The Breeze Spring Sports Special Section 2.2.23

PROVE IT PROVE IT ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘

2023 spring sports preview

CourtesyofJMUAthletics

Bring on The power

JMU baseball sports new batting order to replace power-hitting core

By WILL MORAN The Breeze

The offseason wasn’t kind to the Diamond Dukes. They lost production in key places in their lineup. But they have a core group that sophomore outfielder Fenwick Trimble said is looking to “make a name” for itself in the Sun Belt Conference this season.

And another member of the 2023 core, redshirt senior outfielder Trevon “Tre” Dabney, is confident in the group JMU has this season because of its experience playing together.

”We’ve all been playing with each other for two, three, even four [years], with me,” Dabney said. “I feel like the guys that are gonvna step up for us are gonna do a good job and we’re just gonna keep going pitch by pitch, day by day.”

The Dukes lost a power-hitter in the second slot in their lineup to the first round in the MLB draft, center fielder Chase DeLauter (2019-22). The Dukes also lost a swiss-army knife in Travis Reifsnider (2019-22) to the transfer portal. He

played catcher and replaced DeLauter in center field while he was injured.

“You’re losing experience, obviously, when you lose a guy like Chase … with his offensive prowess,” Ikenberry said. “And then having Reifsnider have the type of year he had last year, which was an outstanding year for him, an exciting year for him, was kinda the unsung hero in our lineup last year.”

These two players accounted for a combined 239 at-bats, 21 home runs, 61 runs and 71 RBIs. They were the power-hitters at the top of the lineup, and Dabney said that although they’ll be missed, he’s confident in the players JMU has up next.

“Losing Travis and Chase, I mean, those were the power guys in our lineup that can really leave the ballpark at any moment. But the guys that we have now, I mean, they might not be as big as the power, but we got guys that will get on base for us,” Dabney said. “We know that we lost them too and I hope they do great, but [with] the guys we brought in now, we will be just fine.”

Without Reifsnider and DeLauter, Ikenberry projects graduate transfer outfielder Jack Cone to lead off, sophomore outfielder Fenwick Trimble second and redshirt senior infielder Kyle Novak third.

Next, JMU has Dabney — “I don’t like to say he’s a power guy, but he has power,” Ikenberry said — to deploy, as well as redshirt junior infielder Mason Dunaway.

Ikenberry also said graduate outfielder Jaylon Lee has had a terrific preseason, hitting .288 with four home runs and 28 RBIs in the Valley Baseball League (VBL) for the Harrisonburg Turks. He comes to JMU from Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), where he accumulated 126 runs, 30 home runs and 132 RBIs in his five seasons. Dabney said Lee will be a big addition to JMU.

“He’s an all-around player,” Dabney said of Lee. “Showing our younger guys what it’s like to play and go from D-III to D-I, I think it just helps us in the long run.”

Another key loss for the Dukes heading into th is season is second baseman Nick Zona. Drafted in the 20th round of the MLB draft to the Seattle Mariners, Zona was a constant at the back of the lineup. Dabney likened him to a “second lead-off” hitter and Ikenberry raved about his “love for the game” and what he brought to the program.

The Dukes will lean on Dabney and Trimble

this season. Dabney is a fifth-year player and a consistent force for the Dukes. Trimble was a CAA All-Rookie honoree in 2022 and has room to build on that success this year. Ikenberry said he’s confident in what these players bring to the lineup in 2023.

“They get their hits, they drive in runners and they can handle the bat,” Ikenberry said. “Tre can really, really run, I mean, his speed, you gotta utilize his speed. Where [Trimble] is kinda, as I call him, like ‘Steady Eddy,’ just kinda goes out there and performs and produces … He’s really matured, you know, playing as a freshman.”

Entering the Sun Belt, one of the toughest conferences in college baseball, Trimble said he wants the team to “make a name” for itself in its first year. But overall, Trimble said the team’s goal is clear: Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series.

