Here are some notable awards from last night’s Victory Banquet.

All Star Riders

Men:

Kenny Parks, Team Major Taylor
Jordan Bailey, Black Key Bulls
Clayton Feldman, Cutters
Greg Maves, Delta Tau Delta
Matt Neibler, Delta Tau Delta
David Richardson-Rossbach, Delta Upsilon
Valentin Todorow, Black Key Bulls
Steve Ziemba, Alpha Tau Omega

Women:

Sonja Arnesen, Gamma Phi Beta
Jennifer Balbach, Kappa Delta
Caroline Brown, Pi Beta Phi
Kristina Heath, Delta Gamma
Lauren Half, Delta Gamma
Kristi Hewitt, Wing It
Jackie Moeller, Teter
Olivia Yeagy, Athena

Rookies of the Year
Men:
David Ellis, Phi Gamma Delta
Ren-Jay Shei, Black Key Bulls
Zach Trogdon, Gray Goat Cycling
Eric Young, Cutter

Women:
Jenna Johnson, Kappa Alpha Theta
Kelsey Kent, Delta Gamma
Lauren Sewell, Army Women
Caitlin Van Kooten, Teter

I noticed today’s front page said to check out the blog for full results from the men’s and women’s races. So, yeah - here are the links:

Men’s Race

Women’s Race

…and here are links to the four articles in today’s paper:

Women’s race recap and article on Caroline Brown

Men’s race recap and article on the Cutters

Here’s a link to a video shot by a member of the crowd during today’s race of the final two laps in the men’s race.

The Cutters completed a three-peat today, winning the 59th running of the Little 500.

The team overcame an early lap wreck when rookie rider Michael Schroeder was involved in an accident at the start/finish line around lap 70. Senior team captain Clayton Feldman rode the following set, helping the Cutters catch up and putting them quickly back into contention. Sophomore Eric Young sealed the deal on a last lap sprint with several other teams.

Delta Tau Delta, Phi Gamma Delta, Team Major Taylor, Black Key Bulls, Phi Kappa Psi, Delta Upsilon, Alpha Tau Omega, Gray Goat Cycling and Sigma Chi placed in the top ten in that order.

Similarly to Friday, two teams fell a lap behind despite being in the top ten of qualifications. Those teams were Phi Delta Theta and Acacia, and they fell behind as a result of several wrecks that went on during the course of the race.

Full results are available here.

Full wraps will be coming on Monday. Keep checking idsnews.com and Blogging Away for the latest Little 500 news and updates.

In a day full of surprises, Caroline Brown and her team, Pi Beta Phi, came out on top.

Brown led her team for the majority of the race and brought the title home during the final stretch of the race in the final sprint.

Spring series winners Kappa Alpha Theta finished in fifth.

In a surprising turn of events, Wing It and Teter, two favorites for the women’s race, finished about a minute behind the leaders, in eighth and seventh, respectively.

Eight teams finished on the lead lap.

Full results are available here.

Tune in to the Live Blog today at around 2 p.m. for coverage of the men’s race. Nate and I will be blogging from the track to give you the latest race updates.

Pi Beta Phi won its first ever Little 500 in a sprint to the finish on the final lap. We will have a much better wrap soon. Here’s the top 10 - to see more right now, check out the replay of the live chat in the post below.

1. Pi Beta Phi, 2. Delta Sigma Pi, 3. Kappa Delta, 4. Kappa Kappa Gamma, 5. Kappa Alpha Theta, 6. Delta Gamma, 7. Teter, 8. Wing It, 9. Army Women (correction from live chat), 10. Athena

Hey, everyone!

Me, Nate and special guest from ESPN John Schwarb will be having a live chat during the men’s and women’s races for those of you who can’t make it to the race and want to know what’s going on.

Looking forward to race day!

Sean and I compiled what we consider the race favorites and dark horses for both the men’s and women’s Little 500 this weekend. Feel free to discuss…these are just some thoughts…

MEN’S RACE

Nathan’s Favorites:

Cutters: Despite some roster turnover, the Cutters are as strong as ever. Three in a row is difficult - only two other teams have done it. But people wear “Stop Cutters” shirts for a reason - they’re the enemy only because they’re good.

Phi Gamma Delta: FIJI looked good all spring series and won the white jersey. Not having won since 1995, the pressure continues to mount every year. Freshman David Ellis has provided a spark, finishing 4th in ITTs.

Nathan’s Dark Horse:

Delta Upsilon: They needed three attempts to qualify and settled for the 23rd position. Is this too much to make up? Probably. But if DU can avoid the inevitable early-lap crash and work its way up to the front, anything is possible (hmm…like Kevin Garnett…). David Richardson-Rossbach has plenty of talent, winning the Miss ‘N Out and finishing 6th in ITTs.

Sean’s Favorites:

Phi Gamma Delta: After taking the white jersey and showing a lot of strength all around this year, I think it is FIJI’s time to perform.

Cutters: While their rookies have something to prove, Clayton Feldman and Eric Young could carry this team to victory.

Phi Delta Theta: Another team that has performed well in all spring series events and looks like it has the experience to carry the field.

Sean’s Dark Horse:

Gray Goat Cycling: Zach Trogdon adds a lot to this team, and the experience of the Kiel brothers makes them a top competitor.

WOMEN’S RACE

Sean’s Favorites:

Kappa Alpha Theta: One of the strongest teams in the field and the winners of the white jersey, Theta has a deep and experienced team that looks like a championship contender.

Teter: After claiming the pole three years in a row, I think this team has the experience and desire to finally claim the top spot.

Wing It: While they are down a rider, Kristi Hewitt is capable of carrying this team, and Jaime Boswell is no slouch, either. Look for Kristi to prove she is the strongest rider in the field.

Sean’s Dark Horse:

Delta Gamma: This team has a lot of strong riders but may lack the depth to be the winner on the day. If they are in it for the final lap, their sprinters may be able to get it done.

Nathan’s Favorites:

Teter: If they don’t win this year, senior Jackie Moeller will be very disappointed. She’s the only current member to have endured two previous second-place finishes. The team has three strong riders in Moeller, Julie Bembenista and Caitlin Van Kooten - enough to win on race day.

Kappa Delta: One of the field’s deepest teams, KD had four riders finish in the top 40 in ITTs. If Julie Panzica is operating at 100 percent on race day, this team is dangerous. Even if Panzica is not at her best, Jennifer Balbach, Jenna Cerone and Katie LaPlant still make up a formidable roster.

Nathan’s Dark Horse:

Army Women: Starting third ought to make a team a favorite, but Army Women have been flying under the radar all season. If KD’s depth is its strength, Army Women’s might be even better. While lacking a top sprinter, five of the team’s six riders finished in the top 40 in ITTs.

What are your thoughts? Feel free to completely disagree with us! Also, if you haven’t already, there’s still time to pick up today’s edition of the IDS, which includes a 24-page special section on the Little 500.