Four riders from Delta Gamma made their way to the starting line as cheers erupted from their sorority members. Proud in bronze, pink and blue, the Delta Gamma sisters lined the stands to cheer on their riders for the qualifying race.
For teams like Delta Gamma, a strong finish on Saturday’s qualifications was crucial in reinforcing their legacy of excellence and setting a positive momentum leading up to the race.
With four Little 500 victories (2008, 2012, 2013 and 2021) and a remarkable 26 top-10 finishes in 32 races, they have built a legacy of consistency and success.
Senior Caitlin May was the first rider up for Delta Gamma. The anticipation in the crowd continued to build as the cheers from the crowds became louder and louder, she made her way around for her parade lap before the team’s impending four laps of cycling and exchanges.
The cheers from the crowd rang out as May picked up speed, darting across the start line and beginning the qualifying race for Delta Gamma with a roar from the crowd.
Her round around the track was sharp and quick, and the transition from biker to biker was seamless, just as Delta Gamma had trained for. The tap-off brought in sophomore Morgan Heim, who quickly mounted her bike and pedaled off around the track.
Despite many hours of training, experience is the thing that quells nerves when riders step foot on the track — one aspect of the game Delta Gamma lacked.
"It was terrifying,” junior Bridget Pfau said. “We were all so scared. None of us had done quals before. The nerves were high, but it was really fun, and we got to do it together."
Pfau was the final rider for the Delta Gamma. Her job as the anchor was to churn around the final lap as fast as she could to seal off what was shaping into a pole position finish for Delta Gamma.
The clock read 1:19 as Heim finished her lap and made a clean bike exchange with the third rider for Delta Gamma, sophomore Alyssa Gray. Delta Gamma was lined up for success.
Gray sped around the track, maintaining a fast pace for Delta Gamma. As she rounded the last bend on the straightaway, her momentum carried her just past the legal area for a bike transition. The referee's yellow flag went up, signaling a fault and cutting short a strong run for Delta Gamma before Pfau could close it out.
"We tried to stay calm, cool, and collected, and focus on our next attempt,” Pfau said. “We knew we do better after a warm-up, so we treated it like a warm-up and left it all out there on the second try."
When a team faults once, they repeat their run. However, this extra lap hardly affects the riders physically, as their extensive training ensures it has no impact on their stamina and performance. After receiving two faults, the team is left at risk of disqualification from the Little 500 race if a third fault occurs despite the copious hours of training dedicated to the big race.
"After the fault, that's when the nerves really kicked in," Pfau said.
Following the fault, another team went, and following their race and it was time once again for Delta Gamma to take the track. Before the announcer called Delta Gamma to the track, the sorority sisters in the stands erupted with their chant again.
"You don't realize how many people are supporting you until everyone's there, yelling your name,” Pfau said. “It's a crazy feeling, but it was awesome."
May led off the attempt. Again, just like the first run, May turned around the last bend, picking up speed with each stroke of the pedal. She darted past the line as the timer started counting and the run began.
May’s lap was strong, tapping off to Heim with 37 seconds showing on the clock — a great place to start and almost a second faster than the first go around.
Heim took the momentum of a strong opener and built on it. As she wheeled across the track, the team was in good shape, but they weren’t out of the woods yet. It was the bike transitions that everyone was watching out for.
The first race abruptly ended by a fault that came just inches from being a clean swap, and now it was the only thing seemingly standing in the racers' way.
"We know each other inside and out, on and off the bike," Pfau said. "This gives us 100% confidence on race day, knowing any one of my teammates would do a fabulous job and get the job done.”
The bike transition from Heim to Gray went smoothly, and now the final switch was the last impediment. Gray finished her lap quickly, and as she turned the bend, a brief silence fell over the crowd. Her transition to Pfau went smoothly, and a sigh of relief followed.
Now it was simply a race against the clock for Pfau and Delta Gamma.
"We don't train for quals; we train for the race," Pfau said. "We didn't expect to take pole; we just wanted to qualify and have a safe race.”
Pfau and her teammates were in a great position as she mounted the bike and took off for the final lap. As Pfau crossed the finish line, her sorority sisters erupted again. The scoreboard read 2:43, an unofficial time that topped the best qualifying time from the prior year and the best time since Ski posted a 2:39 in 2019.
"We spent a lot of time on the bike, working hard all year,” Pfau said. “I really feel our training is coming to fruition right now. I'm glad we got to see it pay off. It's really rewarding for the team and the house. We had such a great support system come out, and it was awesome to feel all the love from our sorority."
Delta Gamma’s official time of 2:43.166 netted them the provisional pole. As the girls celebrated and stuck their names to the race leaderboard, they hoped that the name of their sorority would stay at the top for the rest of the race.
It did.
"We were constantly checking the sheet and updating it live on the stream,” Pfau said. “We were all over it for the rest of the day, just waiting for it to be locked in. Seeing it stick throughout and finishing with our name up top was an amazing feeling. It was the best day ever."
Race day is April 25, and teams will be grinding over the next few weeks in preparation. Moving forward, Delta Gamma looks to get back on the track to continue sharpening loose ends before the big day, where they aim to claim the team's fifth race victory.