“We’re hoping to make a name for ourselves in the Sun Belt, we’re going to come in strong, hoping to make a run in the tournament, we want to win the tournament,” Trimble said. “And then the overall goal is Omaha. We’re excited about it.”

CONTACT Will Moran at moranwp@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more baseball coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

“I feel like the guys that are gonna step up for us are gonna do a good job and we’re just gonna keep going pitch by pitch, day by day.”

Tre Dabney Redshirt senior outfielder

Defensive dominance

JMU

lacrosse

backline to kickstart run at national title

By HAYDEN HUNDLEY The Breeze

Redshirt senior defender Mairead Durkin, with a wealth of defensive accolades, has amassed one of the most successful careers in JMU lacrosse history. Though she might not be the most verbose.

“I’m trying to think,” Durkin said, stumbling over her words, “I’m not really great at interviews.”

Head coach Shelley Klaes deems the reserved Durkin the embodiment of the Dukes’ program, saying to USA Lacrosse Magazine, “she has the mentality that feeds JMU lacrosse.” Durkin headlines a new-look JMU defense, now without goalie Molly Dougherty (2017-22).

Durkin’s looking to build off setting the all-time school record for caused turnovers last season (52), as well as her 2022 CAA Defensive Player of the Year and USA Lacrosse Preseason ThirdTeam All-American nods.

“Mairead is such a huge driver of the competitive energy and swagger JMU has,” Klaes said, adding Durkin helps catalyze the program’s blue-collar and unintimidated nature.

Comparatively, Durkin’s partner in crime and teammate for the past five seasons, redshirt senior defender Rachel Matey, is dubbed JMU’s

spirit and energy by Klaes.

It might be easy to lose sight of Matey in the midst of Durkin’s long list of achievements. But Matey, the 2022 Preseason Inside Lacrosse All-American, Matey is listed as a defender on the roster but accumulated 22 points her sophomore season along with 93 draw controls last year — fourth in the CAA, just three spots behind fellow teammate Isabella Peterson, who led the league with 102.

“Rachel is a difference-maker on this team,” Klaes said. “She’s all over the field.”

This is also Matey’s second consecutive season as a captain. Klaes said “she’s always reminding people what to do.” Matey’s motivation is “contagious” to her teammates, Klaes said. While she doesn’t have the towering 5-foot-10 build that Durkin, a former Gaelic football MVP and world champion, sports, that creates matchup nightmares for opposing coaches. Matey “lifts the presence of everyone else” with her on-the-field leadership, Klaes said.

“Every year when we do these interviews in the past, and we always boast about our team,” Matey said. “This year, our motto is, ‘Prove it.’”

With a decorated career, that only leaves one thing on the minds of the two fifth-year senior defensive anchors.

After being named 2022 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, redshirt senior defender Mairead Durkin is set to lead JMU lacrosse’s defense this season. Breeze file photos

“National championship,” Durkin said bluntly.

It’s been five years since the Dukes hoisted the national championship trophy, just a year before Durkin and Matey arrived in Harrisonburg. It’s their last chance to do everything they can to end their legacy as national champions, and they won’t be alone in their efforts to defend the cage. Even though Klaes and teammates rave about Durkin and Matey, JMU’s defense isn’t front-loaded with talent.

The Dukes are also returning two-time captain Lizzy Fox; Carolyn Thistlewait, who started every game last season; Lizzy Pirisino, who started 18 games; and Nicholle Marshall, who appeared in 18 games last season.

“Carolyn Thistlewait is a mark-up defender, Lizzy Pirisino is the ‘terrier’ of our inside system in our zone,” Klaes said. “We have really fierce midfield defenders in Lizzy Fox and Taylor Marchetti. I also think Nicholle Marshall really breaks the play up for us, so they really give a huge amount of depth to our defense.”

Not too bad of a returning cast for a team that ranked 11th in scoring defense last season with 9.47 goals allowed/game. Thistlewait credited the Dukes’ depth to their younger players’ open-mindedness.

