So. Badger - Madison Edgewood.

Big Eight - Middleton.

Little Ten - West Bend East.

Southern Lakes - Jefferson.

Best area WIAA tournament showings: Individual: Jonathan Schwerin of Madison East finished fifth in Division 1 singles; Michael Bush of Madison Edgewood finished third in Division 2. Ben Becker and Ryan Bingham of Madison La Follette lost in the quarterfinals in Division 1 doubles; John Paradise and Dirk VanRybroek of Madison Edgewood finished fourth in Division 2 doubles.

Team: Middleton lost to Milwaukee Marquette 5-2 in the Division 1 state final. Madison Edgewood lost to Milwaukee University School 5-2 in the Division 2 state final.

FAST FORWARD

WSJ PRESEASON ALL-AREA

First team

Singles: Jonathan Schwerin, sr., Madison East; Connor Gilmore, jr., Madison East; Jack Cullen, jr., Madison Edgewood; Lee Olson, sr., Jefferson.

Doubles: Dirk VanRybroek, sr,. and Phil Paradise, sr,. Madison Edgewood; Jon Mahvi, sr., and Alex Strunce, jr., or Kenny Szulczewski, sr., Middleton; Sean Bridwell, sr., and Nate Musser, so., Madison Memorial.

Second team

Singles: Daniel Cooper, sr., Madison West; Robby Kutchin, jr., Middleton; Adam Means, jr., Verona; Joe Kronforst, sr., Edgerton.

Doubles: Ian LaPhilliph, sr., and Zach Browne, sr., Madison West; Brian Schneider, sr., and Jeremy Keiser, sr., Verona; Nick Pomplin, sr., and Josh Goodwin, sr., Madison East.

Honorable mention

 Singles: Brady Porter, sr., Madison Memorial; Aaron Kondrasuk, jr., Monona Grove; Michael Schneider, sr., Madison La Follette; Joel Yaeger, sr., Waunakee; Rob Watson, sr., Milton; Evan Elderbrock, sr., Madison West.

Doubles: Bennett Mortensen, so., and Tyler Matzinger, NA, Madison West; Alex Tande, sr., and Jack Steiner, sr., Waunakee; Matt Turek, and Levi Janssens, sr., Monroe; Ben Wolf, sr., and Jake Wolf, sr., Madison Memorial.

BIG QUESTIONS

Is this Madison East's year? After waiting - often impatiently - to have the spotlight all to themselves, this might be the year for the Purgolders. They return senior Jonathan Schwerin, who finished fifth at the Division 1 individual state meet last year, and No. 2 singles player Connor Gilmore, coming off a 26-2 season, plus solid experience throughout the doubles position. East will need to take care of business between now and the week of May 12 when it plays defending Big Eight champion and 2007 Division 1 state runner-up Middleton on a Monday and the conference tournament on a Saturday.

Who is the most underrated player in the area? Madison Edgewood's Jack Cullen in a landslide. The Crusaders' junior went 22-0 last season, but - playing behind three seniors - was forced to play No. 4 singles and did not receive an at-large berth into the WIAA Division 2 state individual tournament draw.

What were you doing in 1966? Jim Bartholf was beginning his first season as coach of the Monroe boys tennis team. He is still going strong after 345 dual-meet wins and 105 losses, but two other area coaches have indicated this will be their final seasons - Madison Memorial's Chris Grainger will step down after 24 seasons and Waunakee's Pete Wilson said last fall that he intends to go back to school to complete his PhD with a goal of becoming an athletic director.

Can anyone outsmart Monona Grove's Aaron Kondrasuk? The senior not only is the No. 1 singles player on his team, but also the No. 1 student in his class. You might also know Kondrasuk as the starting quarterback on MG's football team and the starting guard on his basketball team. "Reminds me a little of his coach," said first-year Silver Eagles coach Matt Hockett, a 2002 McFarland graduate who was better known as a tight end/linebacker/punter in football and a forward in basketball.

How does Verona's Adam Means get his kicks in the spring? The junior, who converted 50 of 53 PAT kicks and five of seven field goals for the Wildcats football team - WIAA Division 1 state semifinalists - last fall, will tee it up at No. 1 singles this spring. He went 15-8 at No. 2 singles last year after qualifying for state in doubles as a freshman.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

May 10: Madison Edgewood Invitational.

May 15-16: Badger Conference meet (Nielsen Tennis Stadium); Southern Lakes Conference meet (UW-Whitewater).

May 17: Big Eight Conference meet (Nielsen Tennis Stadium).

May 19-20: WIAA subsectionals.

May 22: WIAA sectionals.

May 29-31: WIAA state individual tournament (Nielsen Tennis Stadium).

June 6-7: WIAA state team tournament (Nielsen Tennis Stadium).