Historic JMU Athletics Year Marked by National Achievements and Transition

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison Athletics registered a historic year of achievements and transition in 2023-2024, continuing its rise among the intercollegiate athletics landscape and entrenching itself as an upper tier program on the national landscape. That position is marked by an approach and competitive success that transcends the achievements and experiences for each sport program.

JMU Athletics completed its final year of reclassification to the FBS level during the 2023-2024 campaign, earning qualification in a postseason football bowl despite NCAA limitations against such participation. The department received official communication from the NCAA in July of 2024 indication completion of the reclassification with full FBS membership commencing in August of 2024.

The broad-based success of the past year included the department matching its record number of teams represented in NCAA postseason competition, tying the mark of 10 set in 1999-2000. As a result, JMU finished 77^th in the Director's Cup, leading the Sun Belt and ranking third among Group of Five athletics programs.

JMU won 61% of its total contests in sports that accumulate a formal win-loss record, exceeding 60% for the eighth time in nine years. That win percentage ranked third in Virginia among all Division I institutions and paved the way for the department to finish second in the Bubas Cup, the Sun Belt Conference's all-sports trophy.

Key achievements included: two Sun Belt Championships (swimming and diving, men's basketball), 14 All-Americans, first FBS bowl game in JMU history, second round of men's basketball NCAA Championship (round of 32), men's soccer round of 16, baseball regional runner-up (round of 32), second round in lacrosse and NCAA appearances in women's soccer and volleyball. Cross country competed in the NCAA regional meet, while individuals represented women's golf and swimming and diving. JMU also hosted ESPN's College GameDay for the third time with record-breaking attendance.

Beyond competitive achievements, the 3.262 grade point average unofficially ranked near the top in department history. JMU won the Sun Belt's top institutional academic award for the second year in a row. The department shattered its record for hours of giving back with 9,085 hours of community engagement. Meanwhile, financial giving also skyrocketed with a 3,000-donor climb to a record of 8,665 athletics donors, which contributed to fundraising records of $4.75 million to the Annual Fund and $6.54 million in total giving.

Along with transition of the department to FBS, the year was marked by significant leadership transition. Jeff Bourne retired from 25 years of leadership as director of athletics, passing the torch in April to Matt Roan. Successful coaches in football (Curt Cignetti) and men's basketball (Mark Byington) earned other opportunities while paving the way for new program leadership in Bob Chesney and Preston Spradlin. JMU President Jonathan Alger also departed during the summer, with former university Vice President Charlie King filling the role on an interim basis.

2023-24 By the Numbers/Department Snapshot

.609 winning % all sports
77^th in Learfield Director's Cup final standings, first in Sun Belt
2 conference titles
10 NCAA appearances
3.262 Department GPA
90 NCAA Graduation Success Rate
71% Department Federal Success Rate
9 of 17 programs achieved perfect 1,000 single-year APR
989 department single-year APR
86 President's List and 219 Dean's List Student-Athletes
132 Graduates (Winter 2023, Spring 2024, anticipated Summer 2024)
10 Sun Belt 1A FAR Academic Excellence Awards (undergrad degree 3.80+), 96 SBC Commissioner's Award (3.5+ GPA previous academic year), 97 SBC Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA).
683 student-athletes achieved a 3.0 semester grade point average in at least one semester (includes duplications)
9,085 department record hours of community service, including 8^th of 100+ Division I Helper-Helper schools and third in the Sun Belt
14 All-Americans
1 College Sports Communicators Academic All-American
36 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
5 Conference Players of the Year
2 Conference Coaches of the Year
4 Conference Rookies/Newcomers of the Year
7 student-athletes drafted in professional drafts while 10 additional former student-athletes had their first professional opportunities.

