Delta Zeta looks to rebound with Disser

For Delta Zeta co-captain and junior Jenna Disser, the decision to step down as coach and compete on DZ’s Little 500 team for her second time was easier with the guidance of current head coach Jill McGinnis.

“Two years ago as a freshman, we didn’t have a coach, but now under Jill, she has been sending us a training schedule since the beginning of the school year that we then report back to her after each week,” Disser said. “Trying to come up with your own workouts when you have never cycled before was a joke, so she has really given us direction in our training.”

With a new training program in place, Disser will be joined by returning co-captain and senior Emily Laskowski, senior rookie Brittany Hamilton and sophomore rookie Monica Bhatia as the team looks to improve on last season’s 25th-place finish.

While being a rookie as a senior has been a different experience for Hamilton, she said this event is putting a bow on her time at IU.

“As a senior, I’ve had a lot of the college experiences, but Little Five has been unlike any of them,” Hamilton said. “Little Five is the final thing for me that I feel every student at IU is a part of.”

While DZ is looking to rebuild its foundation with a new training regiment, one of the keys for the team’s success will be chemistry.

After training through the grueling winter months of indoor stationary bike riding, the team will get a breath of fresh air during spring break as they travel to Hilton Head, S.C.

Hamilton said the trip will help build the team’s focus during a pivotal week.

“The only commitment that we are going to have that week is cycling,” Hamilton said. “Spring break is right before qualifying, so it will be a good thing for us to share.”

The first test for any Little 500 team begins with Qualifications on March 26. DZ hopes to pass that test and bring the team back to the level it maintained during the past decade, when they placed in the top 15 nine out of 10 years.