Former James Madison women’s soccer captain Haley Miller has returned to the program as an assistant coach for the 2017 season, as announced by Head Coach David Lombardo on Dec. 19, 2016.
Miller returns to Harrisonburg after serving as an assistant coach at Villanova for the past two seasons. With the Wildcats, she worked primarily with the goalkeepers, while also overseeing recruiting efforts, travel and social media for the program. Miller also has experience working at her alma mater, having volunteered as a graduate assistant coach for the Dukes in 2014 after completing her playing career at JMU.
“We are thrilled to have Haley return home to JMU,” Lombardo said. “She joins a long list of former players who returned to help us keep our tradition of success alive. She understands the history and culture of our program and is passionate about our reputation and keeping our place on the national stage. Haley was a fierce competitor when she was a player here and I know that she will bring that competitive intensity to our training every day.”
As a student-athlete at JMU, Miller was a standout both on and off the field for the Dukes. She received the Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Award in all four of her years at JMU and was named a JMU Athletics Director Scholar-Athlete three times.
As a midfielder, she played in 68 matches and started 27, racking up five goals--including a trio of game-winners--and six assists across her four seasons as a Duke. JMU went 15-5-1 in 2013 with Miller as a captain, capturing the CAA regular season crown along the way.
The Dukes went 9-11 in 2016, a campaign that included a 5-4 mark in conference play and the program’s fourth consecutive trip to the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals. Five players were named All-CAA, highlighted by senior Ashley Herndon and freshman Haley Crawford garnering CAA Player of the Year and CAA Rookie of the Year honors, respectively.