Accomplishments

JMU teams have compiled a 211-133-13 cumulative record for a .609 winning percentage. The numbers are highlighted by a winning percentage of .652 among men's sports, which is the department's best since 1994-95. Over the past 9 years combined, the Dukes have won at a .642 clip across all sports, a figure that ranks top-20 nationally among all Division I programs. JMU narrowly finished third (Virginia .654, VCU .610) among the 14 Division I institutions in Virginia, achieving its 11^th top-three finish in the last 12 years. The Dukes finished second among all men's programs in the state, trailing only Virginia, and were sixth among female sports. led all Commonwealth women's sports with a .704 winning percentage (139-57-5) and ranked third among men's sports with a .585 mark (81-57-4).
Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne announced his retirement in September 2023, effective in spring of 2024. He served as JMU AD for 25 years from 1999-2024 overseeing an era of tremendous success for the department, including three national championships. In March, Bourne was named one of four FBS honorees as NACDA AD of the Year and was additionally one of five nominees for Sports Business Journal College Athletics Director of the Year. In his final month in April, it was announced by the Board of Visitors that East Campus Drive near the Atlantic Union Bank Center was renamed Jeff Bourne Way. Bourne was also bestowed with an honorary degree from the university.
On April 18, the university announced the hiring of Matt Roan, previously from Eastern Kentucky, to follow Bourne as the next direct of athletics at JMU.
In mid-July, JMU received its formal letter from the NCAA acknowledging completion of the reclassification process, officially propelling the department into FBS classification for 2024-2025 with full eligibility for football postseason, including both the Sun Belt Championship and bowl game participation.
For the second time in two years, JMU finished second in the standings for The Bubas Cup, which is awarded by the Sun Belt to the best overall institution for competitive success, as measured by Sun Belt-sponsored sports. JMU's score was boosted by first place in football, second in volleyball and cross country, fourth in men's soccer and fifth in women's soccer. For winter sports, JMU was second in men's basketball but an extra point for winning the championship tournament and also most points in swimming and diving as champions. Women's basketball was third. Among spring sports, JMU scored 10.5 points for a tie for fourth in baseball and nine points with a sixth-place finish in men's golf.
With at-large NCAA bids difficult for "mid-major" schools, JMU was one of only two schools in the country to earn at-large spots for men's soccer, women's soccer and volleyball during the Fall (Pitt). JMU was the only school to participate in all three tournaments while also reaching an FBS bowl game. Altogether, JMU received five at-large bids to NCAA championships with both soccer programs and volleyball joined by lacrosse and baseball. JMU was one of 20 schools to qualify for both an FBS bowl game and the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. James Madison was also one of five schools to have 10 wins in football and win a game in March Madness, joining Texas, Arizona, Oregon and Alabama. That list was further reduced to JMU and Oregon as the only schools to win 10 games in football plus advancing to the round of 32 in both men's basketball and baseball.
Altogether, JMU was selected to 10 total NCAA appearances (team or individual), matching the department record of 10 set in 1999-2000 in Jeff Bourne's first year and equalled in 2023-24 in his final year. That total was out of 27 sport programs (37%), compared to 10 of 18 in 2023-24 (56%).
After competing for one year in the CCSA, swimming and diving picked up sponsorship as a Sun Belt sport in August of 2023, giving JMU 16 of its 18 programs competing in the Sun Belt. Lacrosse competes in the AAC and field hockey as an independent for 2023 before moving into the MAC in 2024.
James Madison finished 77^th in the final LEARFIELD Director's Cup standings, which measures team qualification and advancement in NCAA Championships. JMU was 44^th in the initial Fall standings and 74^th after winter sports. JMU was first among Sun Belt schools (Arkansas State 89, Texas State 103) after scoring points in men's soccer, women's soccer, volleyball, football, men's basketball, lacrosse and baseball. Seven was the most sports to score points in a single year as far back as records are available (2000-2001). The Dukes were also third among all Group of Five institutions trailing only SMU at 54 and Air Force at 76. It was James Madison's best "full" season score since it's last time with 10 sports represented in NCAA postseason with a 64 in 1999-2000 in Jeff Bourne's first year and with 27 sports. JMU also posted a 67 in the CoVID-impacted 2020-2021 year, which included national semifinal finishes in football and softball. It was the fifth time in the last seven final standings that JMU led its conference (CAA 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021; SBC 2024)
Six JMU teams appeared in national polls in 2023-24. Football received votes for the first half of the season before finally breaking through both the AP and Coaches Polls on Oct. 22 at 7-0 and climbing to No. 21 in the Coaches Poll on Nov. 6 along with No. 18 in the AP poll on Nov. 13. It was the first-ever ranking in the Coaches Poll for the Dukes. Football finished as the fourth highest team receiving votes in the final AP Poll. Men's soccer hit as high as No. 8 after a 3-0 start to the season then rebounded to finish 18^th in the final poll. After concluding 2022 receiving votes unofficially for the first time in program history, JMU volleyball gradually increased its vote total each week at the start of the 2023 season before falling out on Oct. 23. Men's basketball achieved its first AP national ranking, debuting at No. 24 in the Nov. 13 poll and rose as high as 18^th, currently just outside the top 25 receiving votes on Jan. 8. Men's basketball is also ranked second nationally in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll, while women's basketball rose as high as 11^th in the same mid-major poll. Lacrosse was ranked sixth in the preseason IWLCA coaches poll and climbed to second early in the season before finishing 16^th. Baseball also received votes in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll after its early start to the season.
Unofficially, JMU had perhaps its best year ever compiling wins against top-five, nationally-ranked programs. Men's soccer defeated both No. 1 UCF and No. 3 Georgetown. Men's basketball defeated No. 4 Michigan State on the road to open its season. In the spring, lacrosse topped No. 3 UNC and baseball downed No. 3 Arkansas. Four of the five victories occurred in true road contests.
Golf alum Neal Shipley ('22) made his first career appearance in The Master's, finishing in a tie for 53^rd in the 89-player field at the 88^th Master's. He earned the Silver Cup as the best finishing amateur during the event and was the only amateur to make the cut. Shipley later also finished as low amateur at the US Open, becoming just the seventh competitor ever to claim low amateur at both events in the same year, finishing in a tie for 26^th at the event.