“That’s what we do really well in this program,” Thistlewait said, “having the freshman buy into what the upper-classmen are doing, having the upperclassmen help them out and making sure everyone is on the same page.”

While most of the group is returning, the Dukes will be playing without former All-American goalie Dougherty. Preparing to step into the cage is another fifth-year senior, Kat Buchanan.

While Buchanan doesn’t have years of first-team experience, Buchanan said she doesn’t plan on missing a beat filling in for Dougherty if she earns the starting job. Buchanan’s teammate of five years and roommate, Durkin, said she’s “been ready for this for five years.”

And for Matey, there isn’t much of a difference between Buchanan and Dougherty: “One is a righty [Dougherty], and one is a lefty,” she said. “It’s as simple as that.”

But Buchanan has been waiting in the wings to be the unequivocal starter in goal for her entire JMU career.

“Everyone should be able to step in whenever,” Buchanan said. “This team is really deep and we feel comfortable plugging anyone in whenever.”

JMU deploys a defense as decorated as any other group in the country, and for a team that’s also returning All-American

Isabella Peterson and first-team All-CAA selection Kacey Knobloch on offense, the pieces are there for a championship run. But, in the words of Matey, JMU has to “prove it.”

Like the last two years, JMU’s first chance to prove itself comes right away on Feb. 11 versus North Carolina. The Dukes lost to the Tar Heels 15-8 to open last year, when they were No. 2 in the country. This year, North Carolina is the preseason No. 1. “We can talk, talk, talk,” Matey said. “But the results gotta show up this year.”

CONTACT Hayden Hundley at hundlehf@dukes.jmu.edu. For more lacrosse coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports

Head coach Shelley Klaes said redshirt senior defender Rachel Matey “lifts the presence of everyone else” with her leadership on the field.

BATTLE-TESTED

Women’s tennis ready for bulk of 2023 slate following last season’s gauntlet

By CRAIG MATHIAS The Breeze

Looking to build off a season where it played its “toughest schedule in program history,” head coach Shelley Jaudon said last year, JMU women’s tennis’ 2023 campaign is fully underway and off to a 2-1 start.

After falling to No. 9 U.Va. 6-1 in the season opener Jan. 20, the Dukes followed up with back-to-back wins at home over George Washington and Richmond. Across these two matches, which it won 7-0 and 6-1 respectively, JMU has only dropped one court across doubles and singles matches.

Jaudon said she’s impressed with JMU’s results so far and that the team is slowly but surely finding itself as it encounters the rest of its schedule.

“I’m really pleased with the start,” Jaudon said. “I think we’ve had a really good emphasis and focus on who we are as competitors and trying to identify that with each other.”

One of those competitors is redshirt senior Kylie Moulin, who dominated with a 20-5 record in 2021-22, including an 11-2 mark in dual play. After playing mostly No. 2 singles last season, Moulin has played all three matches at No. 1 singles this spring, winning her last two matches at the spot.

On top of her tennis accomplishments — including All-CAA Second Team singles and VaSID Second Team All-State singles — Moulin was named as the Casey Carter JMU Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Moulin said the good start to the season has been boosted in part by the difficulty of last year’s schedule. Despite the Dukes finishing 9-11 in 2022, Moulin said it was best for the team’s long-term success.

“I think it’s prepared us immensely,”

travel to away matches for a weekend and sometimes two weekends consecutively. This year, however, pits JMU against a longer road schedule.

After their 6-1 win over the Spiders on Jan. 29, the Dukes now embark on an almost twomonth road trip — they won’t play at home again until March 25 against Southern Miss.

JMU will travel to five different states — Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, New York and Pennsylvania — before Sun Belt play begins March 10, when it travels to the Lone Star State for its conference opener at Texas State.

On this extensive road trip, Jaudon said she wants to see the team bring the same energy to each match — no matter where it is or who it’s against.

