In last year’s ITTs, Kristen Bignal of Delta Gamma posted the second-fastest women’s time. A few days later, she came close to winning the women’s Miss N Out, but finished right behind Phoenix’s Tabitha Sherwood, in second place. Several weeks later, her team finished second in the women’s Little 500, just five tenths of a second away from the top spot.
On Saturday, the tide finally turned; Bignal finished first and won the women’s Miss N Out title.
After not doing as well as she wanted during ITTs on Wednesday, Bignal said she was fired up and ready to go for Miss N Out. She said the neck-and-neck nature of Miss N Out competition was a major factor in her strong performance.
“I think naturally as a rider, I’m really competitive when it comes to racing against people,” Bignal said. “For Miss N Out, when I’m racing against girls that are right next to me, that’s when I’m really motivated to push past my limits and make it first to the finish line.”
And she did make it first to the finish line, by beating out the five other riders in the championship heat: Grace Bennett and Rachel Brown of Kappa Alpha Theta, Ali Oppel of Alpha Omicron Pi, Megan Huibregtse of SKI and Sarah Kivich of Delta Gamma.
The women were seeded for the championship round based on their ITT times. Bignal, having finished sixth in ITTs, got a starting position on the outside of the track. She said even though her positioning wasn’t ideal, she knew what she needed to do.
“Obviously, I was on the outside, so I had to alter my plan a little bit,” Bignal said. “In the final, my strategy going into it was to get a good wheel and to not get blocked in."
Oppel came out strong on the first two laps and led the pack. In Miss N Out heats, the riders who finish last each lap get knocked out of the heat. The first two to be eliminated were Kivich and Huibregtse.
At the onset of lap three, Bennett decided it was time to make a move. She charged from the back of the pack all the way to the front while overtaking Oppel. Before turn three, Bignal and Brown also slid past her.
At that point, it was too late for Oppel. She tried to make a last-ditch, sprinting effort, but it wasn’t enough, and she was eliminated.
On the last lap, only three riders remained: Bignal, Bennett and Brown.
The three were neck-and-neck until turn two, when Bignal thrust into full throttle and pumped her legs as fast as she could. She began creating some distance between her and the other two riders. She said her eyes were zoned in on the track in front of her and never once looked back.
“My head was down, and I was going,” Bignal said. “I knew what I was aiming for. I just had to get to that line first.”
When she reached turn three, it was all but over. At that point, Bennett and Brown were too far behind to pose a real threat. Bignal flew to the finish line while pumping her fist in the air as she crossed.
Right after she passed the finish line, Bignal said her mind wasn’t really focused on having won this particular event.
“I was definitely excited to win Miss N Out, but in my head, I was thinking, ‘This is exactly what I have to do come April 21,’” Bignal said. “I was excited most of all because if I can do that, I don’t have any doubt that I’ll be able to do that again on race day."