Director of Track and Field and Cross Country Delethea Quarles was selected as part of Team USA coaching staff for the 2024 Paris Olympics as the jumps/multis coach. In other Olympic connections, former field hockey athlete Ongeziwa Mali will represent South Africa while former women's basketball player Jackie Benitez will compete for Puerto Rico in her second Olympics.
In major professional sports drafts, Sophie Davis became the first volleyball professional draft selection in program history. Selected in the fourth round (24^th overall) in the Pro Volleyball Federation Draft and beginning the season with the Omaha Supernovas. Fenwich Trimble was a fourth-round pick (#122 overall) by the Miami Marlins in the MLB Draft. Jason Schiavone joined him as an 11^th-round pick of the Houston Astros (#343 overall) and Joe Vogatsky in the 19^th round (#564 overall) to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Former women's basketball student-athlete Kiki Jefferson was a third-round selection (#31 overall) of the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Draft. Isabella Peterson was drafted in the 2024 Athletes Unlimited Lacrosse College Draft, the fourth player in program history to be selected. In the UFL Draft, Jamree Kromah was a fifth-round selection of the San Antonio Brahmas.
In other pro sports updates, Odicci Alexander captured the individual player championship during the 2023 Athletes Unlimited softball season. Former volleyball player M'Kaela White joined Sophie Davis in the Pro Volleyball Federation as a member of the Orlando Valkyries. Women's soccer's Alexandra Blom signed with Mallbackens IF of the Elitettan in Sweden and Alba Fernandez Almagro with CP Cacereno Femenino in Spain. Clay Obara of men's soccer inked with the Charlotte Independence of the USL League One, as did Rodrigo Robles with Greenville Triumph SC. Former football student-athletes signed their first pro deals with Sam Kidd joining the UFL's D.C. Defenders while two signed with the CFL, Devin Ravenel with the BC Lions and Kris Thornton with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Long-time WNBA player Tamera Young was announced to begin her coaching career as an assistant with the Chicago Sky. Former baseball student-athlete Jaylon Lee signed his first pro deal with the Missoula PaddleHeads of the Pioneer League.
The 2024 Fiscal Year saw the JMU Duke Club hit record-breaking fundraising levels, highlighted by massive growth in the total number of Athletics donors. A total of 8,665 donors gave to JMU Athletics in 2023-2024, representing a climb of 3,000 from 5,633 in FY23 and a rise of 4,000 from 4,600 in FY22, prior to the Duke Club surpassing 5,000 for the first time last year. The Annual Fund (Proud and True plus Seat Contributions) closed at a record total of $4.75 million and total fundraising climbed to $6.54 million. As part of the fundraising, JMU Athletics conducted its first giving campaign centered around sport specific giving. Titled "Diggin'Dukes," the day produced $353,069 in giving directed largely toward sport programs.
On June 17, JMU celebrated its JMA Awards, with top honors going to Male Athlete of the Year Jalen Green of football and Female Athlete of the Year Isabella Peterson of lacrosse. Casey Carter Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors went to men's soccer's Demitri Turner and lacrosse's Katelyn Morgan. Male Rookie of the Year was Luca Nikolai of men's soccer while Female Rookie of the Year was shared between softball's Payton List and lacrosse's Ava Bleckley.
In JMU's annual Townebank Royal Rivalry with Old Dominion, JMU won for the second time in two years with a final score of 14.5-7.5.
JMU set a program record with 8,718 season tickets for football in its second Sun Belt season in 2023. For the first time, JMU sold out of allotted season tickets. The homecoming game vs. Old Dominion set a Bridgeforth Stadium attendance record with 26,239 in attendance. . JMU ranked 84^th out of 133 teams in attendance in its second FBS season with an average of 25,289 per game, which ranked fourth in the Sun Belt. The season average was also a JMU program record.
On June 10, JMU announced a sellout of football season tickets just shy of 9,000 paid tickets for the second straight season as the department looks ahead to the 2024 football season. The sellout came one month earlier than the mid-July juncture ahead of the 2023 season.
Football finished at 11-2 and finished first place in the Sun Belt East at 7-1. The Dukes climbed to as high as No. 18 in the AP Poll and Coaches Polls on Nov. 12, entered Bowl Season ranked 24^th and concluded the season as the fourth team listed receiving votes. While ineligible for a bowl selection based upon full FBS standards and ineligible for the Sun Belt title game, JMU did earn a bowl opportunity as an alternate based upon insufficient eligible teams. The Dukes were selected to the Lockheed Martin Armed Services Bowl. Multiple metrics rank JMU as one of the top Group of Five team in the country and over its first two years of FBS competition (2022-2023) JMU owns the third-best record among all Group of Five programs. JMU had a clean sweep of Sun Belt awards with Jordan McCloud overall Player of the Year, Jalen Green Defensive Player of the Year and Curt Cignetti Coach of the Year. Jalen Green was named an All-American by multiple organizations, including First Team by multiple organizations highlighted by Walter Camp and the Associated Press, and was named National Player of the Year, National Defensive Player of the Year and National Defensive Lineman of the Year by College Football Network while the organization also named JMU its National Defensive Line of the Year. Green was also named Dudley Award winner as the best player in Virginia. In addition to Green, other JMU All-Americans include Cole Potts, Ryan Hanson, D'Angelo Ponds, Reggie Brown, Devyn Coles, James Carpenter, Elijah Sarratt and Jamree Kromah. Ponds was also named a Freshman All-American. Green was later named the Defensive Player of the Year among Group of Five schools by Hero Sports with additional Group of Five JMU All-Americans including Kromah, McCloud, Sarratt, Horton, Carpenter, Mikail Kamara and Ponds. JMU's eight selections were the most for any school. Curt Cignetti was named Co-Coach of the Year in the Group of Five by Hero Sports. Jamree Kromah was invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game. JMU football representatives have been nominated for multiple national honors:
- Offensive lineman Nick Kidwell and defensive lineman James Carpenter were each named to the watch list for the Outland Trophy for college football's best interior lineman.
- James Carpenter also earned selection to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list for the nation's top defensive player.
- Partway through the season, Jalen Green was selected to the watch list for the Bednarik Award for top defensive player in college football and finished as a semifinalist, one of the top 20 in the nation.
- In early November, James Carpenter was nominated for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to a college football player who started as a walk-on. In November he was named one of 10 semifinalists and in mid-November announced as one of three finalists to travel to the award ceremony.
- Ryan Hanson was selected to the Ray Guy watch list for the nation's top punter.
- Camden Wise was named to the Wuerfful Trophy watch list recognizing community service and off-the-field commitment.
- Partway into the season, Curt Cignetti was named one of 20 nominees for the Dodd Trophy for national coach of the year and one of 26 nominees for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award.
