Competing on their home track, the Ithaca College women’s track and field team earned a decisive victory at the Liberty League Indoor Track & Field Championship, held on Feb. 28 and March 1. The Bombers had several standout performances and secured nearly one-third of all available points to win the title.
Senior sprinter and hurdler Laura Suppa played a significant role in helping the Bombers reach the conference title by winning both the 60-meter hurdles and 200-meter dash on the second day of the meet. Suppa’s 60-meter hurdles time – 8.61 seconds – matched the meet record set by junior Rachel Larson on the previous day. With an identical time, both athletes share the rank of fourth-fastest college hurdlers in the country.
According to Suppa, the team’s championship success was built on a culture of resilience and support for each other.
“We had some ups and downs,” Suppa said. “But really pushing each other through our hard moments and being there for each other let us build up to a championship season.”
Jennifer Potter, Head Women’s Track & Field Coach, is in her 22nd season leading the program and has built a strong dynasty. Potter has led the Bombers to 10 indoor and 12 outdoor state titles and was named the National Women’s Coach of the Year for the 2019-2020 season by the USTFCCCA.
Rosters on college sports teams shift every season, but according to Potter, strong communication has remained key to building long-term success.
“This is my 33rd year coaching, and student athletes have changed over time,” Potter said. “It’s about constantly making sure that we’re on the same page – that I’m listening, they’re listening, and emphasizing that we’re in this together.”
Erin Dinan is the Head Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country Coach and is in her 19th season coaching at Ithaca College. She coaches mid-distance and long-distance athletes during the winter and spring seasons and noted how track and field needs to be coached differently from other team sports because of how reliant a team’s performance is on individuals.
“You have to deal with each athlete on an individual basis and really make sure that you’re connecting with them and coaching the specific individual as an athlete, not just your team as a whole,” Dinan said.
The 2024-2025 track and field season is Dinan’s first season coaching distance runners on both the men’s and women’s teams, effectively doubling her coaching responsibilities.
“I’ve got two teams now – historically, I’ve only been with the women’s team,” Dinan said. “My initial thoughts going into this weekend were about dividing. There’s a lot of strategy in trying to figure out who’s going to race in each event.”
Race planning is among the biggest responsibilities for track coaches; rosters need to be optimized for a team to score as many points as possible. Championship meets are the culmination of hundreds of hours and miles of practice dedicated to events that might only last seconds.
Dinan is intimately familiar with how a team led by Potter operates; Potter was her coach when she was a track and field athlete at SUNY Cortland.
“I get more nervous as a coach than I did as an athlete,” Dinan said. “I get nervous every time I see somebody race, but we had some incredible performances this weekend. People had huge PRs that were really fun to watch and be a part of.”
This victory for the Bombers represents a massive triumph – especially over the University of Rochester. Ithaca College last took the conference title in the 2021-2022 season, with Rochester winning the title in the next two seasons.
“To take back the trophy and to do it at home was great,” Potter said. “It was great to be in front of an audience that’s our own community. I think that gave everyone a level of comfort; it was really, really fun and exciting to win at home.”
“We’re in a competitive conference,” Dinan said. “The University of Rochester had some great athletes – but we were better.”
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