JMU Fall Sports in the Postseason

You think the football program is playing well (or was?)? You should see the other fall sports!

So while we’ve all been kvetching about the struggles on the gridiron the last two weeks (which again, should NOT be overdramatized and nothing is effed, Dude), quite a few other Dukes’ squads have been having fantastic, and in some cases (volleyball) even historically great, seasons. Needless to say, pretty much every element of the JMU Athletics program with the glaring exception of men’s hoops is ready for something better than the Crumbling Athletic Association. Alas, that’s out of our control and we should celebrate the current run of success and acknowledge the badass work being done by Men’s Soccer (under new coaching), Women’s Soccer, Field Hockey, and Women’s Golf (Go Gabby!).

Women’s Soccer – The Herndon Express rolls on! After eliminating two-time defending CAA Champ Northeastern in OT this week on the strength of the legendary Ashley Herndon’s clutch PK, the ladies are into the CAA semis where they will face the top seeded Flying Dutchwomen of Hoftstra in the armpit of America that is Hempstead, Long Island this weekend.

Volleyball – These ladies are in the midst of the best season in program history and there’s now way there’s a more exciting team in the ‘Burg right now. They are literally the Kansas City Royals of collegiate volleyball – trailing in what seems like every match before settling down and mounting enormous comebacks in half the games on their way to an incredible 21-5 (11-2 CAA) record. They have three big matches left before hopefully hosting the CAA tourney as the top seed the weekend before T’giving. Seniors Meghan Niski and Sarah Patterson as well as HC Lauren Steinbrecher are hopefully headed for uncharted waters for JMU in the NCAA Volleyball tourney!

JMU Swimming and Diving – These women are absolutely destroying the CAA competition. That said, we would like to know what kind of shady shit went down in the last couple of weeks that has all-world diving phenom Taryn McLaughlin no longer appearing on the 2015-16 roster. This is the kind of crap that faculty and anti-FBSers need to educate themselves on before spouting off bullcrap that football is the root of all evil.

Men’s Soccer – The Dukes clinched their CAA tourney berth with a huge win over nationally ranked Hofstra on Halloween. JMU will travel as the fifth seed to fourth seeded College of Charleston this Saturday for the first round of postseason play. (and yes, we just wrote about Hofstra and CofC as conference mates so just stop with the non-peer, geographically far-flung arguments about any other conferences). Good to see Coach Foley’s program working its way back to relevance!

Women’s Golf – The insanely young golf team had some huge breakthroughs this fall and we’ll be looking for big things from them going forward. Hats off to Coach Sargent and company for injecting huge gobs of talent and enthusiasm into this sleeping giant of a program! And one last shoutout to new JMSUB favorite athlete Gabby Weiss! Now don’t think the whole golf world revolves around Pinehurst and practice your butt off this offseason.

Cross Country – The squad finished a very strong second in the CAA and placed three runners in the top 10 at the championships. We’re also quite certain they are 100% holdin’ it down for JMU’s APR. Good work ladies! Now learn to mountain bike so you can adventure race when your knees bail on you after 35.

Field Hockey – And last, but by no means least, our very favorite JMU program the chicks with sticks! Seriously, we loved the former HC Ant Lucas and we feel fortunate to call her a true friend, but we figured our interest in the program would die with her tenure (and the loss of legendary tailgate captains Mama Smiertka and Papa Bailey). Well we’re glad to say we couldn’t have been more wrong and this team has brought us right back onto the bandwagon, led as always by future JMU HOFer Taylor West (#TeamTaylor4eva). Of course it also didn’t hurt that the National Championship winning coach Christy Morgan from when we were students came back to Harrisonburg and brought former undergrad crush Karen Zarchin with her as an assistant this fall. And the key to it all is that these women are legit! Now ranked 17th in the nation and having wrapped up the CAA title last weekend with a beatdown of Hofstra, these ladies are so good we’re going to have to learn names outside of seniors and Coach L recruits Taylor, Adrienne LeVette, Loes Stijntjes, Danni Wilson, and Kristen Reitano (and Bailee Hubert who seems like a senior to us). In particular, freshmen Miranda Rigg and Emma Drost are names to know moving forward. But again, if you haven’t seen this program it’s a) the MOST underrated tailgate on campus thanks the ISAT location and the parental craziness and b) fifth-year senior Taylor West is one of the true all-timers as a Dukes’ athlete and you should go appreciate her while you can. As the top seed, JMU will host the CAA tourney this weekend beginning with a match on Friday against the four seed. Go Dukes!