- Jordan McCloud was named one of 35 candidates for the Davey O'Brien Award for the nation's best quarterback and later identified as one of 20 finanlists. He was also named to the midseason watch list for the Manning Award for top quarterback.
- D'Angelo Ponds was named one of 14 semifinalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award and was named to multiple Freshman All-America teams.
- Reggie Brown was named to the watch list for the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the top receiver in the country.
- College Football Network included four Dukes in its FBS Midseason All-America Teams, including Jalen Green as Midseason National Defensive Lineman of the Year and JMU's defensive line unit named Midseason Defensive Line of the Year. Green was joined on the Midseason All-America Team by James Carpenter with Mikail Kamara and D'Angelo Ponds listed as honorable mention. Green was also named a First Team Midseason All-American by The Athletic.
JMU became the first non-Power Five program to host ESPN's College GameDay a third time when the Dukes were picked to host on Nov. 18 for a home contest against Appalachian State. The announced crowd of 26,000 shattered unofficial records for the show (previously 18,000). JMU's show commemorated the 30^th anniversary of ESPN taking its top football program on the road and featured live performances by the Jonas Brothers and Bailey Zimmerman. The show drew an average of 2.2 million viewers for the three-hour program, including 2.9 million in the final hour. The JMUFootball Twitter account had 2.9 million impressions for the week of College GameDay with another 1.4 million from JMUSports. Google searches of "JMU" and "James Madison University" were nearly doubled on the week of College GameDay compared to any specific date over the previous 20 years of available Google search data.
Overall, the JMUFootball Twitter account generated 25 million impressions over the course of September through December with the 2.9 million during College GameDay week and 5.3 million between the bowl announcement on Dec. 4 and the bowl game on Dec. 23. The JMUSports Twitter account had 3.5 million over the same four-month period.
JMU had seven of its first nine games broadcast on national television and ultimately eight of 12 regular season contests plus a national broadcast window on ABC for the Armed Forces Bowl, giving the Dukes 12 national TV spots in the last two years in the Sun Belt. JMU had eight total regular season national TV spots in the previous 25 years. The Armed Forces Bowl TV audience of 2.44 million was the second-most watched football game in JMU history, trailing only the 2019 FCS title game (2.686M).
Men's soccer went 10-5-5 start and finished fourth in the Sun Belt after being picked eighth in the Sun Belt preseason poll. JMU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, one of five teams from the Sun Belt. The Dukes were ranked as high as eighth early in the season and then finished strong to rank 18^th in the final national poll. Clay Obara and Rodrigo Robles were All-Region selections. Luca Nikolai was named a Freshman All-American by two different organizations.
Women's soccer finished 9-5-8 in 2023 and earned the No. 5 seed in the Sun Belt Championship. The Dukes knocked off top-seeded and previously undefeated South Alabama in the semifinals before falling in overtime in the title game vs. Old Dominion. JMU earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 and first-ever for any Sun Belt team. Suwaibatu Mohammed and Brittany Munson were each named Second Team All-Region. Alexandra Blom was named to the Hermann Trophy preseason watch list recognizing the best player in the country.
Volleyball finished 21-10, advanced to the final of the Sun Belt Championship and earned the program's first at-large berth to the NCAA Championship in program history. JMU was receiving votes in the AVCA national poll until Oct. 23 and earned the programs first ranked win in its history with a sweep of No. 22 Western Kentucky. Sophie Davis was named AVCA All-Region and later an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. The Dukes competed their first season in the renovated Convocation Center.
Field hockey went 5-12 in 2023 as an independent team. Morgan Merritt was named Second Team All-Region.
Cross country placed second in the Sun Belt Championship. Katherine Lawson was recognized as the league's Newcomer of the Year. The Dukes advanced to postseason competition and finished 19^th of 34 squads at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Men's basketball posted the best season in program history at 32-4 overall and went 15-3 in the Sun Belt to finish second after being picked first in the Sun Belt preseason poll. The 32 wins were eight more than any season in program history. As the No. 2 seed, JMU captured the Sun Belt Championship, including a 91-71 finals win over Arkansas State, to advance to its first NCAA Tournament since 2013. Noah Freidel was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player and Terrence Edwards Jr. was also selected to the All-Tournament Team. JMU set a program record with 32 wins and entered the NCAA Tournament with the nation's most wins (31), best win percentage (31-3), most road/neutral wins and longest active winning streak (14). JMU earned a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and downed No. 5 seed Wisconsin for its first appearance in the Second Round since 1983. The Dukes opened the season with a 79-76 overtime win at No. 4 Michigan State, recording just the second ranked win in program history and first since 1992. With a 3-0 start, all against 2023 NCAA Tournament teams, JMU earned its first AP ranking in program history at No. 24. The Dukes rose as high as 18^th and remained ranked until suffering their first loss on Jan. 6. JMU was one of three remaining undefeated teams in the country at the time of its first loss. The Dukes finished second in the final CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll and 52^nd in the NET rankings. JMU was one of four schools nationwide to go undefeated in non-conference regular season games (12-0). Terrence Edwards was named Sun Belt Player of the Year as well as T.J. Bickerstaff earning SBC Newcomer of the Year. Edwards was one of 30 finalists for the Lute Olson Award for national player of the year and one of 35 finalists for the Lou Henson Award for best mid-major player in the country. Bickerstaff was also on the mid-season watch list for the Lou Henson Award. Edwards was added on Feb. 27 to the Oscar Robertson Trophy and All-America Watch List as one of the top 40 players in the country. Mark Byington was named a finalist for both the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award as well as the Hugh Durham National Coach of the Year (best mid-major coach).
The NCAA run proved that March Madness remains the best "brand building" event in college sports as JMU generated a media reach of 12.1 billion during the week between Selection Sunday and its Second Round loss to Duke. Major media placements included the Associated Press, USA Today, MSN, ESPN, Yahoo! Sports, the Washington Post, CBS Sports and The Athletic.
Women's basketball compiled a record of 23-12 overall and 13-5 in the Sun Belt. The Dukes finished third in the league after being picked first in the Sun Belt preseason poll. JMU advanced to the final of the Sun Belt Championship, eventually falling in overtime to Marshall. The Dukes finished 110 in the NET rankings.
