As the checkered flag flew to end the 38th annual women’s Little 500, Kappa Alpha Theta crossed the finish line reaching for first place but finishing in third. It was not the three the team was looking for, however, as it entered the race with hopes of winning its third consecutive title, which would’ve crowned it the first three-time champion of the women’s race.
Instead, Alpha Chi Omega took the 2026 women’s Little 500 title Friday at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, and Teter finished second in a blistering sprint finish, closing the door on Theta’s historic opportunity.
Despite what may appear as a disappointing end for senior riders Claire Tips, Bailey Cappella and Greta Weeks, Theta had a positive takeaway from the race.
“Still being able to be up on that podium with my team is one of the most magical things,” Weeks said. “It was a really hard one this year.”
Despite starting in pole position, Theta battled through exchanges, lane traffic and a rain delay that flipped the race upside down. However, Weeks and her teammates did not flinch when the race came to a stop on lap 63.
“One of my team’s strongest qualities is resilience,” Weeks said. “If anything, we welcomed (the delay) with pride and we knew no matter what was thrown our way we could handle it.”
Theta was prepared for anything, and that was evident in its racing. Before and after the delay, it was consistently lurking in the front pack or taking the lead itself. It was also quick to respond to changes in pace by other riders or control the pace and surge when it wanted.
One example was in the final five laps of the race. Theta found itself with Novus, Alpha Chi Omega, Melanzana, Delta Gamma, Sigma Kappa, Teter and RideOn, all jockeying for position as the pace quickened and the end of the race neared. The team had to battle back for the lead from Novus and had to work back up to the pack after an exchange.
While the top of the podium was not in the cards for Theta, coach Liz Lieberman continued to echo the positive attitude of her athletes after the checkered flag waved. She wasn’t deterred by the third-place finish and knows it doesn’t invalidate the months of training and preparation for the race.
“It wasn’t our goal to be third on race day, but it doesn’t impact morale,” Lieberman said. “We’re graduating three seniors (and we’re) looking forward to celebrating those girls tonight.”
While the riders pushed through the competitive 100 laps, the sorority sisters of Theta cheered them on. From hours before the race to the post-race celebration, the members of Theta showed up and cheered for their riders.
One sister in the crowd, senior Anna Schlueter, said she couldn’t be prouder of her friends who raced.
“There is zero disappointment in these girls,” Schlueter said. “All these women and every single team here worked so hard all year... and we are just so proud of all of the teams here.”
Schlueter knew the riders had worked hard and trusted their preparation and training for any conditions.
“We have so much trust and confidence in our girls that we knew no matter what the conditions were, they have trained so hard...,” Schlueter said. “We weren’t worried about them.”
