BLOOMINGTON – Seniors Abby Green, Grace Washburn, Luren Etnyre, and freshman Nora Abdelkader of Melanzana Cycling hold up the 35th women’s Little 500 Trophy on Friday, April 21, 2023. Melanzana received first place followed by Teter in second.
Cutters won its 15th men’s title in the Little 500 men’s race.
The Cutters team of Torin Kray-Mawhorr, Peyton Gaskill, Jacob Koone, and Judah Thompson celebrate after winning the men’s Little 500 on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Sig Ep took the green flag on lap 191, beginning a nine-lap run to the finish. With the Delts and Cutters going back and forth during the last couple of laps, Cutters was victorious by just .133 seconds in a photo finish.
The field trailed Sigma Phi Epsilon for most of the day and by as much as 20 seconds. But the Cutters and three other teams caught up with 52 laps to go and their top riders gathered themselves for the final sprint. Kray-Mawhorr, who took over with five laps left, bolted to the front as he rounded Turn 4 on lap 199 and didn’t let anyone catch him, beating Delta Tau Delta by less than .14 seconds, with Sigma Phi Epsilon another .13 seconds in back of that.
The win extends Cutters’ title record to 15 and is their first since 2019. It took all hands with Jacob Koone, Peyton Gaskill, and another Bloomington native, Judah Thompson, playing their parts for a winning time of 2:15:28.608.
Sig Ep, Chi Alpha, and Phi Kappa Psi rounded out the top five of the 72nd running of the Little 500.
