Morton school record broken in 4x100

Bryan Veginski
The Morton 4x100 relay team set a school record Friday with a time of 49.65 seconds to qualify for the finals at the Illinois High School Association Class 2A girls track and field state meet at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston. From left, senior Brittany Stamm, senior Chelsea Gilles, freshman Savina Fischer and sophomore Taylor Wright broke the 26-year-old mark of :49.9. The next day, the quartet earned eighth-place state medals.

A record-setting performance highlighted the Morton girls track and field team's experience over the weekend at the Illinois High School Association Class 2A state meet.

In the Friday preliminaries at O'Brien Stadium in Charleston, the Potters' 4x100 relay of freshman Savina Fischer, senior Brittany Stamm, sophomore Taylor Wright and senior Chelsea Gilles broke a 26-year-old school mark.

With a time of 49.65 seconds, the quartet advanced to the finals the next day on the campus of Eastern Illinois University.

They clipped the program's previous 1987 record of :49.9.

On Saturday, the Morton representatives clocked a :49.87 to earn eighth-place state medals.

The 4x200 relay also competed Friday in the state prelims.

Fischer, Stamm, Ashley Gilles and Chelsea Gilles raced to a season-best time of 1:45.86 that just missed advancing to the finals.

"What a fun and exciting weekend," MHS head coach Lynn Rudin said. "The girls really heated up the track in both relays."