggie Infeld -- arguably the best distance runner in the state.
Infield won. Cuevas finished fourth, mainly because she started sprinting too early and didn't have much left over the final 100 meters. It was a mistake in strategy -- and she's learned from it.
"I'm almost glad I messed up, because I have another chance and I'll know how to handle things better," she said. "I'm better off this year."
Infeld also won the 1600 -- breaking the state meet record held by Boardman's Laurie Gomez -- and anchored the winning 4x800 relay to lead Beaumont to the team title.
In other words, Infeld is good. And she's back.
Cuevas doesn't want to make any bold predictions -- she's hoping to finish in the top three in both events, at least -- but she knows she has a chance to win. And that's enough.
"You can't control what happens -- you just have to go out and give everything you have," she said. "I'm not ruling anything out."
Moving on
Boardman junior Brittany Durkin -- who runs the first leg of the 4x800 relay -- also qualified for the state meet, finishing third in the 1600. The top four in each event advance.
Spartan senior Allison Brager, last year's regional champion, jumped 10 feet, 3 inches, in the pole vault to place second behind GlenOak senior Terra Walther, who set a meet record with a jump of 10-9.
Pleasant surprise
Canfield senior Emily Wollet placed fourth in the 400 with a season-best time of 57.69. She was the only Cardinal to qualify for the state meet.
"I didn't really expect it," Wollet said with a smile. "I wished for it, but I still can't believe it."
Wollet ran in the seventh lane -- she didn't run her best time during Thursday's preliminaries -- and couldn't tell if she had made it.
"I turned around and asked an official, 'What did I get?' " she said. "He gave me a thumbs up. And I was like, 'No, what did I get?' "
After the race, she was hugged by teammates, family, friends -- pretty much anyone from Canfield at the meet.
Still, she wasn't totally convinced.
"I want to hear it on the loudspeaker," she said.
Minutes later, she did. And for a few seconds, a big crowd of Canfield fans cheered.
scalzo@vindy.com