Delta Gamma wins 25th running of women's Little 500

Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Teter, Wing It, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and Delta Sigma Pi had been battling back-and-forth all night with no one team ever taking a commanding lead.

As the 100th and final lap began, the six teams found themselves in an all-out, one lap sprint to decide the 25th Women’s Little 500 at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Miss-N-Out and Individual Time Trials champion Kathleen Chelminiak of Kappa Alpha Theta and Kayce Doogs of Delta Gamma broke away from the rest of the pack, with Chelminiak leading on the back stretch.

Doogs began to diminish Chelminiak’s lead going into turn three, and caught up to take the lead by the time turn four was through. Doogs was able hold on to the lead for the final sprint, giving Delta Gamma their first Little 500 victory since 2008, with an unofficial time fo 1:12:59.

“It feels great,” Doogs said. “We’ve been imagining this since they won back in 2008…I got a little scared because Theta was cranking away, and I said ‘I need to stay on her wheel’. I just found that energy in me and just went around in turn four.”

The win was Delta Gamma’s second ever, putting them behind only Teter, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma for most all time.

 “It’s unbelievable,” junior Kelsey Phillips said. “I’ve been riding since I was a freshman, and this is finally happening. All the hard work and preparation that got us to this point was worth it.”

“I absolutely cannot put it into words,” junior Emily Loebig said. “This is unbelievable.”
Kappa Alpha Theta found themselves a half lap down from the lead after a bike fumbling towards the beginning of the race. The team eventually worked their way back to the lead group a little after the halfway mark.

“I’m proud of the way everyone performed,” Chelminiak said. “There’s four people on our team. You can only do it together. There’s no way one of us by ourselves could have gotten back from that gap.”

While Teter was looking to win an unprecedented third consecutive victory, they had to settle instead for third place.

“I’m happy with our placement,” senior Teter rider Lisa Hutcheson said. “I love competitive sprinting, and that’s what it came down to. That’s the funnest thing for me to do.  It was an amazing experience and I’m happy.”

Wing It came in after Teter to finish fourth, while Delta Sigma Pi and Kappa Kappa Gamma placed fifth and sixth, respectively. According to unofficial times, each of the top six teams finished one second behind their predecessor. The seventh-place team, Collins, finished one minute and six seconds after Kappa Kappa Gamma.

Rounding out the rest of the top ten were Alpha Gamma Delta, Chi Omega, and Alpha Chi Omega, respectively.

With Doogs, Phillips, and Loebig all being juniors, Delta Gamma is confident they will be even more of a threat next year.

“We’re going to come back strong next year,” Doogs said. “We’ll definitely be looking for a repeat. That’s for sure.”


Unofficial standings

1. Delta Gamma

2. Kappa Alpha Theta

3. Teter

4. Wing It

5. Delta Sigma Pi

6. Kappa Kappa Gamma

7. Collins

8. Alpha Gamma Delta

9. Chi Omega

10. Alpha Chi Omega

11. Cru Cycling

12. Kappa Delta

13. Zeta Tau Alpha

14. RideOn

15. Melanzana

16. Army Women

17. Rainbow Cycling

18. Delta Zeta

19. Gamma Phi Beta

20. Last Chance

21. Alpha Xi Delta

22. Sigma Delta Tau

23. Willkie

24. Pi Beta Phi

25. Mezcla

26. Air Force Cycling

27. Anchors Away

28. Alpha Phi

29. Alpha Omicron Pi

30. Alphie

31. Delta Delta Delta

32. Theta Phi Alpha

33. Alpha Delta Pi