After qualifications kicked off the Little 500 spring series on March 28, 381 men’s and women’s riders took the track around Bill Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday to compete for the best individual rider title.
Individual Time Trials consist of heats of four riders — who start in each corner of the track — completing four laps around the quarter-mile surface. Even if their team did not successfully qualify for the 33 spots in both the men’s and women’s races, the riders still had a chance to see their name on the timing sheets.
On the men’s side, CUTTERS senior Judah Thompson finished in first place after two consecutive years of placing runner-up. Thompson secured a time of 2:22.27, crossing the finish line 1.39 seconds in front of second place — and CUTTERS teammate — senior Jake Zarov.
Zarov produced a time of 2:23.66 to help the 15-time champions continue their hot start to the Little 500 spring series. CUTTERS posted the fastest time during qualifications on March 28. On Tuesday, CUTTERS produced another solid team performance as five out of seven riders finished inside the top 50.
Freshman Leo Nelson almost pulled off a 1-2-3 finish for CUTTERS, but Black Key Bulls senior Paul Lee defeated his time of 2:24.87 by .47 seconds. The 2025 champions got off to a slow start during qualifications after finishing fifth, but Lee’s result shows progress after an 18th-place run at last year’s ITTs.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon finished second during qualifications and continued its momentum into Tuesday, as five out of eight riders placed inside the top 40 on the leaderboard. Junior Matthew Naas finished in a team-best fifth place with a time of 2:25.02, while his brother, freshman Charlie Naas, came in 24th with a 2:28.05 time.
The Sigma Phi Epsilon duo of sophomore Drew Poplarski and senior Gus Kowalevsky tied with a time of 2:25.07, just .05 seconds behind Matthew Naas’ time.
On the women’s side, Teter senior Leila Faraday finished first with a time of 2:36.62 on Wednesday. Faraday steadily improved over the previous two seasons competing in ITTs, finishing the 2024 edition in 48th place and placing 15th last year.
Teter finished qualifications in second place and continued its strong start to the spring series with three riders in the top 15 and five in the top 75. Senior Seneca Simon finished in sixth place (2:39.89), and sophomore Jenna Greenberg came in 15th (2:41.62).
Faraday’s first-place finish dethroned Alpha Chi Omega sophomore Libby Lewis after Lewis made history last year by becoming the first freshman women’s rider to win the ITTs. Lewis finished .37 seconds behind Faraday with a time of 2:37.39.
Alpha Chi Omega came in third place during qualifications and had all seven of its riders finish in the top 60 on Wednesday. Junior Emma Nelson came in 12th position (2:40.49), while junior Mary Claire Swanson and senior Ellie Marsella finished close behind in 24th (2:44.80) and 26th (2:45.17) place, respectively.
Junior Greta Heyl’s fourth-place finish (2:37.85) led back-to-back defending champion Kappa Alpha Theta on Wednesday. The sorority had six riders inside the top 35 and three inside the top 10, with senior Bailey Cappella finishing seventh (2:40.00) and senior Greta Weeks coming in 10th (2:40.40).
2022 and 2023 champion Melanzana finished qualifications in fifth place, but a 2:37.43 mark secured senior Evelyn Morris third place on Wednesday. Sophomore Sophie Peterson was Melanzana’s next best finisher with a 2:43.87 time that garnered her 20th position.
The “World’s Greatest College Weekend” will be hosted April 24-25. But before the 38th and 75th running of the women’s and men’s races, respectively, the Little 500 spring series continues with two additional events: Miss N Out and the Team Pursuit. Miss N Out will take place at 4 p.m. April 10 while the Team Pursuit will start at 10 a.m. April 11.
Men’s top five
1. Judah Thompson (CUTTERS) — 2:22.27
2. Jake Zarov (CUTTERS) — 2:23.66
3. Paul Lee (Black Key Bulls) — 2:24.40
4. Leo Nelson (Cutters) — 2:24.87
5. Matthew Naas (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) — 2:25.02
Women’s top five
1. Leila Faraday (Teter) — 2:36.62
2. Libby Lewis (Alpha Chi Omega) — 2:37.39
3. Evelyn Morris (Melanzana) — 2:37.43
4. Greta Heyl (Kappa Alpha Theta) — 2:37.85
5. Morgan Heim (Delta Gamma) — 2:38.30
Editor’s note: Leila Faraday previously worked at the IDS.
