Melanzana Cycling and Phi Delta Theta win Little 500 bike races
It was a beautiful weekend in Bloomington for the Little 500 to return to its traditional third weekend in April format after not having a race in 2020 and having no fans in 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Bill Armstrong Stadium Stands were packed Friday afternoon the Women battled for 100 laps-25 miles and at the end it was Melanzana Cycling dominating the final 70 laps to win the Women’s Little 500 for the first time with a time of 1:14:15:60, Kappa Alpha Theta was second with a time of 1:15:28.52, followed by Alpha Chi Omega, Delta Gamma and Teter in the top five. There were no cautions and the top five were the only ones to finish on the lead lap. Melanzana started 13th out 22 teams in the race but the found there way the top five after the first 10 laps but when they got 20 laps the were outside the top 5. Once they were on lap 30 Melanzana went to the front and stayed out front until the checkered flag as Abby Teed, Abby Green, Grace Williams and Juli Torbik lifted the championship trophy as the program has been around for 10 years.
Williams is a 2018 Bloomington North Graduate is a former track and cross-country star who started her college career at the University Of New Mexico but left in January of 2020 to come home and run at Indiana University and then was told last May that she would not be allowed to stay on the track team because of the space and the subpar times the athletes were putting up in meets. Williams was convinced by Teed and Trobik to give it a try and she went 50 laps on Friday and her teammates were solid in never giving up the lead and leads to a storybook ending for the Hometown Williams along with her teammates.
In the Men’s Race Saturday afternoon, it was another packed house at Bill Armstrong Stadium to see one of the most exciting finishes in race history as the teams went back and forth for 200 laps-50 miles. Phi Delta Theta held off Sigma Phi Epsilon and 2021 Champs Jet Blach in a sprint to finish after a wreck in turn four made it a sprint to the finish and they were able to get around to go for the checkered flag with a winning time of 2:15:43:47 Phi Delta Theta wins for the fourth time in race history and the first since 2001. The Fraternity took home titles in 1982 and 1996. They are the first fraternity since Delta Tau Delta in 2016 to win the race. Phi Delta Theta started 8th out of 33 teams but in the end Andrew Murray, Mitchell Pardi, Jimmy Kulik and Elias Konow left the championship trophy. The Cutters finished fourth and Grey Goat finished 5th. There was one caution on Lap 71 that one rider taken off on a stretcher and taken to the infield medical tent with a broken collarbone.
This Year’s Little 500 Races featured 88 Women and 131 Men competing. On the Women’s Side there were 12, Freshman, 31 Sophomores, 16 Juniors and 29 Seniors. On the Men’s Side 131 riders with 29 freshman, 27 sophomores, 34 juniors, 37 seniors and 3 fifth year seniors. The Little 500 has been around since 1951 and 1988 for the Women and support student-based scholarships through the Indiana University Student Foundation.
IUMBB’s Jordan Geronimo announces Return for 2022-23 Season
Indiana Forward Jordan Geronimo announced on Sunday he will return to the program for a third season. The 6-foot-6-and 225-pound Geronimo played in 34 games off the bench in 2021-22 and averaged 4.4 points and 3.6 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per contest. He tied for second on the team with 24 blocked shots, and among per-40-minute stats, he was seventh in the Big Ten in blocks and rebounds. Aided by his more than 40-inch vertical and plus-six wingspan, Geronimo also led IU in offensive rebounding percentage, and his play on both ends of the floor was critical in IU’s postseason wins over Michigan and Wyoming. Geronimo shot 58.3 percent from 2-point range, and 33.3 percent from three in 2021-22.
Power forward Race Thompson is also returning for the 2022-23 season, and the Hoosiers landed a commitment from 5-star freshman four Malik Reneau last week. Those factors put Geronimo’s return in question, but he has shown flashes of the skills needed to move his game out to the perimeter as he advances in his college career. If he can improve his ball handling and passing, Geronimo could develop into a productive wing at the high major level. Alternatively, if Trayce Jackson-Davis were to remain in the NBA Draft, frontcourt minutes could open up as a result for Geronimo. The New Jersey product has three years of eligibility remaining.
Former IUWBB Player Amanda Cahill leads her team to Luxembourg League Finals
Former Indiana University Women’s Basketball player Amanda Cahill scored 16 points and pulled down 16 rebounds as her team Residence beat Amicale 70-62 in the second game of the Luxembourg league semifinals to win the series 2-0 and advance to the finals. Cahill played all 40 minutes was 4-9 from the field 2-5 from three-point range, 2-2 from the foul line, 5 assists a steal and a block. Cahill scored 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds in the 91-76 game 1 victory.
Cahill has played in 29 Games averaging 23.2 points per game, 13.1 rebounds per game and 38.5 minutes per game. She has 24 double-doubles on the season, has scored double figures in all but 1 game this season and has 25 double figure rebounds this year. Cahill has played all 40 minutes in 18 games and has not played less than 27 minutes in a game this season.
Cahill is finishing up her fourth season in Luxembourg and has signed to play with the Ipswich Force in the National Basketball Women’s League in Australia this summer. Cahill played at Indiana University from 2014-2018 and helped lead the Hoosiers to a 2016 NCAA Tournament appearance and the 2018 WNIT Championship.
Bloomington Speedway season opener wiped out for second straight Friday
Mother nature is 2 for 2 against the Bloomington Speedway this season. The Speedway announced that Last Friday’s season opener was canceled for the second straight week. The already saturated grounds and additional rain that hit Bloomington last week, cold temperatures, and cloudy days have left the grass parking areas and pits a mess and race officials decided it was best to cancel for second week in a row.
The Speedway will attempt to get back to work this Friday Night with the Larry Rice Classic with USAC Sprints, 305 Racesavers, and Hornets on the schedule. Pits Open at 4pm, Gates at 5pm, Hot Laps at 6:30 and Racing at 7:30pm. For more information visit www.racebloomingtonspeedway.com.
Indianapolis Indians Coverage
Indians Take Two Out Of Three Over the Weekend
The Indianapolis Indians beat the Columbus Clippers 3-2 on Saturday and 8-7 in 11 innings on Sunday to split the six-game series. Columbus won 4-3 on Friday night. Oneil Cruz launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the 11th inning give the Indians the walk-off win. The Clippers are 12-6 on the season while the Indians are 9-8. Indianapolis starts a six-game series on the road at Iowa tomorrow at 7:38pm.
The Pittsburgh Pirates announced Sunday that they have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Beau Sulser. He will become the first Indianapolis Indian from the 2022 squad to make his major league debut this season. To make room on the roster for Susler Infielder Hoy Park has been optioned by Pittsburgh to Indianapolis and is on the Indians active roster.
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