Liz Lieberman has made it clear she’s the rider to beat.
Last week’s top ITTs finisher took the second of the Spring Series events Saturday, becoming the 2015 Miss N Out Champion for Kappa Alpha Theta. Lieberman won ITTs with a time of 2:36.76, just ahead of Phoenix Cycling’s Tabitha Sherwood.
Saturday, it was once again Sherwood who stood in her way. Lieberman took inside position on the track throughout the day because of her ITTs finish. During the finals, with five riders left to beat, Lieberman maintained her lead for all five laps.
“It’s been a hard year, lots of training,” she said. “So it feels good to see it come to life.”
Lieberman said having second-wheel position during Miss N Out would have been ideal, but she was able to take advantage of her inside spot. Three Theta riders made the semifinals. Out of the eight in their heat, only three would move on to the final race.
“Evelyn (Malcomb) had my second wheel, and we tried to get Abby (Rogers) in behind me,” Lieberman said. “It didn’t work out, but we definitely consider strategy when there’s more of us in a heat.”
Not only was it an individual win for Lieberman, but she put her team even further in the lead for the Spring Series crown. Lieberman was one of three Theta riders in the top 10 of ITTs. Malcomb finished fourth, and Rogers finished eighth.
Because Theta is the defending Little 500 Champion, its members will be wearing yellow jerseys rather than white if they win the Spring Series tomorrow. Lieberman said it would be special for her teammates, especially the rookies who didn’t get a chance to ride last year.
Lieberman and Sherwood were joined by Kristen Bignal (Delta Gamma), Sydney Schreiber (Alpha Chi Omega), Megan Huibregtse (Ski) and Libby Momper (Kappa Delta) in the Miss N Out finals.
The Spring Series continues at noon Sunday with Team Pursuit.
