The field is determined. The riders are ready. The track is set.

Like a fine wine, the quality of the women's Little 500 race improves each year, and this year, the race's value skyrocketed.\nToday's Little 500, scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium, will bring 32 teams together all with the same dream of celebrating after lap 100. But unlike years past, there are more than just a couple of teams threatening to win it all.\nSigns became apparent early at the Individual Time Trials when Kappa Alpha Theta senior Liz Milne broke the ITT record. When the now-graduated Bri Kovac set last year's ITT record, she did it almost three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.\nOn top of Milne's accomplishment, the field has improved volumes.\nAt last year's ITTs, only eight riders finished within 10 seconds of Kovac's record time. But at this year's ITTs, an astounding 21 riders came within 10 seconds of Milne.\nAnd had Milne not have competed, Kappa Kappa Gamma senior Kelsey Cooper might have been the talk of the race, finishing only two-tenths of a second behind Milne.\n"Overall, I think the women's field is a lot more talented," said junior Abby Cooper, Bella Veloce rider and Miss-N-Out champion. "More women are becoming more serious, not just collegiately -- some are even doing road races."\nBut it didn't stop there. \nAt last year's Team Pursuit, only four teams finished in under 8 minutes and 40 seconds. But this year, despite the unfavorable weather, 10 teams had times under the 8:40 mark.\n"I think (Team Pursuit) is definitely a good measuring device -- it definitely shows depth," Milne said. "Anything can happen on race day though."\nBut in a year of change, some things remain the same.\nBoth Team Pursuit and the spring series as a whole saw three familiar faces atop its leader boards. The top three teams from last year's race all finished both events in the same company.\nKappa is on top of this year's deep field after winning the Little 500 last year. The team won both the spring series and Team Pursuit.\nTheta, though qualifying fifth, is right behind Kappa's pace with second-place finishes in the spring series and Team Pursuit. And last year's runner-up Teter is looking just as good with third-place finishes in the series and Team Pursuit.\n"Anything can happen," Cooper said. \nThe Women's Little 500 has been aging for 17 years, and every team is ready to pop the cork this afternoon.\n-- Contact Staff Writer Andy Romey at aromey@indiana.edu.