Exchange uncertainties plague riders' hopes

Lack of experience, poor exchanges and uncertainty as to who will ride come race day played into where the teams in Row 7 will line up for the men's Little 500. But the teams said they refuse to believe starting from the middle of the pack will hurt their chances to speed toward the front of the field. Some even think the less-than-stellar starting position will help.\nNo. 19 Sigma Chi, 2:44.90\nSigma Chi raced to a ninth-place finish in last year's men's Little 500, but qualified in the back half of the pack this year, grabbing the 19th spot. The team, which erred on its first qualifying run, used its second attempt to make a cautious second qualifying run, ensuring it didn't have to make a third and final run with the pressure compounded.\nBut the four riders that rode in qualifications might not be the same four riders in the race this year. The decision as to who will ride will be left up to senior Matt Conrad, the only Sigma Chi rider with Little 500 experience.\n"Matt decides ultimately who will ride in the race," sophomore rider Greg Borlik said. "He is the team leader."\nBorlik and sophomore Dave Jensen will compete for riding time with juniors Jay Minner, Jon Meyer and Brenton Krumpfes. While they all rode individually for spring break, they said they feel that whoever rides will be ready when the race begins.\nQualifying at 8 a.m. might have had an effect on the team's qualifying time, but team members said they hope the time isn't indicative of where they'll finish on race day.\nNo. 20 Alpha Sigma Phi, 2:46.31\nAlpha Sigma Phi didn't have much time to prepare for this year's qualifications. But the riders said they feel good about where they ended up, especially being as ill-prepared as they were. \n"We didn't hear our names called until the final warm-up," sophomore Chris Quackenbush. "Then they grated the track right after us."\nA rough track didn't stop the team, which consists of all rookies, from qualifying, which the riders said was their main goal. \nSophomores Nick Mullet, Nick Campell and freshman Jeff Langley will ride for Alpha Sigma Phi, which has been training since late October.\nNo. 21 Pi Kappa Alpha, 2:47.75\nBoth junior Tim Kolar and senior Andrew Glier have race-day experience under the belts. But that duo said they won't be surprised to see rookies Shawn Touney, a junior and IDS staffer, and Nate Tessmer, a senior, make some noise on their first Little 500 races. \nTessmer has been riding for more than two years, while Touney has one year of cycling experience.\nA bad exchange hindered Pi Kappa Alpha in its qualifying time, but the riders do not expect the poor qualifying spot or exchange problems to shake them, Kolar said. But Kolar said he thinks the team's starting spot and the competition surrounding it could help Pi Kappa Alpha make a mad dash toward the front of the pack.\n"We could have cut four or five seconds off our time, but the exchange hurt us," Kolar said. "We are on the outside right behind (Sigma Alpha Epsilon). They are a strong team, and that should help us move up a considerable amount"