Dodds' only senior finally enjoys moment in spotlight

Third place in Individual Time Trials. Second place in Miss-N-Out. Third place in Team Pursuit. Senior Craig Luekens' 2005 Little 500 Spring Series Events résumé is full of second- and third-place finishes, but when it really counted the senior finished first.\nAfter a sprint for the finish against Fiji rider senior Matt Davis, Luekens took this year's Little 500 checkered flag along with his Dodds House teammates, a first for Dodds since 1998. \nFor Luekens, who has been riding for Dodds since his freshman year, the win was a long time coming after continually finishing second, but the team had a plan. \n"It was hard for the series events, but we knew we didn't want to peak for those, we wanted to have a good race and our team was just so strong," said Luekens, the team's only senior. "It turned out just the way we wanted it to."\nGetting the race to turn out the way they wanted had to do with Lueken's drive and determination, said sophomore teammate Christopher Chartier. \nAlthough Luekens had been beat out by ATO junior Hans Arnesen in the Spring Series Events, Chartier didn't discount his teammate's talent on the track. \n"Hans is a great racer and you can't argue that he beat Craig in Miss-N-Out and ITTs, but I knew that if we put Craig in a good spot -- even if Hans was on that last lap -- Craig would want it more," Chartier said. \nIt's not just his own teammate singing Luekens praise after his performance at Little 500 on Saturday. Fellow dorm team Briscoe celebrated with Dodds after its win and numerous other teams congratulated Luekens and the rest of the team after their victory lap around Bill Armstrong stadium. \nWhile Fiji riders came within seconds of taking the checkered flag themselves, Fiji senior Stephen Spencer congratulated the team and spoke highly of Luekens, pointing out that he doesn't always get the recognition he deserves as a highly competitive rider.\n"Luekens is amazing," Spencer said. "You can't give enough credit to Craig Luekens."\nThe people that have given him the most credit are his Dodds teammates, who have each said their teammates are their best friends. After the race, Luekens said his teammates achieved their goal of giving him the win as a going away present.\nWhile it was a happy occasion, Chartier was visibly upset to have seen the oldest of the foursome have ridden in his final race. \n"I kind of ignored it for awhile ... and (then) I realized how much it meant to lose him," Chartier said. "I knew after that moment that I wasn't going to let anything happen to not send him out on a win. He means so much to the program; four-year guys like that just really keep it going."\n-- Contact Senior Writer \nKatie Schoenbaechler at kmschoen@indiana.edu.