After winning the last eight of 10 combined indoor and outdoor Empire 8 Championships, expectations remain high as the women’s track and field team heads outdoors this spring. The team has experienced yet another successful indoor season, and it does not plan to back down anytime soon.

The squad, which is made up of 50 athletes, has a depth that has helped it maintain its energy through the indoor season.

“Our seniors have been great leaders,” Head Coach Jennifer Potter said. “They have really brought a very young team together and have done a great job preparing them for what is expected.”

With the indoor season coming to a close, the team’s seniors are already experienced at leading the team’s younger athletes. Senior multi-event athlete Lauren Koppel said she is not only a leader of the team, but she is also a teammate and a friend.

“It is an amazing experience to be a senior on this team with this freshman, sophomore and junior class,” Koppel said. “I am able to be a role model and learn from all of these girls.”

Koppel is returning this season after missing last year with an injury, and she said she has set high expectations both for herself and the rest of the team.

“I would love to reclaim the state championship with these girls our senior year,” she said.

The tight bond the team has developed has played a major role in its success during the indoor season. Freshman hurdler Andrea Kwamya said camaraderie will help propel the team through the spring.

“When you see someone on the track, most of the team is out there cheering for you,” Kwamya said. “You have all that adrenaline coming from your teammates.”

Though Kwamya was injured during the indoor season, she said the team’s closeness helped to motivate her while she took time off.

“Everyone has their down points where they don’t know who to turn to,” she said. “You need someone to motivate you or lift you up and tell you that it’s going to get better.”

The South Hill squad has maintained its success during the past few years through a variety of facets. Most notably, Potter said recruiting has helped the Bombers contend for conference championships year after year.

“The team is very much involved in recruiting — hosting recruits and taking them to lunch,” she said.

The Bombers’ success can also be attributed to the strategic methods they take during their training.

“There’s a difference between training hard and training smart,” Kwamya said. “Our coaches push us, but they don’t push us to the point where we’re hurting. The coaches are really good about encouraging us to help each other and encourage one another.”

 This spring, the Bombers have set their goals high — shooting for multiple championships.

“It is very important to us to win our conference championship, both Empire 8 and state conference,” Potter said. “It is also important to send individuals to nationals. It is what we look for as we recruit, what we coach for. There are numerous people on the team that have the ability to make it to nationals.”

The Bombers’ first meet of the outdoor season is at 10:30 a.m. March 28  at the Ithaca Invitational at Butterfield Stadium.