Late crash aids Teter's victory

If Teter’s race strategy didn’t work, then a late-race crash with other contending teams might have helped the team win.

If the late-race crash didn’t happen, still Teter’s fastest rider might have won the race.

But in fact, Teter’s race strategy did work, a late-race crash did happen, and Teter junior Caitlin Van Kooten did power the team to the finish line.

The combination of all three meant Teter not only won the 2010 Women’s Little 500, but it did so in a dominant fashion.

In the 100-lap women’s race, a 10-lap span decided the entire race.

At lap 80, the Teter team attempted to separate from a pack of five teams — pre-race favorites Kappa Alpha Theta, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Alpha Gamma Delta and Delta Gamma — that had been competing at the front the entire day.

Van Kooten, the winner of all the individual Spring Series events sprinted ahead and built nearly a half-lap lead within five laps.

And then lap 85 sealed the race. At the start/finish line, Delta Gamma junior Kelsey Kent and Pi Beta Phi senior Caroline Brown approached slower, lapped traffic. Wheels touched, bikes fell and the race was over for Delta Gamma and Pi Phi.

Brown, who put in 70-plus laps to help her team win the 2009 race, left the track in an ambulance and suffered a separated shoulder.

While the wreck eliminated Delta Gamma from contention, it also halted the other contending teams’ attempts to catch Teter. With five agonizing yellow caution laps, riders said there was too little time.

“Teter had a great move,” said Kristen Metherd, Kappa Alpha Theta senior. “Caitlin Van Kooten, we know, has been the strongest rider out here all spring, and when the yellow happened, it ate up so many laps at the end. There was just not enough time to catch up.”

While Teter riders emphasized they don’t want to see crashes, they also couldn’t help but admit that the crash helped secure the title.

“We knew we wanted Caitlin to finish it, since the three of us can only time trial for so long,” Teter sophomore Lauren Gowdy said. “The crash helped to eat up laps.”

But prior to the crash, teams were already scrambling to catch Teter. Pole-sitter Kappa Kappa Gamma was one of those teams.

“This year, it looked good until about lap 70,” Kappa Kappa Gamma junior Monica Baylis said. “And then as soon as we had to start chasing, then the nerves in the pit went up”

Several seconds after Teter crossed the finish line, the strongest competition ended for second place. Alpha Gamma Delta finished second. Delta Gamma recovered from the accident and finished third, one second behind AGD. Kappa Alpha Theta and Kappa Kappa Gamma rounded out the top five.