BOYS

Class 4A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Gillette: 38 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Gillette. The Camels have at least two competitors qualified for every event but the 3200. Distance runner Dominick Robinson could sweep the distance races, while hurdlers Jed Storie and Cameron Mock are also coming off first-place finishes at regionals. Past those three, Gillette's depth is tremendous, and their scoring ability - with the 38 individual qualifiers - is unmatched.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Natrona County. The Mustangs are anchored by a strong crew of sprinters, sophomore hurdler Taylor Villegas and senior thrower Carson Rowley. Villegas has the top 4A times in both the 110 and 300 hurdles races, while Rowley has the top marks in both the shot put and discus. Senior Patrick Raymond is the defending high jump champion, while Mario Harris is coming off a school record-breaking performance in the 100 at regionals. NC has 31 individual qualifiers and at least one in every event.

2007 CHAMPION: Cheyenne Central. The Indians have one of the strongest throwing cores, as Justin Roberts and Matt Cook swept the top two spots at the East Regional in both the shot put and discus. Past that, the Indians need points from each one of their 17 individual qualifiers, seventh-most in 4A, to repeat.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: Stephen Michel. The Laramie senior won the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump at last week's East Regional and could do so again at state. He's already the state meet record-holder in the triple jump and has logged a time this year in the 100 that would break the existing record in that event, as well. … Also watch Cheyenne East pole vaulter Justin Gebicki. His best mark this year - 16 feet, 5 inches - would break the existing all-class meet record by 5 inches.

Class 3A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Cody: 33 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Douglas. The Bearcats, who have 29 individual qualifiers and all three relays, barely topped Lander 164-155 for the regional title. Douglas' strength is in the sprints - the Bearcats took home the top four spots in the 100 and won the 400 relay. Justin Melton won the regional title in the 100, while Jacob Vogel finished second in the 100, won the long jump and ran the anchor leg of the winning relay. Lander, meanwhile, has its strengths in the hurdles and distance races.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Cody. The Broncs won by 89.5 points over defending state champ Powell last week. Both Kegan Lassiter (110/300 hurdles) and Matt Neddermeyer (long/triple jumps) enter with the top 3A marks this year in two events, and Tyler Riggle, Ethan Slight, Dan Rogina and Sean Rogers combined to sweep the top two spots at regionals in the 800, 1600 and 3200.

2007 CHAMPION: Powell. The Panthers are still a force to be reckoned with this week. Powell qualified 26 individuals, third-most in 3A behind Cody and Douglas, and a pair of relays for state. Kenny Smith and Rustin Myrick could rack up big points in the sprints and hurdles events.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: Brandon Childs. Aside from Smith in the 200, Childs is the only defending 3A state champ that'll be back in Casper this week for the 3A meet. Childs won the pole vault last year and could break state records this year if conditions are right.

Class 2A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Wind River: 23 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Guernsey. The Vikings tallied 142 points to win by 52 last week. With 22 qualifiers, including three strong relay teams, Guernsey trails only Wind River in bodies on the track. Hurdler/jumper Austin Montgomery, distance runner David Castle, sprinter Kyle Cundall, middle distance runner David Moats and jumper Rage Geringer are all in solid position to score points.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Wind River. The Cougars won regionals by 74.5 points, riding regional championships by Zane Bell (800 and 1600), Doug Jordan (300 hurdles) and Trey Simmons (high jump) to get there. The Cougars have added depth in thrower Tyler Downing, sprinter Eric Inman and all-around hands Trent Jordan, Brent Horton and Gage Blankenship.

2007 CHAMPION: Sundance. The Bulldogs only have eight individual qualifications this year, but among those is senior Cody Emrick. Emrick is trying to win his third consecutive state championships in the 800 and 1600, and that puts him in a class by himself - he's the only boy in any classification trying to win his third straight individual title in any event.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: Toby Wood. The senior from Riverside is the only 2A thrower to break 50 feet in the shot put and 150 feet in the discus this season.

Class 1A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Saratoga: 26 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Saratoga. The Panthers blasted the field at the East Regional, scoring 184 points. Seniors David Capozzoli and Ryan Larscheid anchor the team - Capozzoli has 1A's best marks in the 100, 200, long jump and triple jump while Larscheid has the best in the 400, the 110 hurdles and the 300 hurdles. Saratoga qualified someone for every event but the high jump.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Cokeville. The Panthers barely tipped Burlington 135-132 last week, but in Cokeville's 17 individual qualifiers, there are none qualified in field events. Burlington has 25 individual qualifiers, while Dubois, with 23 individual qualifiers, could also make a run for the top spot. The 100, 200, hurdles races, high jump and pole vault may prove to be the most critical events to see if any West teams can stick with Saratoga.

2007 CHAMPION: Lingle. The Doggers, now in Class 2A, have only six individual entries in this year's meet.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: Nic Penning. The distance ace from Hulett has 1A's top times this year in the 1600 and the 3200 - the only individual track races not topped by someone from Saratoga.

