Ithaca College Athletics

Jennifer Potter was named head coach at her alma mater in 2003. Potter, an all-American sprinter at Ithaca, led the Bombers to Empire 8 and state titles at the indoor and outdoor championships and a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships in her first year, when she was was named NYSCTC and Empire 8 indoor and outdoor Coach of the Year and Atlantic Region indoor coach of the year as Ithaca broke five school records. Ithaca has captured the Empire 8 indoor and outdoor titles and the outdoor state championship in each of her firt three seasons, earning Empire 8 Coach of the Year honors following the indoor and outdoor seasons. She was named the Atlantic Region outdoor coach of the year in 2006.

Potter spent four years at Cortland as the head women’s track and 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 United States Track Coaches Association Atlantic Region Coach of the Year three times in indoor track and field and twice in outdoor track and field. She was the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Coach of the  of the Year three times.

Her coaching background also includes a year as an assistant coach with the women’s cross country and track and field teams at Division I Central Michigan, four years as head cross country and track and field coach at Hartwick and two years as a graduate assistant coach with the cross country and track and field programs at Division I Marshall In her career, Potter has coached 72 national qualifiers and 45 all-Americans (including a national champion high jumper) as well as 13 academic all-Americans.

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.

Potter graduated from Ithaca in 1992 with a degree in physical education. She was a four-year letter winner with the Bomber track and field team, earning all-America honors in the 1,600-meter relay at the 1991 NCAA outdoor championships. A two-time national qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles, she still holds school records (800 and 1,600-meter relay). She earned her master’s degree from Marshall in 1994. She is also an assistant coach with the Bomber men’s track and field and women’s cross country teams.