Head Coach Jennifer Potter is hoping for clear skies this weekend.

After two Bombers and one relay team qualified for ECACs at the season-opening Ithaca Invitational this past weekend, Potter doesn’t want the weather messing with the women’s track and field team’s season.

“We have some good things going,” she said. “If the weather holds out, which looks like it won’t, we should be pretty decent.”

Sophomore Leigh Klumpp won the 100-meter dash, finishing with a ECAC-qualifying time of 12.99 seconds. Sophomore Lauren Koppel also made the cut for ECACs by finishing the 100-meter hurdles in 15.99.

Klumpp, sophomores Diamondo Stratkos and Hannah Jacobsen and junior captain Stephanie Donahue comprised the winning 400-meter relay team. Donahue also placed third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.54.

The Bombers head to Clinton, N.Y., this weekend to participate in the Hamilton Open. With snow expected, the Blue and Gold could lose a valuable opportunity, Potter said.

“If the weather doesn’t hold out we lose opportunities to qualify for the conference meet,” Potter said. “It can be tough. It just limits the opportunities.”

Potter added that the team, while strong enough from a strength-training program, needs to work on its technique and form. Klumpp, a sprinter, agreed with her coach.

“A lot of it starts ... [by] making sure to get power out of the block,“ Klumpp said.

Despite the need for improvement, Klumpp said this year’s Ithaca Invitational made for the best one in recent memory.

With top programs attending like SUNY–Cortland and SUNY–Geneseo, distance runners sophomore Lindsey Nadolski and junior Stephanie Holowacz said the competition gave the athletes an added incentive to excel.

As defending New York state champions, the Bombers will need to excel against the competition if they hope to secure their 10th straight state title.