“The biggest thing I’m looking for is that I want to maintain what I call our competitive character,” Jaudon said. “Are we the same team no matter where we’re playing, or who’s across the net? That’s been a focus of ours.”

Maintaining competitiveness on this road trip extends over nine matches, starting Feb. 3 at Ball State. While this may seem like an undesirable stretch of matches, Moulin said,

we create such good energy that it feels like a home match sometimes.”

One player who’s helped to bring the energy is redshirt senior Daniela Voloh. She’s been a contributing starter since 2018-19, when the Dukes won their first of two CAA titles in the last five seasons.

Fast forward to her senior season, and Voloh’s become a leader of the team. She’s started the 2023 season 2-1 in both singles and doubles matches, including a come-frombehind 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 win against Richmond

freshman Elizabeth Novak.

Voloh’s also had success in doubles with her new partner, freshman Daria Munteanu. Going back to fall tournaments, the duo is 8-2 together, including a 3-0 sweep in the Liberty Voloh said she’s enjoyed partnering up with a freshman because of the mentor-like able to teach of college like she’s she said. senior teaching but college I really feel the program young ones.”

In three dual matches this season at No. 2 doubles, Voloh and Munteanu are 2-1, having won against George Washington and Richmond.

Voloh is coming off a 2022 season in which she earned AllCAA Third Team doubles honors with now-graduated Michelle Los Arcos

As the Dukes embark on the rest of 2023, Voloh said the start has given them optimism as they try to resurrect 2021’s “It’s been awesome to have such a great start all around and how we’re maintaining that competitive energy from the get go,” Voloh said. “I’m really excited to see how it continues for the rest of the season.”

Craig Mathias at mathiack@dukes.jmu.edu. For more women’s tennis coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

The Best of 2022 The Best of 2022

ValerieChenault/ The Breeze

one last swing at it

softball’s decorated Hannah Shifflett wants more

By KAIDEN BRIDGES The Breeze

From being named conference player of the year last spring to making a mean batch of chocolate chip cookies, JMU redshirt senior infielder Hannah Shifflett does it all.

Her JMU career has already seen first team all-conferece and player of the year nods in 2022 — but Shifflett still has one more year with expectations she’s set even higher.

Shifflett grew up in North Garden, Virginia, about 50 miles southeast of Harrisonburg, where she was raised in a sport-oriented family. Her father played baseball and slow pitch softball before Shifflett and her siblings were born. Her brother Joshua and sister Kristen also grew up in the baseball and softball worlds. From Shifflett’s seventh grade to her sophomore year of high school, Kristen played softball at Radford, coached by JMU’s head softball coach Loren LaPorte.

“I’ve kind of been around the softball world my whole life,” Shifflett said. “I got to see the Division I level from a very young age, which I think was very beneficial to see the dedication, the drive that my sister and her teammates had. I eventually kind of realized, like, ‘That’s something that I want to do.’ It helped me from a young age realize what it takes and the work that you have to put in. You can’t just hope for it and have it just fall into your lap.”

When it was time for Shifflett’s college decision, she chose JMU because she knew it was the “top dog” softball program in the state. Combined with the proximity to North Garden, JMU was an easy decision, Shifflett said.

LaPorte said when it came time for her to coach Shifflett, she had to find a different perspective for her than what she did with Kristen.

“Hannah is so much younger than Kristen, and I think she had to figure out that she was not Kristen,” LaPorte said. “That’s hard to do when you have a sister that is very

successful. But Hannah had to find her own path, and she couldn’t try to be her sister because that’s not her personality. It’s so funny because they have a lot of similarities, but they also have a lot of differences in what drives them and how you have to motivate them.”

During her time at Radford, Kristen was not only named both the Big South and VaSID State Player of the Year in 2010 but had plenty of records to go along with her titles including 41 home runs and 178 total runs. In 2011, Kristen was drafted by the Chicago Bandits, a National Pro Fastpitch team. So far through Hannah’s career as a Duke, she has 65 runs and 20 home runs total.

