Usual suspects lead pack in final lap

After losing by literal inches last year, Teter got a taste of revenge Friday winning the 18th women's Little 500.\nAfter two long years of training and one gut-wrenching loss, the euphoria could finally set in.\n"I can't believe it," said Teter Katie Douglas. "I mean, I did it. Everyone was just like 'Forget about the pace, forget about the pace,' and I did it. I don't know how I did it, I really don't know how."\nAs the race drew near the final lap, the usual suspects of Teter, Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta seemed to be reliving the 2004 race, with all three setting the pace on the lead lap. With fewer than five laps remaining, each team made its exchange -- a moment reflective of the entire race for all three.\nTeter spent most of the day in the shadows. While both Kappa and Theta fought to stay away from one another, Teter tagged along for the ride.\n"(Everyone) discounted Teter and it was a mistake to do that today," said Theta coach Tom Schwoegler. "They rode a great race, they were smart and we totally underestimated them today."\nEarly in the race, Kappa mounted a sizable lead over the rest of the field by lap 30, leading by nearly a quarter of a lap. Theta, hoping to catch Kappa, worked with the Teter women to pull and draft to slowly creep back in the picture.\n"We had a couple big mistakes in the beginning," said Teter senior Jessica Lindemann. "We had to fight back in it, and ultimately we were able to bring it back."\nWith more than half of the race complete, the usual suspects were back, with Theta leading the way. But once again, Teter benefitted from the rivaling greek teams, this time working with Kappa, who was struggling to stay in the pack after losing senior Meredith Horner to illness early in the day.\nHaving a partner to draft off of allowed Teter to conserve a little more energy. After working with other teams for much of the race, Teter was able to use the final laps to work against them, and nobody stood a chance.\nLindemann took the bike on lap 96 and instantly started sprinting around turns one and two. Theta and Kappa could not catch the fresher Teter squad. By the last lap the lead was nearly the length of the entire straightaway. Teter went on to win in a time of 1 hour, 8 minutes and 18 seconds\n"This year was a lot better for us because we were on the front so we had to ride strong and sew it up, whereas last year it was tense because we were fighting it out until the very end," Lindemann said.\nFor Theta, the final exchange gave senior Liz Milne her final Little 500 laps. Her push secured second place as she distanced herself from Kappa. Theta battled to stay in the race all day, seemingly fighting from behind right from the start. And the final laps were no different.\n"That was a crazy, exciting and tough race," Milne said. "It was the hardest race I've been in, in all three years here."\nFor the Kappa team, their last exchanges were symbolic in a different sense. Horner, the team's senior leader, had to leave the track in tears at lap 69. She had spent the last 30 to 40 laps before that crouched down in their pit with the flu.\nHorner's mother, Karen, admitted she never thought Meredith would be strong enough to get back in the race. But on lap 96, Horner took the final exchange of her career and churned out four final laps. Then, in a emblematic 'passing of the torch,' she handed the bike to junior Jess Sapp for the final lap of the race.\n"When I think of Meredith she's all heart," Lindemann said. "I'm proud of her getting back in there."\nIn the end, Teter claimed victory, but nobody left the track defeated. Each team carried smiles on their faces and memories in their hearts as the 18th running of the women's Little 500 concluded. The race itself symbolized the end of a season that saw some of the most talented riders ever to grace the gravel, Schwoegler said.\n"I think there were a lot of hall of fame laps put on the track today by a lot of riders." \n-- Contact Sports Editor Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.