BLAINE -- A light breeze that helped cool the athletes at the 2003 State Track and Field Meet prevented Hayfield junior Lauren Burmeister from setting Minnesota's all-time triple jump record, but it did not keep her from her second straight Class A state title Saturday at the National Sports Center.

Burmeister's first attempt of the day would have been good enough to eventually win the state title. Her opening attempt of 36 feet, 10 inches could have stood up against the rest of the competition. Burmeister knew her second attempt was longer when she landed it even though she fell back, but she had no idea it would should have been the state record.

"When I landed it I thought it was in the high 37s," Burmeister said. "I didn't really hear what the judges said and then I got up there and saw the tape."

The state record entering the weekend was 38-1, but Class AA champion Alissa Ochs of Osseo stretched the tape to 38-6 1/2 in the morning session.

Burmeister's second attempt was measured at 38-8, but the wind meter read that her jump could not stand as a new state record. Wind-aided marks cannot set records, but Burmeister had still successfully defended her state title.

"I don't care that much I guess," Burmeister said of the record. "I know I beat it. I don't need it."

Burmeister's third jump in the preliminaries was longer than her previous three, but she scratched on the attempt.

"It's probably better I don't know what it was," she said. "I really wanted to defend my title and I kind of felt pressure to just because I was returning as the champ. And even though I didn't get the record I'm still happy."

Burmeister's previous best jump was 37-2 1/2, which she used to set the Section 1A record last year in Dodge Center. She won state last season with a 37-1/2, and entered the state meet as the second seed at 36-11. Brooke Chaffee of Hinckley Finlayson, who eventually finished third, came in at 37-2 1/2.

"It's good for her to have that competition," said Hayfield coach Deb Harvey. "That brings out the best in Lauren, that competitive drive she has. And it maybe takes a little pressure off too."

Burmeister has been to state in one capacity each of the past six seasons. She has qualified for the state triple jump three straight seasons, winning it the last two. Hayfield advanced to the True Team state meet in her first three years in the program.

"It helps having been here before," Harvey added. "This year it's different though with her not running in the 400."

Burmeister advanced to state last season in both the triple jump and the 400-meter dash, in which she placed ninth.

"I wanted to concentrate on the triple jump, that's always been my focus," Burmeister said. "Not having the 400 helped me when I got here because I could concentrate on (the triple jump)."

And that she did, defending her title by a comfortable margin. Liz Bachaus of LeSueur-Henderson/Clevel, a former triple jump champion, placed second at 36-6 1/2.

"We knew it was possible," Harvey said of Burmeister's almost-record jump. "She was really stretching her strides out. But then they called the judges over and we knew something was up with the wind gauge."

The wind meter read 2.1 for Burmeister's jump, while 2.0 would have allowed her record effort to stand. Only one other jumper during the entire Class A tournament topped out with a wind-aided jump.