Cyclists ready for men's Little 500

Let's get one thing straight about Saturday's Men's Little 500: Nobody will lap the field like the Cutters did last year.\nThis year's field is too deep and the riders are too evenly matched for one team to dominate the race. Unlike last year when only a few teams had a chance, a number of teams could take the checkered flag.\n"This year, I think the field is a little more even than it has been in the past," said Alpha Tau Omega senior Wes Kelley, who is competing in his second Little 500. "There are going to be a lot of teams that are going to be surprises in the top 10." \nHere's a quick look at some of the teams that could claim victory Saturday:\nPhi Gamma Delta, which holds the pole position, is a good place to start. Fiji could be the deepest team in the field and has one of this year's top riders, senior Todd Cornelius.\nFiji has been close before, finishing second in the past two years. In 1999, Cornelius was edged at the finish line by Sigma Phi Epsilon's Jason Baker.\nTwo years later, Cornelius could be on the final lap with a chance to earn Fiji its seventh Little 500 title. For this to happen, junior Mike Nierengarten said the team must stay out of wrecks. \n"If we put ourselves in a position where we are one of the last teams up there, then we'll have a great chance to win," Nierengarten said.\nThe team starting behind Fiji, Delta Chi, also has one of the most storied Little 500 traditions. But unlike Fiji, Delta Chi's depth is questionable. \nSenior Jason Sonneborn logged about 80 laps in last year's race as Delta Chi finished fourth. Sonneborn finished 10th at this year's Individual Time Trials, and he placed second in Miss-N-Out. If he can get some support from his teammates, Delta Chi could contend for its ninth title.\n"In order for me to have a good kick in the end, I'm going to have to ride less than 80 laps," Sonneborn said.\nSpeaking of tradition, the new-look Cutters, who are looking for their seventh Little 500 victory, have improved steadily since qualifying 25th. The Cutters needed three attempts to qualify, but victories in Team Pursuits and last week's 50-lap practice race have propelled the team to a position as one of the favorites.\nThe Cutters have four rookie riders, including senior Henrik Wahlberg, who spent four years on the IU swim team before he started training for the Little 500 seven months ago. Since then, Wahlberg, a native of Sweden, has become one of the riders to watch in this year's field. He frequently pulls the back in afternoon practices and recorded a top 10 finish in the time trials.\nWhile the Cutters are the defending champions, a team that didn't compete in last year's race has a chance of winning in 2001. Chi Phi couldn't compete last year because the house received an alcohol suspension the night before the race. It returns three riders from 2000, including graduate student John Emmetsberger, who has finished in the top six of the time trials the past two years. Chi Phi qualified seventh with a time of 2:37.40, and returns senior captain Kevin Gfell.\nPhi Delta Theta, which finished fifth in 2000, qualified fourth this year with a time of 2:34.09. The team could have the best one-two punch in senior Josh Beatty and junior Matt Marketti. Beatty won Miss-N-Out and the time trials and Marketti finished in the top 10 of both events. Phi Delta Theta edged Fiji as the overall series winner and will wear the white jersey Saturday.\n"We're definitely happy with what we're doing," Marketti said. "We think we have a good chance of winning the race this year."\nStarting behind Phi Delta Theta is Alpha Tau Omega, one of the most experienced teams in this year's field. Three of Alpha Tau Omega's riders have race experience, including junior Shawn Monroe, who is racing in his third Little 500. \nSigma Phi Epsilon won the race in 1999 and is the last greek team to win the Men's Little 500. No riders remain from the 1999 team, but that doesn't mean Sigma Phi Epsilon isn't a threat to win for the second time in three years. Junior Mike Zycinski, last year's Rookie of the Year, and senior Isaiah Knouff have race experience. Sigma Phi Epsilon advanced to the finals of Team Pursuits, finishing second behind the Cutters.\n"With the absence of certain strong riders, I think it's an open field," Zycinski said. "A lot of teams have two or three strong guys, but it takes four to win. There is no dominant force from what I can see."\nMaybe the biggest surprise from qualifications was the Briscoe Blur qualifying sixth. The all-rookie team has nobody with race experience, but junior Nathan Hartman finished fourth in Miss-N-Out.\nA team in the middle of the pack -- Sigma Alpha Epsilon -- could contend. If junior Dan Burns can get any support from the team's rookie riders, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, who finished third in 2000, could race with the leaders. \nOther teams to watch Saturday include Cinzano, a team with a collection of mountain bikers and road cyclists; Dodds House, the 1998 champions; Delta Tau Delta, a team with three experienced riders; Acacia, which has one of the top riders in junior Kevin Vanes; Galveston, an independent team that was the former Theta Chi squad; and Teter, which qualified 10th.