After more than a decade off the track, the Collins Living Learning Center is making its return to the Little 500. Built from the ground up by a group of determined students.

The last time Collins fielded a women’s team was more than 12 years ago. That long absence made this comeback even more meaningful for senior Layla Ferguson, who quickly signed on when she learned the team was being revived.

“I was walking through Collins one day, I was like, ‘Oh, a Little Five team,’” Ferguson said. “I’ve always loved biking. I used to bike to school in high school and stuff like that. And it’s my senior year. So I was like, ‘You know what? It’s now or never.’”

The team’s revival was led by Sophomore’s Alyssa Lukritz and Kate Weaver, who began organizing riders, training schedules, and preparing everything early in the year. Even converting a small storage closet in Collins into an indoor training space.

Despite their determination, building a team wasn’t easy. The group initially hoped to form both men’s and women’s teams but couldn’t recruit enough riders for the men’s side. Weaver said even filling the four-woman roster took time.

“It took, like, a semester to actually get going, because we just started our team in February,” she said. “Basically, we started riding. So it was definitely a process. And we managed to get four people.”

With no prior Little 500 racing experience among them, the Collins team faced a steep learning curve. But that didn’t stop them from qualifying for the race.

“But starting from no team, and just getting to see us get all the way to quals, through quals, and get into the final race has just been so rewarding,” Lukritz said.

Weaver said the group’s dynamic has played a huge role in their progress.

“That natural chemistry, I thought everyone was nice and funny, and we just kind of knew that we wanted to push all of our effort into this,” she said. “So I think that chemistry just kind of came about with us all having the same vision.”

Junior rider Sophia Hupfer said the team is already thinking beyond this year’s race.

” I’ll be here after April 25. It’s like, let’s start prep. We’ll have the weekend to celebrate, and then it’d be like, All right, start training for next year,” she said.

Collins team captain Layla Ferguson rides in formation during a stretch of the 100-lap race on April 25th, 2025.

Collins captain Layla Ferguson sits at the start line waiting for the flag at for the Women’s ITT’s at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 10th, 2025.

Collins Team Captain Layla Ferguson and Kate Weaver smile during practice at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 8th, 2025.

This Bike Closet is the training center for the Collins Biking Team

Collins rider Kate Weaver cheers after her team is introduced before the Little 500 at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 26th, 2025.

Collins captain Layla Ferguson focuses at the start line during the women’s Individual Time Trials at Bill Armstrong Stadium on April 10th, 2025.

Tickets for the race are available through the IU Student Foundation. For more information about the dorm and its programs, visit the Collins Living-Learning Center.