Women's rows 7, 8 have high hopes

Row 7\nno. 19 Alpha Phi (3:07.417)\nThe attitude of Alpha Phi this year is a 180-degree turnaround from last year's team. Whereas last year's squad was more interested in having fun, this year's team is looking for a top finish. And, with three returning riders and a pair of rookies, captain Allison Ferro thinks the team has the talent to do just that.\n"I think it's very important this year that we have a very different training program," Ferro said. "Last year we were in it to have fun, but this year we started training a lot earlier, and we're really trying to compete."\nJoining Ferro are veteran senior riders Dena Schnelker and Jen Schaffer as well as rookies Megan Orr, a sophomore, and Jill Feldman, a senior. \n"We're working well as a team," Ferro said. "Our main effort is just going out and giving it all we've got. We've got three seniors, and we want to leave the infield at the end of the race knowing we gave it all we had in our last race."\nno. 20 Alpha Xi Delta (3:08.227)\nWith no seniors on the team, Alpha Xi Delta is looking to gain experience this year in preparation for a run at the title next year. But that doesn't mean there's no hope for a strong performance or top finish in this year's race.\n"I think this is a real big building year for us," junior and captain Allison Ward said. "We have no seniors, two juniors and three sophomores. Next year is our better year; this is a year to gain experience. But we hope for a top 10 finish."\nWard is joined by junior Sarah Kueper and sophomores Allison Jones, Jenny Sung and Sarah Lentz. Ward said the team needs to try to stay with the lead pack on race day.\n"We're looking to get out and get around some people and get into the lead pack before the leaders take off and leave everyone behind," she said. \nno. 21 Gamma Phi Beta (3:10.093)\nBehind two veteran seniors and two rookie riders, Gamma Phi Beta is hoping to better its seventh-place finish from a year ago. \nThe team is led by captain Deirdre Finzer, a senior and IDS staffer, and senior veteran rider Liz Gilbert. Rookies Emily Anderson, a junior, and Lauren Compton, a sophomore, round out the team's lineup. Gilbert said the team has a good balance of veteran skill and rookie potential.\n"It's very nice to have veterans as leaders and we can teach the rookies skills we've learned from the past," Gilbert said. "The rookies can look up to us, and they can prepare to carry the team because we are both graduating next year."\nThe team has had success during the Little 500 series. Anderson placed 12th at Individual Time Trials and Finzer was the runner-up at Miss-N-Out. Gilbert doesn't think the team's qualifying place will keep it from performing well at the race. \n"It's always better to be in the front, but we're not worried about it," Gilbert said. "I think we're right where we want to be." \nROW 8\nno. 22 Alpha Delta Pi (3:11.635)\nAfter losing two seniors last year, Alpha Delta Pi captain Rachel Mindel scrambled to put together a team. The eventual four-member squad practiced for the first time as a unit at the beginning of the second semester. But what the team lacks in longevity Mindel hopes it will make up for in talent come race day.\n"We have a good combination of rookie and veteran riders," Mindel said. "We lost two riders, but the two new riders we have are very strong. For the race, we just want to go out and do our best."\nSenior Alison Drake is the other race veteran, and juniors Kristina Danglemajer and Tanir Shalhav are the first-time participants. Gilbert said she's been impressed with how far the team has progressed. \n"I've seen all the girls grow a lot as a team," she said. "We've improved so much; they've learned so much and come so far."\nno. 23 Delta Delta Delta (3:15.868)\nNo one on this year's Delta Delta Delta team has ever taken the track on race day. But that doesn't quash, or even lessen, the team's Little 500 expectations.\n"It's very difficult because we really don't know what we're doing as much as some of the other teams," captain Kristine Ward said. "I think the key is just to stay consistent and to really pay attention to what the teams around us are doing. Our goal is to find the teams that are pretty strong and stick with them." \nWard was a rookie with the team last year but didn't compete in the actual race. All those who did either graduated or are studying abroad this semester. That left Ward, senior Amy Spillman and junior Brittney McKinney to take over. After starting the team anew, Ward said togetherness is beginning to show. \n"It was hard to establish the team, but we've all finally meshed," she said. \nno. 24 Teter (3:19.458)\nRiding the 100 laps of the women's race is hard for any team, but splitting the laps in half makes it even harder.\nReturning to the race this year, sophomores Bri Kovac and Alison Kotek never thought they would be one week away from the race preparing to ride 50 laps each.\n"I hope that we can make all the laps," Kovac said. "We don't have any set strategies. We have been working on endurance rides more than short, fast sprints because we are going to have to ride for longer than other teams."\nProblems for the team arose numerous times this year. Kovac said she and Kotek would prepare riders for the race only to have then quit in the middle of training.\n"We've had an enormous dropout rate," Kovac said. "The biggest problem we have had is finding people to ride. It's more frustrating than anything. We would like to finish in the top 15 or 20; it would be the end of a long hard season. It would be a reward for working so hard this year"