Golden moments

The sports desk recaps its favorite sports memories of the year

Sports Desk

The Breeze

Coming off a major conference move, JMU’s athletic move in the 2022-2023 academic year was filled with memorable and unprecedented moments. The Breeze sports desk picks its favorites from the year:

Kaiden Bridges:

JMU women’s basketball makes historic first year Sun Belt Championship run. Going 7-for-7 on 3-pointers, Sixth Woman of the Year junior guard Peyton McDaniel was a catalyst for JMU women’s basketball in its 81-51 win over Texas State in the Sun Belt Conference Championship on March 6 after scoring 30 points along with nine rebounds. The Dukes were initially projected to finish fifth in the conference, which head coach Sean O’Regan said was a big motivation for the Dukes. JMU ended up having a historic year in its inaugural Sun Belt season, going 26-8 (13-5 Sun Belt) and punching its ticket to March Madness, where its run was cut short after a first round loss to Ohio State 80-66.

Jackson Hephner:

JMU volleyball wins its first Sun Belt Championship. When JMU volleyball defeated Texas State in the Sun Belt Championship on Nov. 20, it didn’t just secure the school’s firstever conference title in its new conference, it capped off a nearly perfect performance in conference play. The Dukes went 15-1 against opponents, securing eight sweeps, going undefeated at home and earning the Sun Belt regular season title before winning the conference tournament. It was an historic run, one that will be hard for any JMU program to match for years to come.

Craig Mathias:

JMU football thrashes MTSU 44-7 in first FBS game. JMU’s FBS debut felt like something years in the making, with the hype around this game rivaling an FCS playoff game. Many fans weren't sure what to expect in the first FBS season and was just hoping for a competitive season. A 21-point second quarter sent Bridgeforth into a frenzy, and the realization around the stadium that the Dukes would be just fine in the FBS and Sun Belt created excitement for what was an outstanding season.

William Moran:

JMU football completes 20-point halftime comeback against Georgia State. After an early touchdown to then-redshirt senior wide receiver Kris Thornton, Georgia State scored 27 unanswered points to go up 3414 at halftime. Two touchdowns from JMU graduate running back Percy Agyei-Obese, one from redshirt freshman running back Kaelon Black and another from Thornton put the Dukes up eight — a string of 28 unanswered points. The Dukes mounted their second largest comeback of the season in what turned out to be many fans’ most memorable and favorite sports memory of the year.

Madi Alley:

JMU women’s golf’s Amelia Williams breaks two records in one tournament. Junior Amelia Williams dominated on the green for JMU women's golf at the ECU Ironwood Invitational from April 3-4. Williams carded a 54-hole score of 207 (-9) and shot a 64 (-8) in her final 18 holes, breaking the program’s record for the lowest single round and 54hole score. The junior’s record-breaking performance secured her second career firstplace finish and JMU’s third first-place finish of the spring amid its historic season.

Matthew Taddei: Sophomore Jason Schiavone hitting a walkoff grand slam vs. Georgia State at home. Schiavone started the season off rough, as he went 0-17 at one point during the beginning of the season. On April 7, the Dukes were coming off a 7-6 win the night before to start the three-game weekend series. The game wasn't looking promising for JMU, as it entered the bottom of the ninth down 3-0. Georgia State senior right-handed pitcher Ryan Watson recorded eight strikeouts allowing no runs. With the rally caps on for the Dukes, Schiavone stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded. He put the ball on the barrel and acquired his first grand slam of his career, while also giving JMU its first Sun Belt Conference series win.

Hayden Hundley:

Then-No. 7 JMU lacrosse defeats then-No. 8 Florida in first ever AAC game. The Dukes beating the Gators 14-9 in their first AAC game will be looked back on as a historic moment for the JMU lacrosse program. JMU was No. 7 at the time, so by no means was the win an upset, but the game helped establish its presence in a new conference — defeating the only team to ever win the AAC title. JMU had eight different goal scorers and outscored the Gators 4-0 in the fourth quarter.

Zach Mendenhall: JMU field hockey wins two of three games on team’s first California road trip since 1985. When JMU field hockey made a four-day trip to California back in October, it became the first JMU team to travel to the Golden State since 1985. The Dukes played three games, losing the first to Stanford in overtime but finishing the trip with big wins over U.C. Davis and Cal. Not only did the trip exemplify the strength of the team throughout its season as an independent team but it spread recognition of JMU on the West Coast. And to put the cherry on top, JMU also made a trip to Alcatraz.

Grant Johnson:

JMU football defeats App State, 32-28, in a roller coaster of a first Sun Belt game. This felt like JMU’s entrance into FBS football. No one knew what to expect from the Dukes three weeks prior versus Middle Tennessee in their season opener, but the App State game in hostile Boone, North Carolina, was the game fans circled when the schedule dropped: find a way to beat App State — the team that JMU head coach Curt Cignetti said going into the matchup wins or almost wins the Sun Belt every year — and the rest of the season is fair game. The atmosphere more than lived up to the hype, and the game itself one-upped it. App State jumped out to a 28-3 lead in the second quarter, only for JMU to storm back and score 29 unanswered points as the purple upper corner of Kidd Brewer Stadium overtook the scene with “JMU” chants.

Honorable mentions:

JMU men’s tennis freshman Aathreya Mahesh rallies from a set down to deliver the Dukes their first ever Sun Belt win over Georgia State 4-3. After dropping the first set to Georgia State freshman Ricardo Batista, Mahesh mounted a comeback to win court six 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Then-No. 12 JMU lacrosse upsets thenNo. 5 Maryland, 8-7. For the second year in a row, the Dukes upset the Terrapins, this time doing it on their own turf in their home opener behind redshirt senior goalkeeper Kat Buchanan's then-career high 10 saves.

Freshmen shine in JMU women's basketball's 71-58 loss to Marshall. Down 20 with 7:24 to go in the fourth quarter, head coach Sean O'Regan put in four freshman and one transfer junior who nearly managed to mount a comeback, cutting the deficit to as little as nine with 3:30 left.

JMU football crowns itself “Kings of the East” after 47-7 win over then-No. 23 Coastal Carolina. Despite being ineligible for the Sun Belt's East Division title, JMU football capped off its season with a decisive 47-7 win over then-No. 23 and East Division Champions Coastal Carolina. The Dukes celebrated their win by declaring themselves "Kings of the East."

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