Lawrence High junior Chris Fulton is in position to challenge for a gold medal today.

Fueled by a blazing start out of the blocks, Fulton won his 100-meter boys heat in 11.01 seconds and had the second-fastest time overall behind Overland Park Aquinas’ Drew Morano (10.9) on Friday at the Kansas Relays at Memorial Stadium.

“We practice every day coming out of the blocks,” Fulton said. “They say the first four steps out of the blocks are the big ones. Last year I was here and I didn’t get that good of a start and I barely made it to the finals.”

LHS sprints coach Scott Stidham said Fulton had made tremendous strides since last year.

“His start was the weak point as a sophomore, and he’s gained strength in the weight room,” Stidham said. “He used to catch people at the end, and now he’s got a whole another gear. Now he’s getting out quicker and pulling away.”

The 100 final is set for 3:25 p.m. today.

FSHS medley relay third

Free State High’s distance medley relay team of Hiral Bhakta, Nick Giannakis, Adrian Ludwig and Justin White placed third, finishing in 10:38.77.

Liberty, Mo., (10:22.99) and Lockhart, Texas, (10:23.90) finished ahead of the Firebird foursome.

“We were hoping to be in the top two,” FSHS coach Steve Heffernan said. “Third place is good, too.”

Later in the day, White (1:58.54) and Ludwig (1:58.85) placed seventh and 10th in the open 800. Those two will run at 1:10 p.m. today on Free State’s 4×800 relay team, which should challenge for first place.

Lawrence High’s distance medley relay team of Justin Riley, Fulton, Adam Beals and Dylan McClain finished fifth in 10:44.47. The Lions gained ground after Fulton’s 50-second split in the 400.

McClain eighth in 3,200

McClain finished eighth in the open 3,200 (9:32.21).

“I was happy with the results,” McClain said.

McClain ran early in the day with temperatures in the 50s and overcast skies.

“The temperatures were about just perfect,” McClain said. “It’d be nice if it was sunny. There was a bit of a breeze, but not much to make a difference.”

Abney fifth in javelin

FSHS sophomore Lauren Abney, who played softball for the Firebirds on Thursday night, placed fifth in the girls javelin with a 126-3 throw.

“I don’t get a lot of sleep,” Abney said of her hectic spring schedule. “I’m supposed to be a softball player first. I practice the javelin twice a week when I don’t have a softball game.”

Abney’s placing in the javelin was surprise, considering she was ranked 24th coming into the field.

“I was the last one to make the cut for the relays,” she said. “I didn’t expect it. I just wanted to PR.”