Before the largest-ever field of 32 teams can take to the track for the Women's Little 500 race April 24, the riders have to battle for positions, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

The number of teams attempting to qualify is one more than the previous record of 31 set in 1988.

Although all 32 will make the race -- a full field is 33 -- only one can have the pole position.

"It's important (to win the pole because) it helps with your confidence in the race, but a lot of times pole position teams don't win," said junior Suzannah Bero, a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma team.

With the third-fastest qualifying time in Little 500 history, Kappa Kappa Gamma won the pole in 1997 after winning the race the previous year. This was the first time a defending champion had captured the pole. Kappa Kappa Gamma finished fifth on race day, as Roadrunners took the win.

Only one women's team to capture the pole has ever actually been in first place when the race finished -- Kappa Alpha Theta in 1994. It was the third of three consecutive years Kappa Alpha Theta won the pole.

Kappa Alpha Theta has won the most poles with five and has never qualified lower than a 1991 11th-place start. The team also own the top two qualifying times for the race -- 2 minutes, 40.41 seconds in 1989 and 2:41.22 in 1988.

Alpha Phi, Delta Zeta and Phi Mu join Kappa Alpha Theta as the only teams to qualify for every Women's Little 500.

Junior Sarah Wilson just hopes her Kappa Alpha Theta team will improve on its eighth-place start from last year.

"Anything above that," Wilson said. "Second is good, third is good. Those are probably ideal."

Of course, pole position isn't all bad. Pole sitters get first choice of pits as well as getting to start from the best spot on the track on race day.

"It would be nice to get the pole ... but it's just nice to get one of the higher positions," Wilson said.

Wilson and Bero agreed staying out of the back of the pack is a must for success.

"You don't want to be qualified in one of the back positions on race day," Wilson said. "It's not very safe because most of the wrecks happen in the back. If somebody goes down in front of you, there's not much you can do if you're in the back."

The teams that do manage to stay in the front of the pack will be the ones who have smooth exchanges Saturday. Exchanges are a determining factor in which teams record the fastest times.

Exchanges will be made more critical by a new rule penalizing teams for dropping their bikes. A dropped bike anywhere will result in an automatic foul, forcing the team to make a new attempt.

Teams are allotted three fouls without penalty, but if they must make a fourth attempt, the team cannot place higher than any team making three attempts or less.

"(We have the rule to) get people in the habit of not dropping the bike (and) emphasize the safety of exchanges," IU Student Foundation associate director Mike Foote said.

Wilson isn't in favor of the new rule.

"I don't know whether or not it will enforce the rule like it should," Wilson said. "I don't really see the need for it."

Most likely to compete with Kappa Kappa Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta are the Wright Cycledelics, Alpha Gamma Delta and the defending champions, the Roadrunners.

While nothing is certain in qualifications, Bero is confident about her team's chances.

"Our exchanges are pretty solid," Bero said. "Anything can happen."