Sapp finally gets chance to prove herself

When the women's field was told to mount its bicycles last Friday, sophomore Jessica Sapp was a nervous newcomer -- unproven among the Little 500 community.\nOne hour, nine minutes and 29 seconds later, she was a hero.\nSapp mounted her bike on the last exchange with four laps left to ride and a substantial distance to make-up on record-holding rider senior Bri Kovac. \nThe odds were against her.\nWith one lap left to ride, Sapp peddled herself into position right next to Kovac. The rookie and the record-holder had one lap left to decide the winner of the 17th women's Little 500 race. \nThe odds were still against her.\nBut for Sapp and her teammates, the odds were never against them, as they had put themselves exactly where they wanted to be. To everyone else, it was an experienced superstar versus an unproven sophomore, but to Kappa Kappa Gamma, it was a rider with almost 40 laps in her legs against a qualified sprinter who had only run eight laps.\n"Our coaches always said we wanted to save our chips and make everyone else give theirs up in the beginning," Sapp said. "I rode 12 laps total, and we wanted those fresh legs at the end."\nSapp's story began last year when she started riding for Kappa with the understanding she would not be on the 2003 team. Nonetheless, there was an obvious level of talent that only needed time to further develop. Even though she knew she wouldn't be competing in the race, Sapp had the eighth-fastest Individual Time Trial and finished fifth in Miss-N-Out in 2003. Despite all that, her spot still wasn't 100 percent secured on the 2004 squad.\nKappa riders juniors Meredith Horner and Kelsey Cooper and senior Allison Edwards all returned to the team, leaving only one spot left and four riders vying for it. But just before spring break, Sapp found out she would round out the Kappa team.\n"When I found out, I was incredibly nervous," she said. "I couldn't even sleep at night. I had been telling myself that I probably wouldn't happen, but when I found out, I got a lot more focused."\nAs if the pressure of a first Little 500 wasn't enough, the coaches soon asked the team who they felt would be best to finish the race. Every head turned to Sapp.\n"We knew that she was more than capable and that we wanted her on that bike," Cooper said. "She is really good in strong intervals and can finish the best of all of us."\nOnce on the bike, with the final four laps remaining, Sapp found herself in an eerily familiar situation. In this year's Miss-N-Out, Sapp and Kovac were neck and neck, with Sapp on the outside and Kovac on the inside. Kovac was able to fend her off to win the event. \nBut this time, Sapp had the inside advantage, and the sprint started after turn two. \n"She was always right next to me, but on the outside, which meant I would have the advantage around the turn," Sapp said. "When we crossed the finish, line I actually thought Teter had won because, by the time I looked, her tire was a little in front of mine. Then they announced Kappa, and I was like, 'Oh cool.' It was just a surreal experience."\nTo many, the odds were against Kappa and Sapp all along. But in reality, it proved to be nothing more than a picture-perfect setup for Sapp and her teammates.\n"We were confident," Kappa coach Bill Naas said. "We knew her strengths, and she went out there and did what we needed her to do."\n-- Contact senior writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.