The 55 combined wins for men's (32) and women's (23) basketball were a cumulative record between the two programs.
The third "full capacity" season in the Atlantic Union Bank Center and second year in the Sun Belt, along with a record season for men's basketball in particular, resulted in positive attendance numbers as men's basketball averaged 5,280 fans per game. The men's average attendance was the program's best in 30 seasons. The women averaged 2,472 fans per game, which also ranked second in the Sun Belt.
Swimming and diving went 4-3 in dual meets and went on to capture the 2024 Sun Belt Championship, the program's sixth conference title in its last seven tries. Madison Cottrell was named top swimming point scorer at the championship while Alexa Holloway was named top diving point scorer. Five Dukes advance to NCAA Zone diving with Alexa Holloway finishing 14^th on the one-meter board and Kate Vitolo 15^th on the three-meter dive. In final Sun Belt awards, Madison Cottrell and Alexa Holloway were named Swimming Performer of the Year and Diving Performer of the Year, respectively. Dane Pedersen was named Coach of the Year. During the later announcement of season awards, Cottrell was named SBC Swimmer of the Year and Holloway Diver of the Year. Riley Bridgman was co-Freshman of the Year and Rachael Brown co-Newcomer of the Year.
Men's golf tied for first in the VCU Shootout in September to highlight its in-season performance. Daniel Cheng also claimed individual medalist honors. JMU turned in a solid day three effort to climb to sixth place in the Sun Belt Championship.
Women's golf's season was highlighted by a first-place team finish at the River Landing Classic in early March with Maria Atwood also claiming individual medalist honors. The Dukes went on to finish 10^th at the Sun Belt Championship. Kendall Turner was selected individually to the NCAA Regional for the second year in a row, competing in the Bermuda Run Regional hosted by Wake Forest.
Women's tennis went 8-13 during the regular season. Daria Munteanu completed the year ranked 16^th in the ITA Atlantic Region.
Men's tennis went 7-14 during the regular season. JMU finished ranked ninth in the ITA Atlantic Region.
Softball went 31-22 and finished sixth in the Sun Belt and 69^th overall in the NCAA RPI. Freshman Payton List was named Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year.
Lacrosse finished 14-6 and ranked 16^th nationally after earlier being ranked as high as second nationally. The Dukes finished second in the American Athletic Conference in both the regular season and tournament and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, advancing to the second round. Isabella Peterson was named a First Team All-American by USA Lacrosse and Second Team IWLCA All-American. She was also named Second Team by Inside Lacrosse with Ava Bleckley and Maddie Epke named Honorable Mention. Epke was also honorable mention by USA Lacrosse. All three were midseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse. Early in the season, Peterson was named to the watch list for the Tewaaraton Award as best player in college lacrosse, with Epke following on the updated watch list in late March. Peterson was named in April as one of 25 nominees for the award. Peterson, Epke and Bleckley were named First Team All-Region with Katelyn Morgan joining as a Second Team selection. Bleckley was awarded Rookie of the Year honors in the American. Head Coach Shelley Klaes was selected as South team coach in the annual IWLCA All-Star Game, which included Isabella Peterson and Lizzy Pirisino. In October, Kateri Linville was named IWLCA Outstanding Assistant Coach of the Year.
JMU baseball finished 36-25 and fourth in the Sun Belt. The Dukes advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time since 2011 and then earned their first NCAA appearance since 2011 with their first at-large bid since 2002. JMU went on to finish as runner-up at the Raleigh Regional. The Dukes were boosted compiling one of the top 10 non-conference strength of schedule ratings in the country. Fenwick Trimble was named a Second Team All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America. Wyatt Peifer was named to the NCAA Division I Gold Glove Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association, establishing himself as the best defensive third baseman in the country and the first such honor in program history. Joe Vogatsky was named to the Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List by the NCBWA.
Indoor track and field placed 10^th at the Sun Belt Championship. The Dukes went on to also finish runner up at the ECAC Indoor Championships.
JMU placed 11^th in the Sun Belt outdoor track and field championships. Miranda Stanhope was top finisher with a win in the 10,000-meter run and runner up in the 5,000.
JMU cheerleading finished 15^th out of 21 teams in the UCA College Nationals Division IA Game Day category.
JMU announced Preston Spradlin as its new men's basketball coach in late March of 2024, Bob Chesney as its new football coach in December of 2023, Ryan Andrews as head cheerleading coach on July 1, 2024, Pete McFadden as track and field head coach in August of 2023, Tyson Thomas as women's tennis head coach in July of 2023. Among coaching contract updates, Carter Cheves was extended as men's golf head coach through the 2027-28 season. Marlin Ikenberry received a two-year extension through the 2026 season.
JMU inducted its Hall of Fame Class of 2023 on Sept. 1 with a group featuring: women's soccer forward Kim Argy Estes (2002-2005), lacrosse attacker Casey Ancarrow (2010-2013), longtime integrated health and sport performance administrator Tom Kuster (1999-2022), baseball infielder/pitcher Brent Metheny (2000-2003), football quarterback Justin Rascati (2004-2006) and archer Jacob Wukie (2005-2009).
At the Sun Belt's Fall Honors Banquet, JMU earned the league's top academic honors for the second year in a row with the Student-Athlete Graduation Rate Award for the highest student-athlete graduation rate among Sun Belt schools.
The Sun Belt also issued its annual student-athlete academic awards in the Fall of 2023. Ten JMU student-athletes earned 1A FAR Academic Excellence Awards for earning their undergraduate degree with a 3.80 GPA or higher. In addition, 96 collected Commissioner's Award honors (3.5+ GPA previous academic year) and another 97 on Academic Honor Roll (3.0-3.49 GPA previous academic year).
86 student-athletes were named to President's List and 219 to Dean's List across both semesters of 2023-24 academic year with 42 instances of a perfect 4.0 grade point average for either semester. Altogether 132 student-athletes graduated (24 in fall 2023, 85 in Spring 2024 and 23 anticipated in Summer 2024). The department posted an overall GPA of 3.262. As part of that average, there were 683 total semesters of a 3.0 GPA registered by JMU student-athletes across the fall and spring. A total of 198 student-athletes were named to the JMU Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete List in the Fall with 258 in the Spring.
A total of 36 student-athletes were honored as College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) academic All-District selections.
JMU Athletics posted a 989 single-year APR score, which exceeds the NCAA revenue distribution requirement of 985. Nine of 17 programs had a perfect single-year score of 1,000. Men's golf, women's golf and volleyball achieved perfect multi-year scores.

