Winter was when Gina Naas started seeing the potential.
“We had a moment that I thought we would have a team,” Naas said. “Then another moment where I’m like we might not have a team.”
Kappa Kappa Gamma cycling was scrambling just this fall to fill a team to compete in the Women’s Little 500. But they found the commitment in the house as four rookies joined the team.
Under the tutelage of Coach Naas the team started putting in results and times worthy of a contender by winter training. Spring series results confirmed they had taken the steps to be a factor come race day. The team qualified fifth for this year’s Little 500. A feat for a team that last raced in 2019 finishing 24th.
A big reason for the turnaround? Their star rider, senior captain Isabella Oganovich.
Senior rider Isabella Oganovich talks about her experience leading Kappa Kappa Gamma Cycling as they prepare for the Little 500.
“Naturally she’s talented as an athlete of course … she’s glitter and glue to this group, she brings a lot of sparkle and a lot of solidarity to this team,” Naas said. “And she pulls them and she rallies them in our group chat.”
Oganovich finished third in individual time trials and sixth in miss n’ out- the two individual spring series events. Her athleticism is apparent from her speed and her involvement as an IU club soccer player. But she has improved dramatically from freshman year when she finished in the 100s in individual time trials.
Now she is following in the footsteps of numerous great Kappa riders and teams. The sorority is five time champions of the race and had a stretch ending in 2013 where they finished in the top ten of the race 19 of 20 years. Coach Naas won the Little 500 with Kappa in 1996 and preaches the history to her team. Now as race day gets closer the riders are seeing the impact of Kappa’s alumni base.
“We have so much alumni support,” Oganovich said. “I got in a crash on Saturday and I had seven alumni text me. Having that support from alumni shows how important biking was to Kappa.”
Watch Kappa Kappa Gamma cycling prepare and compete in Team Pursuit. The event was the fourth and final spring series event in the leadup to the Little 500.
And now it’s important again. For the first time since 2013 (the last year they finished in the top ten) Kappa Kappa Gamma is a clear contender on race day.
“I’m starting to get flashbacks of how crazy it was freshman year,” Oganovich said. “And now that we are doing so well this year I think it’s going to be even crazier.”
She will lead a young team as the only Kappa rider that has competed in the Little 500 back in 2019. The race was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and Kappa chose not to compete in 2021, unable to garner enough interested riders.
“With doing well in quals I think there is more pressure when it comes to race day,” Oganovich said. “Pressure that I didn’t really feel my freshman year but pressure in a good way. I think every good team needs to feel pressure because it’s really motivational.”
The women’s Little 500 is this Friday April 22nd at Bill Armstrong Stadium. You can purchase race tickets here, watch the race online here or listen on the radio here.
