Soaring to the top of the records

His freshman year, he won Rookie of the Year. His sophomore year, he won Most Valuable Rider. And as a junior, only one event into the Spring Series Events, he broke the track record. It's safe to say Hans Arnesen is going places -- fast. \nWednesday evening, Little 500 riders and spectators watched as four Little 500 veterans -- Arnesen, senior Dodds House rider Craig Luekens, Phi Gamma Delta rider senior Matt Davis and sophomore Cutters rider Sasha Land -- raced at Bill Armstrong Stadium in one of the most competitive heats of this year's Individual Time Trails. The heat was collectively fast, but Arnesen was faster, beating out his competition and recording a new track record of 2:15.78. \nComing off the track after four laps, Arnesen threw his arms in the air as he joined his Alpha Tau Omega teammates and ATO coach Norm Houze. \n"It felt great out there," Arnesen said. "I had no idea where (the other riders) were, but on the back stretch I saw the clock, put my head down and went all out. I'm really happy."\nArnesen said breaking the record means his hard work has paid off, which he'll celebrate for the moment -- then continue to work towards doing well in the race. For Luekens, who finished third with a time of 2:19.69, ITTs wasn't what he expected. The 2004 ITTs third place finisher put up the best ITTs time of his career but wasn't completely satisfied with his performance. \n"I went as fast as I could; It was the fastest time of my career. They just outdid me," Luekens said. "I lost; it's hard to beat 2:15. Hans just stepped up big. He rode a great race."\nOther riders raced in a highly competitive heat later in the evening which included senior Fiji rider Joe Keck, Dodds rider senior Kevin Moore, Delta Upsilon rider junior Jason Purdy and senior Sigma Pi rider Nick Haskamp. Keck, who placed tenth with a time of 2:24.01 brushed off the commotion of the broken track record and looked at the positive.\n"It inspired me," Keck said. "I after they went I knew the track would be fast, so I knew I could put up a pretty good time."\nOther riders to post fast times were Cutters rider junior David Caughlin, who placed fifth with a time of 2:20.81; Fiji rider senior Stephen Spencer, who placed six with a time of 2:20.88; and Moore, who finished seventh with a time of 2:22.93. \n-- Contact Senior Writer Katie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.