The JMU Student-Athlete Leadership Program (Dukes Lead) executed many team-based programs to enhance the holistic growth and development of our student-athletes along the following topics: communication through conflict, emotional intelligence, growth mindset, habit systems, inclusive leadership, and resilience.
Dukes Lead staff issued 100 DiSC behavioral assessments across sport programs, facilitating five workshops to provide an opportunity for participants to learn more about their behavioral styles and how their individual styles come together in a team environment.
As a part of Dukes Lead, JMU student-athletes shattered department records by participating in 9,085 community service hours from May 1, 2023, through April 30, 2024, attending 6,122 commitments of service.
- JMU ranked 8^th in community impact among all NCAA Division I programs partnering with Helper Helper (3^rd in Sun Belt), and Field Hockey ranked 5^th in community impact among all NCAA Division I women's sports.
- Based on the Helper Helper annual report, 6 JMU programs had top 10 finishes within their sport: Field Hockey (1), Track & Field/Cross Country (1), Men's Soccer (6), Softball (6), Volleyball (6), and Lacrosse (8).

Jordan Yang (women's soccer) represented the Sun Belt Conference at the 2024 NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Bethesda, Md. Yang was selected as one of two student-athletes from the league to attend. Additionally, Tyler Schnaible, academic advisor, served as a facilitator for the Purple Team at the event.
The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) successfully executed the second JMU Athletics Gala, renamed as the Dukes' Choice Awards, complete with a social hour, awards ceremony, and banquet dinner to celebrate a tremendous year in athletics.
To feature the student-athlete voice more prominently, Dukes Lead supported student-athlete attendance at all Board of Visitors meetings, the Sun Belt Conference SAAC Summit, the Sun Belt Conference Fall Meeting, and the Sun Belt Winter Meeting during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Dukes Lead and SAAC collaborated with Dukes Let's Talk, Dukes Excel, and Hilinski's Hope to participate in the annual Student-Athlete Mental Health Week. During a full week of programming and activities, SAAC distributed gear donning a green ribbon for over 10 mental health awareness games.

