3rd time’s the charm?

Two years. Two poles. Zero wins.

And here we go again.

If qualifications were the most important Little 500 event, Teter would be building a cycling dynasty.

After setting the track record for qualifications in March, the Teter women’s team finds itself in a familiar position: leading the field to the green flag on race day for the third consecutive year.

But Teter’s ultimate goal – leading the field to the checkered flag – has eluded the team since it last won the race in 2005.

The team, which formed in 1996, has quickly become a perennial favorite in the past decade. Since 2003, Teter has finished fifth or higher in all but one race.

Although sponsored by Teter Quad, the riders don’t have to live in the dorm. This year senior Jackie Moeller, junior Julie Bembenista and sophomore Caitlin Van Kooten live together off campus.

Recently, the team has become known for its dominance on qualification day. In 2007, Teter took the pole position, beating Kappa Delta by more than one second. Last year, the team qualified 5.78 seconds faster than any other team in the field.

This year is no different.

Teter posted a four-lap time of 2:35.54, a women’s track record and 4.97 seconds faster than second-place Wing It.

Despite their success, Moeller emphasized the team’s focus on the race.

“It’s never been our goal to be at the top on quals day,” Moeller said. “We just go out and do our best.”

Bembenista added the pole position plays a minor role.

“The pole only matters for the first couple laps of the race,” Bembenista said. “All you do is set the pace, and you’re the one that is supposed to dictate the speed.”

In the past two races, Teter dropped one agonizing spot from its original pole position to a second-place finish. Both years, other teams used effective race strategies to top Teter.

In 2007, Kappa Delta prepared a burnout on lap 60 but never exchanged the bike, creating an insurmountable lead for the rest of the competitors. Kappa Delta beat second-place Teter by 28 seconds.


Last year, Delta Gamma held its second-to-last rider for an extra lap while the other top teams, including Teter, switched to their sprinter on lap 96. That extra lap gave Delta Gamma a large enough lead to hold off Teter by two seconds for the title.

Moeller is the only current team member to suffer the consecutive defeats. She said the team made strategic errors during the races that kept them from the title.

“We just need to be smart in our race and just watch all the other teams around us, and make sure no one around us gets away,” Moeller said.

This year’s team has emphasized race strategy and track awareness. The roster includes Moeller, Bembenista, Van Kooten, sophomore Olivia El-Awady and freshman Lauren Gowdy.

The team spent a week in Cape Coral, Fla., during winter break, training and watching race video to prepare for this semester.

While watching the previous races was often depressing, Van Kooten said it helped the team polish its race strategy.

“You do understand how people won races in the past,” Van Kooten said. “Just seeing all the race video, you can see what people are trying to do and also know what you can do.”

Team members said the weeklong trip also provided an opportunity to grow as friends. Intense morning training rides were often followed by hours in the pool and hot tub at the house of Gowdy’s uncle.

“We take some intense training trips, but at the same time, we have a fun time together, and it’s a great team-bonding experience,” Moeller said.

The team bonding extends beyond the current roster. Teter alumni and 2008 IU graduates Sarah Reike and Sydney Hattenw were with the riders during qualifications and continue to provide advice.

“If there’s something we might bypass in training,” Moeller said, “they’re there to say, ‘You guys need to work on this, you need to focus on this and don’t forget to do this.’”
Racing from the pole the past two years has helped Moeller learn an important lesson and the team hopes to be on the winning end this year.

“Being in pole position, there is still pressure on us,” she said. “But you have to realize in quals, you only ride four laps. The race is 100.”