JMU Earns No. 77 Finish in LEARFIELD Director’s Cup Standings

HARRISONBURG, Va. – In its second year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, James Madison earned the league's top score in the LEARFIELD Director's Cup, placing 77^th in the final standings among all NCAA Division I athletics programs in the annual measurement of qualification and advancement in NCAA Championships.

The No. 77 ranking was the second-best mark in the last 25 years, trailing only the 67^th-place finish in 2020-2021 in the CoVID-shortened competitive year, in which the Dukes reached semifinals in both FCS football and the Women's College World Series. The highest mark prior to that was 1999-2000 in Jeff Bourne's first year as JMU Director of Athletics. JMU finished 64^th in that season in which the department sponsored 27 sports, compared the current offering of 18.

In the Sun Belt, JMU led the way at No. 77 and was followed by Arkansas State at 89^th and Texas State at No. 103. That top three was followed by Old Dominion (108), South Alabama (112), Coastal Carolina (123), Louisiana (136), Marshall (145), Georgia State (164), Southern Mississippi (177), Appalachian State (178), Georgia Southern (262), Troy (262) and ULM (301). The league score was boosted by a record 12 teams participating in bowl games. The league also rounded out the spring with four teams in baseball and three squads in softball all finishing as runner-up in a regional.

Altogether seven sports contributed to Director's Cup points for JMU, which represents the most different sports scoring points in one year since at least 2000-2001, prior to which full detailed records are not available. Men's soccer led the way with 64 points for reaching the round of 16 in the 48-team field. Lacrosse tallied 53 points for advancing to the round of 16 in the 29-team field. Baseball and men's basketball each contributed 50 points for making the round of 32. Football added 25 points for its first bowl game appearance while women's soccer and volleyball each qualified for NCAA with at-large bids to earn 25 points. JMU was the only school in the country to qualify for NCAA in each of the listed sports of men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, football, men's basketball, women's lacrosse and baseball.

Overall, JMU was third among Group of Five schools with SMU 54^th in its final year before joining the ACC and Air Force one spot ahead of JMU at 76^th. The Dukes were also 13^th among all institutions outside of the Power 5. Among the 12 ahead, five represent Ivy League schools, which each offer between 33 and 42 total sports (Harvard 29^th, Princeton 34^th, Penn 52^nd, Cornell 71^st, Yale 72^nd). Big East schools Georgetown (53) and Villanova (73) also placed in the top 75. Denver placed 46^th with significant points in hockey, skiing and gymnastics; Northern Arizona 70^th with top national programs in cross country and track and field; and Grand Canyon with two-third of its points in the spring, including a semifinal appearance in men's volleyball.

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