FLASHBACK

2007 conference champions: Northern Badger -- Baraboo. Southern Badger -- Monona Grove. Big Eight -- Madison Memorial. Northern Capitol -- Columbus. Southern Capitol -- Sugar River. Little Ten -- Wisconsin Lutheran. Ridge & Valley/Six Rivers -- Albany. Rock Valley -- Clinton. Scenic Bluffs -- Hillsboro. South Central -- Wautoma. Southern Lakes -- Whitewater. SWAL -- Fennimore. SWC -- Platteville. Trailways -- Pardeeville.

Best area WIAA tournament showings: Division 1: Watertown finished fourth at the state meet, while Monroe (eighth) and Janesville Craig (10th) also finished in the top 10. Division 2: Richland Center won the state championship, while Whitewater was fourth. Division 3: Cuba City tied for fifth place at the state meet.

FAST FORWARD

WSJ PRESEASON ALL-AREA

100 meters -- Division 1: Justin Spaulding, sr., Milton. Division 2: Lynn Oyawiri, sr., Platteville. Division 3: Luke Standiford, sr., Pardeeville.

200 meters -- Division 1: Quentin Badger, jr., Madison Memorial. Division 2: David Sikorski, sr., Wisconsin Dells. Division 3: Brett Becker, jr., Cuba City.

400 meters -- Division 1: Quin Schwellinger, jr., Madison East. Division 2: Keith McBride, jr., Lodi. Division 3: Luke Standiford, sr., Pardeeville.

800 meters -- Division 1: Andy Buchanan, sr., Madison La Follette. Division 2: Brett DeNure, jr., Monroe. Division 3: Jake Lincicum, jr., Albany.

1,600 meters -- Division 1: Andy Buchanan, sr., Madison La Follette. Division 2: Shane Lacy, sr., McFarland. Division 3: Ben Stuckey, sr., Fennimore.

3,200 meters -- Division 1: Brett Kelly, jr., Madison West. Division 2: Connor Boushon, sr., McFarland. Division 3: Nick Nicholson, sr., Fennimore.

110 hurdles -- Division 1: Kendric Smith, sr., Monona Grove. Division 2: Grant Bughman, sr., Whitewater. Division 3: Mitch Sebranek, sr., Hillsboro.

300 hurdles -- Division 1: Caleb Krueger, sr., Madison La Follette. Division 2: Grant Bughman, sr., Whitewater. Division 3: Mitch Sebranek, sr., Hillsboro.

400 relay -- Division 1: Verona. Division 2: Platteville. Division 3: Fennimore.

800 relay -- Division 1: Verona. Division 2: Columbus. Division 3: Fennimore.

1,600 relay -- Division 1: Madison La Follette. Division 2: Whitewater. Division 3: Fennimore.

3,200 relay -- Division 1: Sauk Prairie. Division 2: Dodgeville/Mineral Point. Division 3: Fennimore.

High jump -- Division 1: Riley Grafft, sr., Janesville Parker. Division 2: Paul Annear, sr., Richland Center. Division 3: Lukey Klitz, sr,. Markesan.

Pole vault -- Division 1: Erik Moser, sr., Madison East. Division 2: Garrett Vetesnik, sr., Richland Center. Division 3: Garrett Miles, so., Deerfield.

Long jump -- Division 1: Spencer Radel, sr., Waunakee. Division 2: Paul Annear, sr., Richland Center. Division 3: Brett Becker, jr., Cuba City.

Triple jump -- Division 1: Tyler Knight, sr., Madison La Follette. Division 2: Paul Annear, sr, Richland Center. Division 3: Luke Standiford, sr., Pardeeville.

Shot put -- Division 1: Nick Grosso, sr., Monona Grove. Division 2: Cody Campbell, sr., Clinton. Division 3: Jacob Dailey, sr., Cuba City.

Discus -- Division 1: Devin Mahaffey, sr., Madison Memorial. Division 2: Brandon Krupp, sr., Clinton. Division 3: Jacob Dailey, sr., Cuba City.

BIG QUESTIONS

What do you call a head start? Having Paul Annear and Garrett Vetesnik on your side, which could give Richland Center a 40-point jump on the competition in its bid to repeat as WIAA Division 2 state champion. Annear, trying to become only the second athlete in state history to win four straight state high jump titles, swept the jumps -- high, long and triple -- last year in La Crosse for 30 points and Vetesnik won the pole vault for another 10. The Hornets won the title with 45 points, while La Crosse Aquinas and Arcadia tied for second with 32.

Can Madison La Follette go the distance? The Lancers -- led by senior Andy Buchanan and his fellow distance runners -- hope to make as much noise at the state meet in La Crosse this spring as they did at the state cross country meet in Wisconsin Rapids last fall when they rolled to the Division 1 title. Besides being deep in the distance events, La Follette also has a talented hurdler in Caleb Krueger and and an accomplished sprinter/hurdler/jumper Tyler Knight. The Lancers also have a new coach in John Neuman, who has also been the girls coach and replaces Mike Brown at the helm of the boys program.

Where do you want these batons? A logical location would be Fennimore, where the Golden Eagles are a threat to score some serious points in all four sprint events. They qualified for state in two relays last season -- highlighted by a third-place finish in the 1,600 relay with three juniors (Ben Stuckey, Nick Nicholson and Tyler Carl) and one sophomore (Parker Prochaska).

Is there anything Luke Standiford can't do? The Pardeeville senior -- headed to Southern Illinois on a football scholarship this fall -- is working on a neat little streak. He was named Northern Trailways Conference athlete of the year in track and field last spring, football last fall and basketball last winter. A state qualifier in four events last season -- the 100, 200 and 400 meters and the triple jump -- Standiford looks to better the 13 points he scored in those events this season.

Where is Andrew Perkins? That was a popular question as everyone waited for the snow to melt and the outdoor season to begin. Well, it will begin -- and end -- without the Watertown senior and defending Division 1 state champion in the 800 and 1,600 meters. According to published reports, an ongoing conflict between Perkins' family and Gosling coaches reached the point of no return over the winter, prompting the Northern Iowa recruit to leave the team and compete on his own this spring in a handful of select national meets.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

May 13: Northern Badger meet (Mount Horeb); Southern Badger meet (Middleton HS); Big Eight meet (Madison La Follette); Northern Capitol (Lodi); Southern Capitol (Waterloo); Little Ten (Beaver Dam); Ridge & Valley/Six Rivers (Kickapoo HS, Viola); Rock Valley (Palmyra-Eagle); Scenic Bluffs (Necedah); South Central (Wautoma); Southern Lakes (Fort Atkinson); SWAL (Darlington), SWC (Lancaster), Trailways (Princeton).

May 19: WIAA regional meets.

May 22: WIAA sectional meets.

May 30-31: WIAA state meet at La Crosse.