JMU was recognized by Athlete Ally and its Athletic Equity Index (AEI) with a perfect score on its ranking and reporting of NCAA Division I institutions policies and best practices in regards to LGBTQI+ inclusion. JMU was one of 20 recipients of a perfect score among Division I schools.
Katelyn Morgan of lacrosse was named valedictorian of the JMU graduating class of 2024 with a 4.00 GPA. She later added Academic All-American accolades from the College Sports Communicators, the 22^nd athlete in JMU history and 30^th overall Academic All-America honor.
Jenn Phillips, senior associate AD and senior women's administrator, earned an appointment as the Sun Belt Conference representative to the NCAA Division I Council, which includes a subcommittee appointment to the Strategic Vision and Oversight Committee.
JMU Faculty Athletics Representative Roger Soenksen was honored as a nominee for the Sun Belt FAR of the Year Award.
The department launched the JMU Athletics mobile app in August, enhancing access to digital ticketing and overall mobile presence for athletics news and updates.
JMU completed a renovation to the Convocation Center in August of 2023, a project that included the competition venue for volleyball, training space for track & field as well as offices, locker rooms, meeting rooms, sports medicine and strength and conditioning for men's soccer, women's soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, cross country, track & field and volleyball. Additionally, in early fall of 2023, JMU completed a replacement of the softball turf and infield dirt, and in spring of 2024 the turf was replaced at the JMU Field Hockey Complex.
JMU entered into a naming rights agreement with Bank of the James to rename its softball venue as Bank of the James Field at Veterans Memorial Park.

