Year of parity should provide fast, close Women's race

There's been a continuing trend in the women's field ever since the Spring Series Events were instituted in 2000. \nThat year, eight riders finished within ten seconds of the Individual Time Trials winner. The next year there were 27. In 2002, it was back down to nine, but in 2003, back up to 30. Last year, eight riders finished within the ten second window, and this year, the trend continued. \nTwenty-one riders finished Wenesday's ITTs within ten seconds of first place, even though that first place time was a new ITT record set by Kappa Alpha Theta senior Liz Milne. Tomorrow's Miss-N-Out will pit all that talent against each other in a bracket format sure to push the field to faster times.\n"By having such a close field it will push all the girls to be even better," said Kappa Delta sophomore Lindsey Manck, who finished 10th in ITTs. "We'll see how far they can actually go."\nMiss-N-Out places every women's rider in a giant bracket that dwarfs the size of the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Riders then take the track six at a time and begin racing. As each lap is finished, the last-place rider is eliminated until only three riders remain. Those three move on to the next round.\n"As long as you are faster than the slowest rider (each lap), you are set," said Kappa Kappa Gamma junior Jess Sapp. "You don't have to strain yourself in the first couple heats because as long as you're faster than the slowest rider, you are conserving energy and moving on."\nBasically, the event often draws comparisons to a game of musical chairs -- a reason why many riders claim Miss-N-Out as their favorite series event.\n"It's a lot more laid back," said Delta Zeta senior Lynn Englum. "People don't feel like they are evaluating each other. It's really more of a game -- just for fun."\nHalf the final heat from last year's competition returns, including Sapp, who finished third last year behind Theta's senior Nicole Vincent and now-graduated Teter rider Bri Kovac.\n"(Miss-N-Out) is definitely my favorite," Sapp said. "It's so much fun, especially because it's a game going back and forth, you slow down then speed back up. There is some strategy as opposed to ITTs."\nMiss-N-Out may be a game in the eyes of some, but after a final lap sprint determined the outcome of last year's race, practice like this can never be overlooked.\n"It kind of simulates what the end of the race will be like," said Cycledelics junior Megan Church. "It teaches us how to use race strategy."\n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.