While Shifflett had Kristen to look up to growing up, at JMU she now has graduate infielder Hallie Hall as her partner in crime. The two were roommates their freshman year and, now after being teammates for five years, their friendship has grown unbreakable, Hall

Shifflett and Hall went on their official JMU visit together. Then, after their families sat together at a JMU football game and continued to get to know one another. Hall said that as the two families and girls continued to talk, they both thought it was a good idea for them to room together, and the Hall and Shifflett visited Mr. J’s Bagels in Harrisonburg on Fridays last year, Hall said, just to catch up with each other’s busy lives outside of softball.

“It was just, like, the most easy and genuine friendship that I’ve had,” Hall said. “We just complement each other so well as friends that there’s never a dull moment, really. We’re laughing, we’re cooking, we’re working out together. Even though I’m from Illinois and she’s from Virginia, we always find a way to connect.”

Hall said Shifflett is a “great baker and a great cook.” She said Shifflett makes great taco soup and that when she drives to visit Shifflett, she already has a container packaged with all of the toppings and fixings ready to go and waiting

“She wants to get to know you,” Hall said. “It’s always just so that she can learn more about you so that she can understand you better. That’s one of the things that

Also off the field, Shifflett was listed on the CoSIDA Academic All District team and has made the Dean’s List in at least one semester each year she’s been at JMU. But on the field, Shifflett is a different person. She hates losing, no matter whether it’s a competition in the weight room, playing baseball or anything involving beating someone else’s numbers, Hall and LaPorte said.

“She’s a competitor, she loves to compete, she loves to win,” Hall said. “Just in all facets of life, she’s trying to win and be the best that she can be.”

Shifflett was named conference player

Sun Belt,” Shifflett said. “I know that the Sun Belt is a tough conference, so I’m not going to knock down any of their players. But ultimately, that’s my goal. I like to be at the top of my conference in terms of first team.”

But besides those goals for herself, Shifflett said she’s also trying to focus on the memories she’ll be making during her final season for the Dukes.

“Obviously, I want to win games. But at the end of the day, you’re not gonna remember who I beat on this day,” Shifflett said. “I’m gonna remember who I talked to in the dugout or what memories we made in the hotel. So while the wins and losses are important, so are the memories and

Shifflett and JMU have been preparing for the Dukes’ first games coming up Feb. 10-12 against Chattanooga, Indiana State and College of Charleston in the Charleston Invitation in

“I wouldn’t be here without the team or the coaching staff. I sen to be here a fifth year if I didn’t truly love where I was and what I was flett said. “I’m glad that I decided to

Kaiden Bridges at edu. For more softball coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter

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Finish out

STRONG

Grubbs, Culkin headline as closers in JMU baseball’s 2023 bullpen depth

By MATTHEW TADDEI contributing writer

Three more outs. First a double, then a strikeout.

Two more outs. Pop out.

One more out, it’s a wild pitch. But it ends with a strikeout. That’s game. Redshirt senior pitcher Lliam Grubbs sighs and shrugs on the mound. He came into the game in the top of the ninth inning with one job to do — close out the game at George Mason on April 20.

And he did it.

Grubbs is one of many closers in the JMU baseball bullpen this season after making the decision to return for one final year. The right-handed pitcher finished last season 1-3 with a 4.91 ERA through 18.1 innings pitched, highlighted by three saves — and JMU head coach Marlin Ikenberry said he’s an advantage for the team when he takes the mound late in the game.

“He has been really good for us,” Ikenberry said. “This year you see a little bit differently into his hunger and his ability to know what his role is.”

Pitchers are essentially the glue of baseball. They’re the ones who research on which pitch they should throw to each opponent. A team’s defense starts on the mound, and it’s the pitcher’s job to lead the defense and have as few hits or walks as possible.

But as the game goes by, there’s a special type of pitcher responsible for making sure his team wins the game: the closer.

