ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's track & field team will begin its 2021-22 season this weekend, December 4, at Cornell University's Greg Page Relays. Ithaca, which is typically a top 10 program in Division III, will make its highly-anticipated return to an indoor season after the cancellation of the 2020-21 campaign – except for one meet last March.
That meet in early March 2021 at Nazareth was the first competition for any Ithaca athletics program since the pandemic brought a halt to intercollegiate athletics across the country. It marked exactly one year to the day in which the Bombers competed in a meet (March 6-7, 2020 at the AARTFC Championships at Nazareth) as well.
Heading into the 2020 NCAA Division III Indoor Championships, the Bombers were primed to make a run at the program's first team national title, as IC was ranked No. 2 in the country and qualified 10 student-athletes who were set to compete in 10 different events.
Most of the national qualifiers are back.
Headlining those returners are
Meghan Matheny – the 2021 outdoor national champion in the pole vault –,
Katelyn Hutchison (a three-time All-American),
Logan Bruce (a two-time All-American),
Tia Jones (a two-time All-American),
Lindsay Scott (one All-American honor) and Marth Kemp-Neilson (All-American in 2020).
Sara Altonen is also back for the Bombers after an All-American performance in the pole vault during the outdoor national championship meet.
The Bombers also welcome back numerous USTFCCCA All-Region honorees –
Ariyahna Bernard,
Sara Brown,
Grace Clark,
Katharine Downey,
Meredith Garrity,
Katarina Gomez,
Lauren Lobdell,
Rachel Rose,
Julia Tomanovich and
Ayenaliz Velasquez.
The Bombers did, however, compete in a spring season last year and wound up places fourth in Division III after national championship performances by Matheny and recent graduate
Parley Hannan. Bruce, Hutchison and
Samantha Healy were All-Americans at the national meet as well.
IC was dominant all spring with dual meet wins over Cortland and Rochester, to go along with another Liberty League title and a second place finish at the AARTFC Championships at St. John Fisher. At the NCAA Division III Championships, IC was in first place after two days of competition.
After the opening meet this weekend, the Bombers are off until the New Year. IC will return to action on January 8 for an alumni celebration race and then host Brockport and Oneonta on January 14. The Bombers remain at home the following weekend with a quad meet with Cortland, Oneonta and TCNJ on January 22.
On January 29, Ithaca heads to Nazareth for the Indoor Conference Challenge Cup and then the Bombers will host their annual Invitational and Multi on February 5-6 for their final home meet of the season before championships season.
IC will serve as the host for the Liberty League Championships on February 25-26 and then travel back to Nazareth for the AARTFC Championships on March 4-5. The NCAA Championships will take place in Winston-Salem, N.C. on March 11-12.
All home meets this season will have live results via leonetiming.com. Check out the schedule throughout the season to see which home meets will have live video coverage.
