Miss-N-Out competition prepares riders for upcoming races

Phi Delta Theta senior Josh Beatty and Delta Chi senior Jason Sonneborn were riding a foot from each other with about 200 meters remaining in the final heat of the men's Miss-N-Out competition.\nAs the riders approached turn three on the Bill Armstrong Stadium track, the two rider duel became a one man sprint to the finish.\nBeatty continued his dominance of the spring series events by defeating Sonneborn with a race to the line in the last lap of Saturday's Miss-N-Out. \n"I was surprised," Sonneborn said. "I was leading on the front stretch and he then took off with a big head of steam."\nBeatty started the final heat on the inside of the track. He kept the same position almost the entire five-lap race. Beatty, Sonneborn and Phi Delta Theta junior Matt Marketti were the final three riders remaining in the six-rider final. The trio peddled close together almost the entire race until the final lap. Marketti couldn't keep up with Beatty and Sonneborn, and the race became a two-man sprint until Beatty's final push. \n"When you're up front you're kind of in control," Beatty said. \nIn addition to winning Miss-N-Out for the second consecutive year, Beatty also won Wednesday's Individual Time Trials with a time of 2:29.87 minutes.\n"It's a lot of hype, but that's not what I'm going for," Beatty said of winning series events. "It's nice, but it's not the cake."\n"The cake" for Beatty and every male rider is winning the Little 500. Based on Saturday's Miss-N-Out results, Phi Delta Theta is a threat to win the April 21 race.\nPhi Delta Theta was the only team with two riders that reached the event's finals. Other finalists included Briscoe Blur junior Nathan Hartman (fourth), Phi Gamma Delta senior Sam Blossom (fifth) and Sigma Alpha Epsilon junior Dan Burns (sixth).\nPhi Delta Theta and Phi Gamma Delta were the only two teams that had three riders advancing to Saturday's semifinals. Senior Brian Drummy joined Beatty and Marketti as the third Phi Delta Theta rider to reach the semifinals.\n"We have improved so much from last year," Marketti said. "I'm just happy for everyone. Our whole team did well (Saturday)."\nPhi Delta Theta finished fifth in last year's Little 500. The team qualified fourth last weekend, and it was the only squad that placed two riders in the top 10 of Wednesday's trials. Beatty is the team's most experienced rider, and he will be racing in his fourth Little 500 this year.\nAfter winning Miss-N-Out, Beatty embraced Marketti, and the two peddled a lap around the track. Beatty then received some gift certificates from Little 500 Race Director Jonathan Purvis, posed for a picture, did a quick interview and accepted congratulatory hand shakes from fans and riders still gathered at the track. \nBeatty's celebration didn't last long. About 10 minutes after the event ended, he was riding rollers in front of the stands on the stadium's north side.\n"He's the most dedicated athlete that I have ever met in my life," Marketti said. "When he goes out there, he's going as hard as he can"