Doogs chases down Chelminiak on final turn of last lap to win title

For the second time in two years, the women’s Miss-N-Out title came down to Kappa Alpha Theta’s Kathleen Chelminiak — last year’s champion — and Delta Gamma’s Kayce Doogs.

At last year’s Miss-N-Out, Chelminiak held off Doogs to take the title.

In the Little 500, Doogs chased down Chelminiak throughout the final lap and overtook her in turn four, holding on to the lead and the overall victory.

On Saturday, Doogs once again topped Chelminiak on the final turn of the last lap, this time resulting in the 2013 Miss-N-Out title.

With an unsatisfactory performance at last week’s Individual Time Trials, Doogs channeled her frustration into a quality outing during a sunny, breezy day at the track.
 
“Personally, I didn’t perform as well as I wanted to at ITTs,” she said. “But Saturday was a good day for me to go out there and display my strengths. It was a beautiful day, and I think everybody was happy being there all day.”

Rounding out the final women’s heat was Chelminiak, who finished second, Teter’s Lisa Hutcheson, Wing It’s Melissa Moeller, Teter’s Emma Caughlin and Kappa Delta’s Lauren Kohut.

Entering Saturday’s competition as the ninth overall seed, Doogs was able to earn the Miss-N-Out victory by way of her previous experience in the race, which consists largely of strategy, due to riders being pitted in packs unlike the Individual Time Trials.

“It’s a totally different mindset because ITTs are 100-percent individual,” she said. “With Miss-N-Out, you don’t know how long you’re going to be in the running. Stuff just happens out there as you’re doing each heat.”

However, attention to detail played a significant role in Doogs’ first-place finish.

“It’s all about watching other heats before you and getting an idea of the weather, especially with the wind we had on Saturday,” she said. “You have to go into your heat being prepared for anything that could happen. “You have to capitalize on any opportunity that you see towards the sprints at the end, as well.”

Despite the relaxed attitude with which teams and riders tend to approach the Miss-N-Out competition, it presented Doogs and her Delta Gamma team with an opportunity to scan the field and analyze its competition for the women’s Little 500 race April 19.

“Miss-N-Out is a good time to see other teams’ strengths and their sprinter,” Doogs said. “Having a sprinter on your team is definitely a factor to look for when you’re planning race day strategy and how you’re going to approach your team.”

Gaining a sense of the dynamics of each team was an important factor during the race, but it also offered Doogs an opportunity to take the pulse of her own team.

“It was definitely good for us,” she said. “Personally, I got to see the strengths of our team. I also got to see what other teams have good sprinters and think, ‘OK, if it came down to a sprint finish this year, who do you think they would have on the bike?’”

Doogs did spend time contemplating what the individual title meant to her.

“I feel very proud and very happy that I was able to win yesterday,” she said.