JMU Student-Athletes Set New Department Records for Community Service in 2025-26

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison student-athletes continued to make a remarkable impact in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham community and beyond during the 2025-26 academic year, setting new departmental records for community service through the Dukes Lead program.

From May 1, 2025, through April 30, 2026, JMU student-athletes logged a record 10,820 community service hours while participating in 5,773 unique service commitments. The total hours represented an increase of more than 1,600 over the previous department record set just one year ago, while the number of commitments increased by more than 800.

"Our student-athletes continue to demonstrate what it means to be leaders in competition, in the classroom and in the community," said Director of Athletics Matt Roan. "The commitment they have shown to serving others reflects the values of James Madison University and is a point of tremendous pride for our entire department."

JMU ranked eighth nationally among all NCAA Division I institutions that partner with Helper Helper, a leading platform that tracks student-athlete community engagement. The Dukes also finished third among Sun Belt Conference institutions, while the Sun Belt led all participating Division I conferences in total community impact.

The Dukes matched a department record with 11 programs earning top-10 national rankings within their respective sports in Helper Helper's annual report:

Field hockey – second (eighth consecutive top-10 finish)
Men's golf – second (second consecutive top-10 finish)
Women's golf – second (second consecutive top-10 finish)
Cheerleading – fourth
Men's soccer – fourth (fifth consecutive top-10 finish)
Lacrosse – fifth (fifth consecutive top-10 finish)
Softball – sixth (fifth consecutive top-10 finish)
Men's tennis – 6th (second consecutive top-10 finish)
Men's basketball – eighth
Women's soccer – ninth
Swimming & diving – ninth

Individually, Jenna Massar of cheerleading delivered one of the top service performances in the nation, ranking third among all female NCAA Division I student-athletes with 409.5 hours of community engagement during the year.

Massar was one of 54 JMU student-athletes who completed at least 30 hours of service, tripling the department's benchmark goal of 10 hours per student-athlete.

Dukes Lead, JMU Athletics' leadership development initiative, emphasizes excellence in service, personal growth and community engagement while preparing student-athletes to make meaningful contributions both during and after their collegiate careers.

Through record-setting service and a sustained commitment to giving back, JMU student-athletes once again demonstrated that being a Duke means leading with purpose.

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