Award Lists

Conference Champions (2)

Swimming & Diving
Men's Basketball

NCAA Appearances (10)

Cross Country
Women's Soccer
Men's Soccer
Volleyball
Football (bowl game, not NCAA sanctioned)
Swimming & Diving
Men's Basketball
Women's Golf
Lacrosse
Baseball

National Player of the Year

Jalen Green – College Football Network National Player of the Year, National Defensive Player of the Year and National Defensive Lineman of the Year

All-Americans (14)

Reggie Brown – Football
James Carpenter – Football
Devyn Coles – Football
Sophie Davis – Volleyball
Jalen Green – Football
Ryan Hanson – Football
Jamree Kromah – Football
D'Angelo Ponds – Football
Cole Potts – Football
Elijah Sarratt – Football
Isabella Peterson – Lacrosse
Maddie Epke – Lacrosse
Ava Bleckley – Lacrosse
Fenwick Trimble – Baseball

Conference Players of the Year (5)

Jordan McCloud – Football
Jalen Green – Football (Defensive)
Terrence Edwards Jr. – Men's Basketball
Madison Cottrell – Swimming & Diving (Swimmer)
Alexa Holloway – Swimming & Diving (Diver)

Conference Coaches of the Year (2)

Curt Cignetti – Football
Dane Pedersen – Swimming & Diving

Conference Rookies/Newcomers of the Year (3)

T.J. Bickerstaff – Men's Basketball (Newcomer)
Riley Bridgman – Swimming & Diving (co-Freshman)
Rachael Brown – Swimming & Diving (co-Newcomer)
Payton List – Softball (Freshman)
Ava Bleckley – Lacrosse (Rookie)

College Sports Communicators Academic All-America (1)

Katelyn Morgan – Lacrosse

College Sports Communicators Academic All-District (36)

Davide Materazzi – Men's Soccer
Demitri Turner – Men's Soccer
Sammie Sipes – Women's Soccer
Amanda Attanasi – Women's Soccer
Alba Fernandez Almagro – Women's Soccer
Ellie Johnson – Women's Soccer
Lexi Vanderlinden – Women's Soccer
Jaydyn Clemmer – Volleyball
Elizabeth Helmich - Volleyball
Miëtte Veldman – Volleyball
Tyler Stephens – Football
Phoenix Sproles – Football
Lexi Lehman – Swimming & Diving
Emily Wisniewski – Swimming & Diving
Grace Bousum – Swimming & Diving
Alexa Holloway – Swimming & Diving
Peyton McDaniel – Women's Basketball
Kseniia Kozlova – Women's Basketball
Steph Ouderkirk – Women's Basketball
Cate Broerman – Women's Tennis
Hope Moulin – Women's Tennis
Alexandra Prudente – Women's Tennis
Brendan O'Donnell – Baseball
Joe Vogatsky – Baseball
Todd Mozoki – Baseball
Max Kuhle – Baseball
Wyatt Peifer – Baseball
Miranda Stanhope – Track & Field
Nick Schlickenrieder – Men's Golf
Vaclav Tichy – Men's Golf
Maggie Clark – Lacrosse
Kacey Knobloch – Lacrosse
Katelyn Morgan – Lacrosse
Mia Julian – Field Hockey
Cassidy Strittmatter – Field Hockey
Amelia Williams – Women's Golf

Other Awards:

Katherine Lawson – Sun Belt Cross Country Newcomer of the Year
Madison Cottrell – Sun Belt Top Swimming Point Scorer of the Championship
Alexa Holloway – Sun Belt Top Diving Point Scorer of the Championship
Noah Freidel – Sun Belt Tournament Most Outstanding Player

Calendar