James Madison Dukes

The James Madison University Dukes are the athletics teams of James Madison University. The name "Dukes" is derived from Samuel Page Duke, the university's second president. JMU participates in the Colonial Athletic Association, which is in Division I. In football JMU participates in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) of Division I, formerly known as Division I-AA. Their mascot, Duke Dog, is frequently seen at events. JMU has won two national championships, tied for third most in Virginia.

Football

Men's basketball

The men's basketball team at JMU was founded in 1945. On March 25, 2008 it was announced that Matt Brady, former Head Coach of Marist College, had accepted the position of Head Men's Basketball Coach. Brady replaced Dean Keener who resigned after fours years as Head Coach, ending with a 31-85 record. They play in the James Madison University Convocation Center. The team is historically stronger than the football team, but has suffered in the past few years. The Dukes have made the NCAA Tournament four times, most recently in the 1994 season. They've also gone to the NIT five times, most recently in the 1993 season. The basketball team has an all-time record of 567-432.

Women's basketball

The women's basketball team, currently coached by Kenny Brooks, was founded in 1920 making it one of the longest-running women's basketball programs in the country. The team has made the NCAA Tournament six times, most recently in the 2006-07 season. They have gone to the WNIT three times, most recently in the 2007-08 season. They have an all-time record of 779-447-5. A perennial postseason participant throughout the 1980's, the program has seen a revival in recent years. Some of the top players JMU has ever had have only graduated in recent years. Meredith Alexis, who graduated in 2007, was dominant throught her career at JMU and has continued on to play professional basketball in Europe. She holds the conference record for most career rebounds and was the school's all-time leading scorer before being passed by Tamera Young in the 2007-2008 season. Young would go on that season to break the conference's all-time scoring record and was selected 8th overall in the 2008 WNBA Draft.

Baseball

The JMU baseball team is coached by Joe "Spanky" McFarland, and has been since the 1997 season. They were founded in 1970, and currently play at Mauck Stadium and Long Field. They have a 1092-670-8 all-time record and are the only team in the state of Virginia to have played in the College World Series. They have made the NCAA Tournament eight times, most recently in 2008. Billy Sample is JMU's most famous baseball alumnus, who played in 862 career major league games with the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves. In the 2006 season, JMU had the top-two home run hitters in Division 1. One of them, Kellen Kulbacki, placed in the top five in all three of the triple crown categories. Kulbacki received the 2006 National Player of the Year award as a Sophomore. In 2008, the Dukes won their first CAA Championship defeating Towson University which qualified the team for the Super Regional of the 2008 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament hosted by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC.

Field Hockey

The field hockey team, currently coached by Antoinette Lucas, has had great success, winning the national championship in 1994 over North Carolina in double overtime. [ [http://www.usfieldhockey.com/ncaa/ NCAA Field Hockey Champions] ] The team has made the NCAA tournament eight times since the tournament started in 1981, most recently in the 2007 season. [ [http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=1305663&SPSID=43062&SPID=3810&DB_OEM_ID=8500 JMU Sports Article] ]

Title IX compliance

On September 29, 2006, the James Madison University Board of Visitors announced that ten sports teams would be eliminated effective July 1, 2007.cite press release
title = JMU Enacts Proportionality Plan to Comply with Title IX
publisher = James Madison University
date = September 29, 2006
url = http://web.jmu.edu/mediarel/PR-thisRelease.asp?AutoID=846
accessdate = 2006-10-19] The affected teams were men's archery, cross country, gymnastics, indoor track, outdoor track, swimming, and wrestling, as well as women's archery, fencing, and gymnastics. The stated reason for the cuts was to comply with Title IX requirements, specifically that the ratio of male-to-female student athletes match the whole student population. Many students were angered by the cuts, complaining that only less-popular sports were affected, and not sports such as football. Numerous editorials have appeared in newspapers across the country, both in support of and against the decision. On October 12, the United States Olympic Committee sent a letter to President Rose and Athletic Director Jeff Bourne, asking them to reconsider the decision to eliminate all ten teams.cite web
url = http://65.110.72.225/SPIPDF/JamesMadisonUniversity.pdf
title = Letter from United States Olympic Committee
accessdate = 2006-10-19
date = October 12, 2006
format = PDF
publisher = United States Olympic Committee
language = English]

This action, however, was not without precedent. In March 2001, JMU's Board of Visitors was presented with four options for bringing the athletic program into compliance with Title IX. At that time, the options as presented to the board were to maintain the status quo, eliminate eight teams as recommended by JMU's Centennial Sports Committee, create a two-tiered system consisting of scholarship and non-scholarship teams as recommended by the administration, or raise student fees to fund an endowment for athletic scholarships as recommended by athletic coaches. Board of Visitors Athletic Committee chair Pablo Cuevas was paraphrased in "The Breeze" as stating that the option of maintaining the status quo was not viable due to concerns regarding Title IX. At that time, the teams under consideration for elimination were men's wrestling, swimming, archery, gymnastics, and tennis, and women's gymnastics, archery, and fencing.cite news
first = Sarah
last = Jones
title = BOV to decide athletic future
url = http://www.thebreeze.org/archives/3.22.01/front/front1.shtml
work = The Breeze
date = March 22, 2001
accessdate = 2006-10-19
language = English] The Board of Visitors, in a unanimous vote, ultimately decided to adopt the administration's recommendation of a two-tiered system of scholarship and non-scholarship teams. The non-scholarship teams were men's swimming, indoor and outdoor track and field, cross country, golf, wrestling, tennis, gymnastics, and women's swimming, golf, tennis and gymnastics. Athletic director Jeff Bourne stated that the plan to eliminate scholarship funding would implemented gradually over four to five years, as all then-active scholarships would be honored, and that verbal commitments to scholarships made by coaches to potential recruits would also be honored.cite news
first = Sarah
last = Jones
title = Final Verdict - BOV votes to cut scholarships
url = http://www.thebreeze.org/archives/3.26.01/front/front2.shtml
work = The Breeze
date = March 26, 2001
accessdate = 2006-10-19
language = English]

References

External links

* [http://www.jmusports.com/ JMU Sports]