ASA, SAE win Trike competition Friday

Alpha Sigma Alpha and Sigma Alpha Epsilon took first place for the women's and men's Trike races, respectively, Friday at Rec East.

Alpha Sigma Alpha completed and won in 30 laps with a time of 34:52 and Sigma Alpha Epsilon finished 42 laps with a time of 41:18. Both teams stayed in first throughout the entire race.

"I'm so excited that we won and so proud of our riders," said Kourtney Reed, a junior interior design major and member of Alpha Sigma Alpha.

"This is ASA's first Trike win ever. In the 44 years of this event and we're just ready to hang our bikes in the Bally[hoo]," said Brandi Wilzbacher, a junior math major and captain of the Alpha Sigma Alpha Trike team.

Delta Gamma and Zeta Tau Alpha placed second and third place in the women's race both completing 30 laps. Alpha Tau Omega and Sigma Phi Epsilon took second and third in the men's race with Alpha Tau Omega completing 39 laps and Sigma Phi Epsilon completing 38.

Nick Farrell, a senior business management major and Alpha Tau Omega member said, "After all the hard work they've done, they've had a solid finish. ATO is also very proud of the Chi-Os [it's Homecoming pairing.] They had bike problems. They were a really good pairing."

Kyle Newnum, a graduate student and student affairs major and Sigma Alpha Epsilon member, said "It's good to see the fraternities and sororities come out here and compete."

Sigma Alpha Epsilon, who finished first in the Trike qualifications, also won the fastest rider award, which is traditionally referred to as "Hot Wheels." The Hot Wheels trophy went to Logan Swiecki-Taylor.

"We wanted it and we took it," Swiecki-Taylor said about the Sigma Alpha Epsilon win.

Kelli Taylor, a member of Sigma Kappa sorority and junior physical education major, received the award for women's "Hot Wheels."

Matt Jackson, a sophomore construction management major and member of Sigma Chi is known to his pairings as "Coach Jackson" and took on the role of training the Alpha Chi Omega, Sigma Chi and Phi Kappa Psi pairing for the Trike race.

"We worked mainly on pitting. That was where we were having most of the trouble," Jackson said.

Although the pairing of Sigma Chi and Phi Kappa Psi took sixth in the qualification race, Jackson said "second place is the first place loser."

Alpha Tau Omega, the second-place team did have a lot of support from its president and team captain, Bobby Grangier.

Grangier, a senior automotive technology major, said he was pleased with how well the Alpha Tau Omega team did with Trike and called it an experience of a lifetime.

Women's / Men's Trike Placings 1. Alpha Sigma Alpha / Sigma Alpha Epsilon 2. Delta Gamma / Alpha Tau Omega 3. Zeta Tau Alpha / Sigma Phi Epsilon 4. Sigma Kappa / Pi Kappa Phi 5. Alpha Chi Omega / Sigma Chi, Phi Kappa Psi 6. Chi Omega / Pi Kappa Alpha 7. Alpha Omicron Pi / Phi Delta Theta 8. Gamma Phi Beta / Sigma Nu, Tau Kappa Epsilon 9. Alpha Phi / Kappa Alpha Order

( Paula Lowry is a senior political science major. She can be reached at sascamed@isugw.indstate.edu.)