The months of intense training are now over. All of the series events
have been completed. For riders, today is finally the day. The 21st
Women’s Little 500 is here.
The much-anticipated event will begin at 4 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium with 32 teams competing for the crown.
Last
year, Kappa Delta won the race handily and became just the third
sorority to take the title. Sophomore Jenna Cerone said riding as the
defending champions will not add any extra pressure on this year’s team
going into the race.
“Since we are going to be wearing the
yellow jersey, I feel like people will recognize us, but each year is
different,” Cerone said. “Every team gets new riders and loses riders
so I don’t really think that much extra pressure is on us. We put it on
ourselves because we want to repeat.”
But while Kappa Delta is a
strong contender again this year, the clear pre-race favorite to win is
Teter. The veteran team was victorious at Team Pursuit and every member
of Teter placed in the top 11 riders at Individual Time Trials. They
hope to avenge last year’s second place finish.
“We are four
whole different riders from last year,” junior Jackie Moeller said. “We
are going to be smarter, watch a lot of other teams and have fun. We
want to be confident going into Friday knowing that we can do our best.”
Other top teams to watch, based on Team Pursuit finishes, include Delta Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta.
Delta Gamma senior Julianne Ellis said to be successful, working well as a team is vital.
“You need clean exchanges, avoid wrecks and a little bit of luck,” Ellis said. “A safe race is very important.”
One
factor that could affect riders is the weather. Unlike last year, when
race day was sunny and warm, reports call for strong wind and rain
throughout Friday and Saturday. Poor weather conditions could increase
the possibility of wrecks on the track.
“The last two years, I
have been in wreck situations, so you just have to go with what you
got,” Kappa Alpha Theta senior Liz Pallotta said. “If you are chasing
for a few laps, just do that and get back on. You kind of plan for the
worst to happen and hope for the best.”
Delta Zeta senior Amanda Marquet said the weather will not have a very significant impact on how teams ride in the race.
“If
it is pouring, it will be a little bit harder because the rain may make
the track a bit faster,” Marquet said. “But we will not really be
focused on the rain, we will be focused on the race and what is going
on around us.”
Pallotta said the rain will not affect her team, and in the end, will help make the race more balanced.
“I
am going to love it ... it’s going to be great,” Pallotta said. “I
think it will be a completely different race and even out the field a
lot. It will be anyone’s game.”
Thousands of screaming fans will pack the bleachers to cheer their favorite teams and riders on to victory.
Cerone said she expects the environment of Little 500 race day to be like nothing she has ever participated in before.
“All
of my family is coming in and they haven’t experienced Little 500 at
all,” she said. “It is nice to have people come out and support you.
I’m very excited to show people what we have done.”