Junior wants to win it all again

Second best isn't good enough for junior Roadrunner Jenn Wangerin. \n"Who remembers who finishes second?" Wangerin said. "You either win or you don't win. To finish second is the same as finishing in fifth." \nBut, so far, finishing second hasn't been much of a problem for Wangerin or her team. Wangerin was the one who raced the final laps in last year's Little 500 to propel her team to a first place finish. Likewise, it was Wangerin who this year won Individual Time Trials by a full four seconds, bettering her previous time by over 16 seconds. So, it comes as no surprise she anticipates nothing less than a repeat performance in this year's race.\n"We're going to win," she said. "That's how I approach it, that's how you have to approach it." \nWangerin's talent may be cause enough give the Roadrunners a shot at repeating, even though she is the only returning rider from last year's squad. Roadrunners head coach Susan Gasowski said she ranks Wangerin as one of the best Little 500 women's cyclists ever. \n"I really believe -- and I've been involved with the race for about eight years or so -- from what I've seen, she is the best women's Little 500 rider that I've ever seen," Gasowski said. "That's my opinion, but I have been extremely impressed with her talent, her ability and her dedication."\nWangerin began cycling at IU almost by accident. While her father rode recreationally and she had competed in a club, Wangerin was a successful high school track and field athlete and came to IU intending to compete in that sport. But injury problems forced her to reconsider. Within the first week of school, Wangerin found she couldn't run longer distances without pain and decided to pursue cycling instead. \nWangerin bought a mountain bike and began practicing, a sometimes painful, crash-filled process during which she became acquainted with the cycling crowd. It was through that experience she became a Roadrunner. \n"What really helped me (is) within a couple weeks I was approached by a Roadrunner mountain biker, and I got involved in the Roadrunners," Wangerin said. "It helped a lot to have an organized program. I wasn't aimlessly riding the bike. It was great jumping in with a program and having other riders to ride with who had already been riding and knew more about competing."\nWangerin quickly caught on with the Roadrunners. She helped the team earn a first-place finish at the 2001 qualifications before finishing tops on her team and third overall at the Individual Time Trials. \nBy the time the Little 500 came around, her three senior teammates knew they had one last shot at winning the event. Wangerin didn't disappoint. She took the last exchange and passed the Kappa Alpha Theta rider on the inside to secure a victory. \nWhile Wangerin expects to win again, she said this year the team has a different attitude. In only one year, she's gone from the lone rookie to the lone veteran as she is joined by three first-year riders. \n"This year she had to take a total 180 degree turn and take a different direction with the team," Gasowski said. "It's been a learning experience for her, but one that she's fit very well."\nTeammate Sarah Fredrickson said Wangerin impresses her with her knowledge of the race as well as her immense talent. \n"She's been great," she said. "I'm really, really glad to have her on my team and not my opponent's team, I'll tell you that. She'll make an impact (this year). Definitely."\nWhen all is said and done at IU, Wangerin hopes to forge a career as a professional cyclist. But Wangerin knows she'll never forget the experience that is the Little 500. \n"I like the tradition of it, that's what really appeals to me," she said. "It's the tradition that's cool. It's been around for so long, the campus support is amazing. It's a totally unique event -- nothing else can compare to it"