The women’s track and field team took to the track yesterday at Butterfield Stadium for the first of two times this season, running at the Ithaca Invitational. The Bombers used the meet as a way to prepare for the big championship meets ahead, aiming to adjust to competing outdoors rather than on the indoor oval.

The meet, which was not a team scored competition, was seen as an opportunity to achieve qualifying standards for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference and New York State Collegiate Track Conference Championships, to be held in April and May, respectively.

“The whole team came into the meet aiming to run certain times, as we all had our own workout plans,” senior Amanda Boccio said. “The team looked really strong for an early season meet.”

To begin the meet, junior Kate Leugers won the 10,000-meter run in a NCAA provisional time of 37:25. Behind her were senior Melanie McCormick and sophomore Heidi Baumbach, who also hit qualifying times for the NYSCTC Championships.

Also winning their events on the track were freshman Ebonie Howard in the 400-meter hurdles and junior Marcia McCord in the 200-meter dash.

Coming off her second place in the pentathlon at the NCAA Indoor Championships, sophomore Emma Dewart won the 110-meter hurdles and won her flight in the javelin. Aiming to return to the national championships, Dewart is aiming to qualify in the heptathlon, high jump and hurdles.

In the pole vault, Kristen DeStefano took first with a vault of 3.25 meters, a half meter ahead of second place, teammate sophomore Julie Orlando.

DeStefano hopes to have a season similar to her indoor one, where she raised her school record in the vault to 3.60 meters.

“I’m hoping to break the outdoor pole vault record, but more importantly get my name high on the nationals list to be able to go to the NCAA Championships,” DeStefano said.

The current record is 3.4 meters, set by Orlando last year.

DeStefano said that the team is looking to repeat what they did in indoors, take the Empire 8, ECAC and NYSTC titles.

“I’m sure we will have great performances at E8s and states again, and with how we have been working I know we are capable of repeating ECAC as well as having more national qualifiers this season,” she said.

Other Bombers who won their respective field events include sophomores Anna Lawrence in the hammer throw and Hannah Evans in the triple jump and freshman Amanda Rissmeyer in the high jump.

The Bombers will return to action next week when they travel to Mahwah, N.J., to compete in the Road Runner Invitational at Ramapo College.

Looking forward, the team hopes to continue its winning ways from the indoor season on to the outdoor track.

“We are a very young and talented team that has a lot in store for the upcoming spring season, and years to come,” Dewart said.