Craig gives new-look Beta ITT title

Christopher Craig of Beta Theta Pi admits there is added pressure being the defending Little 500 champion heading into the Spring Series.

Knowing he and his teammates will don the yellow jerseys as the defending race champion, Craig said he wanted to put on a good showing during Individual Time Trials. But he didn’t have high expectations.

After posting the fastest ITT time in Beta Theta Pi history and claiming the men’s ITT crown with a time of 2:22.98, Craig was pleasantly surprised.

“I felt good going into it, but I have to admit, I surprised myself,” Craig said. “I was really just excited and pumped to go out there and put out a time, and things worked out well. I’m happy with that time and happy for my team.”

Craig improved by nearly 19 seconds from his ITT time last year, when he finished 111th. He credited his quick lap to a fast start and being able to push himself through the sprint to finish with consistent laps.

“The first lap, I felt pretty good and then I felt really solid on my second lap,” Craig said. “That was my fastest one. I just tried to hold it consistent until the very end.”

Runner-up to Craig was Rob Lee of Phi Delta Theta, who finished only .37 seconds slower than Craig. Delta Tau Delta’s Paul Smith followed close behind, finishing  his ITT run in third for a second consecutive year with a 2:23.62.

Spencer Brauchla (2:23.76) of Black Key Bulls finished fourth and Ryan Romenesko (2:23.95) of Phi Delta Theta rounded out the top five.

Phi Delta Theta took the lead in Spring Series points with Lee and Romenesko being joined by Wesley Ring who finished eighth with a time of 2:25.37.

Ring said that although his Phi Delta Theta team is focused on the big picture and the Little 500 race itself, taking the Spring Series lead early on in the events left the team feeling confident with a busy weekend of events ahead.

“We don’t talk about it, but it’s something we want to win,” Ring said. “We’re all focused on the race, but it’s definitely fun to pick up some wins along the way.”

Craig said the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium was in the best racing shape he has seen it in this year, adding that the recent rain leading up to the ITTs smoothed the track out, making for quicker laps.

That showed in the times across the board. Seven men’s riders broke the 2:25 mark, a time only three riders managed to break last year.

For a new-look Beta Theta Pi team coming off of its second Little 500 win last year, having competitive runs and having Craig take the top ITT spot was a huge proving point for a young team trying to defend its title.

“It means so much to us,” Craig said. “We may have come here and done well, but we’re still four rookies going into this race. We have a lot to learn. We’re trying to learn from the other guys in the other top teams.

“It’s just really good to see that also we may even be one of those top teams too.”

An earlier version of this story had Ryan Romenesko's name mistakenly spelled "Romernesko."