Jennifer Potter

Jennifer Potter completed her 21st season at the helm of the Ithaca women's track & field program in 2023-24. Potter, an All-American sprinter at Ithaca, has led the Bombers to 10 indoor and 12 outdoor state titles and guided the team to 26 Empire 8 titles in 28 total indoor and outdoor seasons during IC's time as an affiliate. In 2017-18, Ithaca claimed both championships in its first year as a member of the Liberty League. The Bombers also secured both indoor and outdoor conference titles in 2018-19.

In 2019-20, Ithaca had put together one of its greatest seasons in program history. The Bombers began the indoor season ranked No. 6 by the USTFCCCA and were ranked No. 1 for two straight weeks. After winning the Liberty League Indoor championship, IC went into the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships ranked No. 2 with 10 qualifiers, but the national meet never occurred, as the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all sports. Despite not competing in the championships, Potter was named USTFCCCA National Women's Coach of the Year for the first time in her career. She also was named USTFCCCA East Region Coach of the Year.

Heading into nationals in 2019-20, Parley Hannan was ranked No. 1 in Division III in the 3K and 5K, as well as the anchor on the top-seeded DMR team (Maggie Nickerson, Lindsay Scott and Katelyn Hutchison were the other three members). Meghan Matheny was No. 2 in the pole vault, while Hutchison was second in the 400. Tia Jones ranked third in the 200 and fifth in the 60, while Samara Herzog was 10th in the 60 hurdles. Logan Bruce was seeded 12th in the pentathlon, Sarah Rudge entered 13th in the 800 and Martha Kemp-Nielson was 19th in the pole vault.

The Bombers returned to their usual form during the 2021 outdoor season, as IC dominated the competition at each event. Ithaca won the Liberty League West Championship and sent seven student-athletes to the NCAA Division III Championships. Parley Hannan would claim national titles in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs, while Meghan Matheny won the pole vault championship. Sara Altonen, Logan Bruce, Samantha Healy and Katelyn Hutchison would all post All-American performances as IC finished fourth in the nation.

In 2021-22, IC placed third at the NCAA Division III Indoor Championships as Meghan Matheny claimed another national championship and Tia Jones was the runner-up in the 60 and 200. Logan Bruce and Sara Altonen also reached the podium at the Indoor Championships.

Matheny earned her third career national title at the 2023 Outdoor Championships, while Bruce set a new school record in the heptathlon with a score of 5220 to finish as the national runner-up. Bruce was also the runner-up during the indoor season in the pentathlon.

Potter has helped the Bombers to 13 top-five finishes at ECAC championships, highlighted by four indoor and two outdoor team titles. Ithaca has tallied 11 top-20 finishes at NCAA championships under her direction. The Bombers recorded a program-best second place finishes at the 2017 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. At the NCAA Championships in 2017-18, the Bombers placed seventh at indoors and 14th at outdoors.

Potter has been named the conference’s coach of the year 26 times (12 indoor, 14 outdoor). At Ithaca, she has been named the Atlantic Region Coach of the Year four times (2003-04, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2017-18) and earned NYSCTC Coach of the Meet honors on 17 occasions (Indoor: 2003-04, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13, 2015-16, 2016-17/Outdoor: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017). She was also named USTFCCCA National Coach of the Year in 2020.

Since the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships, three student-athletes have won eight individual national titles. Brandy Smith has won three consecutive discus titles in 2015, 2016 and 2017, while Katherine Pitman claimed the pole vault championship in 2016 and 2017. Taryn Cordani won three national titles during the 2016-17 season – indoor 3K and 5K and the outdoor 10K. In 2017-18, Pitman repeated as the indoor national champion in the pole vault with a DIII record mark of 4.28 meters, while Cordani claimed another 10K title at the outdoor championships.

In her time at Ithaca, Potter has coached 57 All-Americans and there are more than 40 school records currently held by athletes she has coached. In total, Potter has coached 96 All-Americans during her head coaching career. Ithaca has claimed 12 national titles under the direction of Potter.

In July 2016, Potter traveled to El Salvador as an assistant on the USATF National Team for the NACAC Under 23 Championships. Potter was also appointed as an assistant coach at the Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Alberta, Canada in July 2015.

Potter coached 2012 graduate Emma Dewart to 11 All-America finishes, the most in program history, highlighted by back-to-back national championships in the pentathlon. She also coached 2011 graduate Marcia McCord to six All-America finishes – the third-most in program history. Both Dewart and McCord earned NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships. Potter has had athletes earn Academic All-America honors on four occasions: Amanda Laytham (2004), Dewart (2011, 2012), Jenn Randall (2014).

Potter, who served on the NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Committee from 2006-11, spent four years at Cortland as the head women’s track & field coach, as well as coaching sprinters and hurdlers as an assistant coach with the men’s program. She led the Red Dragons to three indoor and three outdoor conference championships. Potter was named USTCA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year three times in indoor track & field and twice in outdoor track & field. She was the State University of New York Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times.

Her coaching background also includes a year as an assistant coach with the women’s cross country and track & field teams at Division I Central Michigan, four years as head cross country and track & field coach at Hartwick and two years as a graduate assistant coach with the cross country and track & field programs at Division I Marshall. In her time at Hartwick, Potter coached a national champion high jumper who shares the Division III NCAA Championships record having cleared 1.81 meters (5 feet, 11 1/4 inches).

She is a Level I USATF instructor and holds USATF Level II certification as a sprints, hurdles, relays and jumps coach. Potter served on the 2004 Olympic trials field staff and is a graduate of the 2010 NCAA Women's Coaches Academy. Potter was the 2010-11 and 2012-13 winner of Ithaca College's Doris Kostrinsky Coach of the Year Award.

Potter graduated from Ithaca in 1992 with a degree in physical education. She was a four-year member of the Bomber track & field team, earning All-America honors in the 1,600-meter relay at the 1991 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Potter was also a two-time national qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles. She earned her master’s degree from Marshall in 1994.