The weather was ideal, the competition was intense, and the results were often record-setting during the recent State Track and Field Meet at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.

Area athletes captured nearly 20 state championships, six of which were won by either Ella Boekelheide of Northwestern or Spencer Melius of Faulkton. The juniors each garnered three state titles.

Boekelheide, who won the Class B 800-meter run, 1,600-meter run, and 3,200-meter run, was named Co-MVP for Class B girls track events. Melius, who won the 110-meter high hurdles, 300-meter intermediate hurdles, and javelin, was named MVP for Class B boys track events.

Last week, we attempted to project the team champions for each division. The following is a recap of those projections, followed by what actually transpired.

CLASS AA BOYS

PROJECTED TOTAL: It appears that Sioux Falls Lincoln has too much depth for the rest of the field here. The Patriots can score points in a variety of ways and are projected to finish with 133 points.

Brandon Valley will definitely be in the hunt, and appears to be a solid pick for second with 116 points.

ACTUAL RESULT: Sioux Falls Lincoln edged Brandon Valley by one half point. The Patriots finished second in the 1,600-meter relay giving them 120 points, just enough to edge out the Lynx who had 119.5. Rapid City Stevens was a distant third with 80 points.

CLASS AA GIRLS

PROJECTED TOTAL: Things could get interesting here. Brandon Valley will be the favorite as the Lynx are projected to score 101 points. Rapid City Stevens leads a tight pack of the rest of the teams, projected to score 70 points with Pierre right behind at 66.

ACTUAL RESULT: Sioux Falls Lincoln clipped Harrisburg for the team title by just seven points. The Patriots finished with 97.5 points compared to 90.5 for Harrisburg. Brandon Valley was right behind in third with 89 points.

CLASS A BOYS

PROJECTED TOTAL: As is annually the case, Sioux Falls Christian is always in the conversation for state team championships. The Chargers are projected to score 98 points with Hill City a distant second with 73 points.

ACTUAL RESULT: Sioux Falls Christian outpaced the field with 95.5 points to secure another state team title. Lennox was runner-up with 86 points. No other team managed more than 53 points.

CLASS A GIRLS

PROJECTED TOTAL: If there is one lock in the chase for team titles, this one appears to be it. Sioux Falls Christian has set the pace all season long in Class A girls and is projected to score a total of 148 points.

No other team is even close. Custer would be a strong favorite for second place with 79 points.

ACTUAL RESULT: Sioux Falls Christian dominated the competition and finished with monster point total of 162. Custer was second with 90, and Lennox finished with 85 points.

CLASS B BOYS

PROJECTED TOTAL: According to the final numbers Colman-Egan is projected to score 89 points, but that total is high considering the C-Hawks won’t be able to accumulate as many points in relays as they did in the final leaders.

Ipswich figures to be in the hunt with 64 points as does Philip with 62.

ACTUAL RESULT: Colman-Egan clipped Philip for the team title by a mere 3.5 points. Colman-Egan finished with 78 points, while the Scotties accumulated 74.5. Gregory was third with 52 points followed by Ipswich with 54.

CLASS B GIRLS

PROJECTED TOTAL: Fresh off of winning the State B basketball championship, it appears that Bennett County is ready to add a state track title in the same year as well. The Warriors are projected to score 80 points. The next closest team on projected points is Colman-Egan with 55.

ACTUAL RESULT: Bennett County rolled to the team championship with 85 points. Colman-Egan was a distant runner-up with 45.5, followed by Burke with 45, and Ipswich with 40.