DODGE CENTER -- Defending state champions Lisi Ingvalson and Lauren Burmeister were not guaranteed the opportunity to repeat as Class A track and field champions at Thursday's Section 1 meet. Instead, they earned it.

Ingvalson, a senior from Blooming Prairie, placed second in the section finals of the 300-meter low hurdles and the 100 hurdles, and Burmeister defended her section title in the triple jump to qualify for next week's Class A state track and field championships in Blaine.

Burmeister won the triple jump competition Thursday at Triton High School in Dodge Center with a leap of 36 feet, 11 inches -- nearly one foot further than her closest competition. Last year she rewrote the record books with a section mark of 37-2 1/2, and felt that Thursday might be another day of raising the bar.

"I kind of wanted to (reset the section record), but I kind of tweeked my knee and I didn't want to hurt it any more," Burmeister said, embracing her fourth-place medal from the 200-meter dash. "I didn't really have a good day, but hopefully next week I'll be getting back to normal status.

"I'm sure I'll be ready to go."

Burmeister won the state meet last year by one foot with a jump of 37-1/2.

On Thursday, Burmeister missed out in qualifying for the 100 and 200, finishing seventh and fourth in respective races. She did not run the 400, in which she qualified for state last season.

Ingvalson will return to state in both events she qualified for last year, taking section runner-up in both the hurdling events. The defending state champion in the 300 hurdles, Ingvalson is not worried about what people might say about her second-place finish.

"I like the blue (ribbon) better, but I made it to state," she said. "That's what I really wanted to do. I felt like I ran one of my strongest races of the year, if not my strongest. If someone else can beat me, good for them."

Kasson-Mantorville freshman Megan Rasmussen closed on Ingvalson during the final 50 meters of the 300, clipping her at the tape for first place. Defending section champion Alex Andrews of Triton won the 100 hurdles just ahead of Ingvalson.

"That's a big warm-up for me," Ingvalson said. "I really like the 100 hurdles, and I really wanted to go to state again in those. Going to state is a really big thing."

New kid on the blocks

Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Southland freshman Ashton May will find out for the first time how big, advancing to the Class A meet in two events. May placed second in the 200 for an automatic berth and met the time standard in finishing third in the 400.

"I was hoping to qualify in the 400 and finish second in the 200, that's what I was expected to get and that's what I got," May said. "I just wanted to do my best and run my best times."

And that she did. May set a personal record in the 400, clocking in at 59.10.

Andrea Rumpza is hardly a seasoned veteran after returning to track last year for the first time since her seventh-grade season, but the Blooming Prairie junior earned the chance to defend and possibly improve upon her fourth-place finish at state in the 800. Rumpza came in second to Chatfield sophomore Jayna Tangen in Thursday's section finals after surprising her top competition last season.

"It feels really great, it's what I've been working for since last year," Rumpza said. "This was a really tough section, so I'm pretty excited.

"Now I look out for other people, and I'm probably one of those that people look for too."

Other section finalists

Rumpza and Ingvalson also ran in the 4×400-meter relay with teammates Kari Lueth and Laura Peterson, but the Blossom quartet came in seventh after barely missing state qualification last year.

May picked up a fifth-place finish in the triple jump, while teammate Rebecca Stier missed qualifying for the finals of the shot put. Stier had already qualified for state from Tuesday's discus finals, winning with a throw of 113-5.

Hayfield freshman Jenna Swanson placed fifth in the long jump and Viking junior Sara Halverson was fifth in the 1,600 run. The Hayfield 4×200 team, including Swanson, Burmeister, Ashley Heydt and Sheryl West, was sixth in Thursday's section finals, but missed the state standard time by less than one second.

Boys blanked

Junior hurdler Steven Salinas of Blooming Prairie barely missed out on advancing to the state meet in the 110-highs, finishing third behind a pair of top-tier runners. Salinas was less than a half-second shy of the time standard as well. Teammate Gary Tashima came in sixth in the 300 hurdles, and the same duo opened for the 4×400 team -- with Doug Wencl and Scott Verley -- that placed eighth in Thursday's finals.

GMLOS junior Brandon Evans had a strong day in the triple jump pit, finishing third with a leap of 40-9 3/4. After placing fifth in Tuesday's long jump finals, Evans came close to advancing to his first state meet.

Teammate Ryan Ament could not remember a day he struggled as much as he did Thursday in the discus, but he still finished fifth with a toss of 140-7. GMLOS eighth-grader Gary Kiefer came in seventh in the Plainview-dominated 1,600 run.

Lyle/Pacelli's lone section finals qualifier, sophomore Chris Bergstrom, was unable to advance to state in either of two events. Bergstrom placed fifth in the 100-meter dash and tied for eighth in the high jump.

Results:

Boys

Team standings -- Plainview 154, Stewartville 91, Rochester Lourdes 67, La Crescent 65, Rushford-Peterson/Houston 58, Kingsland 51, Triton 50, Pine Island 44, Chatfield 39, Winona Cotter 37, Byron 34, Cannon Falls 29, Lewiston-Altura 27, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central 26, Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Southland 21, Zumbrota-Mazeppa 19, Bethlehem Academy 17, Blooming Prairie 16, Lake City 14, Caledonia/Spring Grove 12, Kasson-Mantorville 9, Kenyon-Wanamingo 8, Mabel-Canton 6, Lyle/Pacelli 6.

Girls

Team standings -- Stewartville 75, Byron 69.5, Cannon Falls 56, La Crescent 50, Rochester Lourdes 46, Winona Cotter 44, Pine Island 44, Hayfield 43, Mabel-Canton 42, Plainview 40.50, Chatfield 40, Kingsland 36, Grand Meadow/LeRoy-Ostrander/Southland 35, Zumbrota-Mazeppa 34, Blooming Prairie 33, Triton 31, Lewiston-Altura 29, Caledonia/Spring Grove 29, Kasson-Mantorville 28, Lanesboro/Fillmore Central 26, Rushford-Peterson/Houston 23, Kenyon-Wanamingo 20, Lake City 10, Medford 7.