By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
One year ago, Libby Lewis was Freshman and made history as the first Freshman Women or Men to win the Individual Time Trials. This year Lewis won the fall individual time trials and the Miss-N-Out events leading up to the 38th Annual Little 500 Women’s Bike Race. On Friday afternoon at Bill Armstrong Stadium Lewis took the bike for the final laps and sprinted to the finish to lead Alpha Chi Omega to their very first Women’s Little 500 Title.
Teter finished second, Kappa Alpha Theta who was looking for a three-peat finished third, Melanzana finished fourth and Sigma Kappa finished fifth as the top four teams battled in a sprint to the finish and at the end Lewis got to the finish line first as the top four teams finished less than a second apart. Lewis along with Mary Claire Swanson, Emma Nelson and Ellie Marsella lift the Borg Warner Trophy and their traditional victory lap with their fans running behind them.
The race was to begin at 4:20 PM after the traditional 20-minute pre-race ceremonies that were scheduled to begin at 4 PM. Mother Nature had other plans as the race was moved up half an hour due to weather that ended up suspending the race for an hour and fifteen minutes. The wind was blowing up to 20 miles per hour at the start of the race and there were a lot of lead changes as it was battle of strategy, adrenaline, will and endurance and at the end of the race it was speed as Lewis clocked the final lap at 32.515 as the teams were flying around the track all race long for 100 laps and 25 miles.
Alpha Chi Omega led after 10 Laps, Melazana led after 20 laps and Teter led after 30 laps as those three teams battled for the lead all-race long and Teter was clocked at 25 Miles Per Hour on Lap 37. Ride On who finished 6th took control leading at Laps 40,50 and 60 and started to pull away as they were in the lead in the race was red flagged on Lap 63 and they were thinking that race officials were going to make it official and restart the race with the weather.
The race was 45 Minutes and 51 seconds in once the race was halted at 4:45 PM. At 6 PM the race restarted with 37 laps left and 11 teams on the lead lap. Ride On restarted in first place as teams started single file and had one unscored lap under yellow before taking the green flag. Once the race restarted it was 37 lap battle to the finish and a lot of exchanges, sprints and when to make the last exchange to put themselves in position to win the race.
Alpha Chi Omega Pushed the Pace on Lap 73 with a 27 MPH lap and there was some rain on lap 85 but as final laps counted down the rain stopped and for the second year in a row it was sprint to finish with a first time champion and a Sophomore who has made her mark in just her second year on campus and leads her team to the title and is now the Super Sophomore after she was a fabulous freshman a year ago. The crowd was big and even after the weather delay a lot of fans remained and they were treated to another fabulous finish and Kappa Alpha Theta who was looking to become the first team to win three in a row were denied but history was made with a first time champion as “The World’s Greatest College Weekend” lives up to its billing as it has done for the last 75 years with the Men’s Race and 38th with the Men’s Race.
Now it’s the Men’s Turn with 75 annual Little 500 tomorrow afternoon at 2 PM as the Cutters start from the pole with Bloomington Native Judah Thompson leading the team and the Black Key Bulls looking to three peat. If it is anything like the Women’s Race it will be another fantastic race on the Indiana University Campus and the weather is going to be nice and no delays like today but for Alpha Chi Omega it was all worth it getting to lift the trophy for the very first time.