GIRLS

Class 4A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Cheyenne Central: 42 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Central. The Indians more than doubled up the field at the East Regional. Central excels in the distance races, as Alyssa Miller, Levia Abraham, Jessica Lemaster and Anna Yancnek have all proven capable of winning state titles. Middle-distance runner Victoria Crockett, sprinter/hurdler Chelsey Lybeck and thrower Cody Milbourn give the Indians depth on a team that also swept all three relay victories at regionals.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Evanston. The Red Devils have one of the youngest - but also one of the most talented - teams in the state. Sophomores Lauren Thomas and Erin Kirby are multi-event stars but have found the most success in the hurdles, while junior Gabbi Smith and freshman Stephanie Sheets give Evanston added depth.

2007 CHAMPION: Gillette. The Camels have 22 individual qualifiers, fifth-most in 4A, but among those is junior Emily Moore. Moore has never lost at state, winning three individual events and a relay as a freshman and four individual events (100, 200, long jump, triple jump) last year.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: Casper's contingent. Kelly Walsh is loaded in the sprints, hurdles and jumps with Jordan Merback, Shanae Hedlund, Kate Nyffeler and Julia Popish leading the way. Natrona County is strong in the middle-distance races with Brittany Young leading the way. Hannah Romsa will be in the mix in the sprints and jumps and Baillie Gibson has the top marks in the state this year in both the shot put and discus.

Class 3A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Cody: 27 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Torrington. Holding off challengers Douglas and Lander, the Trailblazers won the East by a mere seven points. Sprinter Lindsey Simmons and hurdler Diana Long were Torrington's only individual champions at regionals, but Simmons comes to state with 3A's top times in the 100 and 200 while Long - the 3A state meet record-holder in the 300 hurdles - leads the way in that event and is second in the 100 hurdles.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Cody. The Broncs had little trouble winning the West Regional, as Cate Brus led the way with three individual championships (100 hurdles, 300 hurdles and high jump). Alisha Reaser, Betsy Whisonant and Sierra Jech also won individual titles at regionals. Reaser comes into state with 3A's best marks this year in the pole vault and is only .06 seconds off the top mark in the 100.

2007 CHAMPION: Mountain View. The two-time defending champion Buffalos dropped to 2A last year and are one of the favorites in that classification.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: The Rice sisters. Brooke, a freshman, has 3A's top times in the 800 and 1600 and the second-best time in the 3200 this year, while sister Ellie, a sophomore, has the top 3A time in the 400 and is third in the 800 and 1600. The pair may help Jackson, with 17 individual qualifiers, sneak into the team race.

Class 2A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Mountain View: 36 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Tongue River. Several runners from Lingle, including sprinters Maggie Ochsner, Trae Patch and Candace Wollert, opted not to run in Saturday's finals, and the Eagles took advantage to win the regional championship. TR's 21 qualifiers, including three each in the triple jump and 300 hurdles, is second behind Mountain View's 39 and Lingle's 31.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Mountain View. The Buffalos racked up 254 points on their way to a 164-point margin of victory. The two-time defending Class 3A champs qualified someone in every event, including junior Amber Henry, who has 2A's top times in the 1600 and 3200 and second-best times in the 400 and 800. Hurdler Michelle Tims, jumper Emily Smith and thrower Kilee Iorg help make Mountain View a well-rounded team.

2007 CHAMPION: Big Horn. Only seven individual qualifiers made it back to state for the Rams this year, but both thrower Molly Jackson and jumper Kaylie Vendela are qualified in a pair of events.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: The relay races. Lingle has the top qualifying time in all three relays, and it's not even close. The Doggers have already logged a time in the 400 relay that could break the existing class record, while the 1600 relay is only three-tenths of a second off 2A state-record pace.

Class 1A

MOST QUALIFIERS: Burlington: 28 individual qualifiers, all three relays.

EAST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Southeast and Saratoga. The Cyclones and Panthers tied for the top spot last week, but it's Southeast that brings the most qualifiers. The Cyclones qualified 19 individuals and all three relays. The Panthers will bring 16 individual qualifiers, including distance aces Adria Grubb and Shelby Hohnholt, but no relay teams.

WEST REGIONAL CHAMPION: Burlington. The Huskies were the only 1A girls team to qualify somebody for every event. Burlington is stacked in the hurdles events, pole vault, high jump, long jump and triple jump (three qualifiers in each event), but could make most of its noise in the bar events, where it has the top three qualifiers in the pole vault and two of the top three in the high jump.

2007 CHAMPION: Lingle. Thankfully for the rest of the 1A field, the Doggers are now up in 2A.

ALSO WATCH FOR…: Lindsay Copeland. The senior from Dubois won four events at the West Regional meet and has a chance to do so again at the state meet. She has 1A's top times in the 100, 200 and 100 hurdles and has the second-best time in the 300 hurdles. She's running in Lane 4 in all four of her preliminary races.

- Compiled by Patrick Schmiedt, Star-Tribune staff writer