Grubbs and redshirt junior pitcher Sean Culkin shoulder that task for the Dukes.

“To have two guys in the program for that many years and have had really good numbers in their careers is awesome to have in the back of the bullpen,” Ikenberry said.

Culkin, who has appeared in 26 games out

of the bullpen and in 2022 tied for 10th in single-season appearances, has built himself a resume at JMU. Last season, he threw 31.1 innings and recorded 14 strikeouts, finishing with a 4.96 ERA.

He said he works around the mantra, “We lead by what we do and not necessarily what we say.”

Culkin also spent the summer with the Harrisonburg Turks of the Valley Baseball League (VBL), playing in 14 games with three saves and a 3.51 ERA. He was one of two JMU pitchers to play more than 30 innings for the Turks, the other being Evan Smith, who pitched 32.1 innings.

“Culkin’s leadership off the field is his biggest asset; he is going to be a really good pitcher for us this year,” Ikenberry said. “He had a really good summer, he has gotten stronger and stuff has gotten better for him.”

Going into JMU’s first year in the Sun Belt Conference, Culkin said he thinks the Dukes have some of the best talent they’ve “seen in a while.” The step up in competition will be a change of pace, though, Culkin said, and there won’t be any easy wins.

His closer-mate, Grubbs, has a new and “completely different” mindset coming into this season, too.

“We are super focused for this year,” Grubbs said. “We are ready to come out there and win.”

Grubbs made 17 appearances out of the bullpen last season and was the eighth player in program history to earn at least 10 saves. He struck out 15 batters last season over 18.1 innings, earning a 4.91 ERA. To top it off, he was added to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Stopper of the Year Watch List.

Last ones out

JMU closers work toward using depth against heightened Sun Belt

competition

from

LAST ONES OUT, page 15

Behind Grubbs and Culkin is a crop of seven freshman pitchers, who Grubbs said he isn’t worried about, despite their youth. Normally the fall is an adjustment for younger pitchers, but not with this bunch, Grubbs said — “it is a good sign for the season,” he said.

“The guys have it; they aren't scared,” Culkin added. “They want to play just as much as we do.”

The seven rookies picking up their preseason reps is what the Diamond Dukes need for the higher competition in the Sun Belt.

Grubbs and Culkin have continued finding ways to stay steady during their time on the mound. That’s where Culkin steps up the most, Grubbs said.

“If we are struggling and things are getting out of hand, I think that Sean does a great job of coming in to calm everything down, does his things and

then it's back to normal,” Grubbs said.

The main strongsuit for a pitcher is focus and control — staying calm in the middle of the tenuous moments in a game. And while Grubbs and Culkin are often sent in during the final throws, Culkin said he always tries to keep his pace of play.

“I try not to let the pace of the game control me, as a pitcher you do control the pace of the game. We both do a great job with that,” Culkin said. Ikenberry expects to use Grubbs and Culkin in the bullpen a lot this season, with eager for multiple wins.

“These guys are really quality back-end-of-thebullpen type guys for us,” Ikenberry said.

Madison Hricik contributed to this story.

CONTACT Matthew Taddei at taddeimj@dukes.jmu. edu. For more baseball coverage, follow the desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

Ready to go

Freshman tennis player joins Dukes, soon to represent Venezuela in tennis tournament

By CRAIG MATHIAS The Breeze

With JMU men’s tennis losing three starters from 2021-22, it needed a jolt toward the top of the lineup.

Enter freshman Francisco Sinopoli, who’s already found a place at no. 2 and 3 singles within the team.

The Caracas, Venezuela, native joined JMU in January after the Dukes’ fall season ended and after he competed in different junior International Tennis Federation (ITF) tournaments. Sinopoli earned the no. 1 overall ranking for junior players in Venezuela.

On top of this, Sinopoli was chosen as part of the Venezuelan team competing in the 2023 Davis Cup. In international tennis, the Davis Cup is the highest tier of international competition, in which countries compete against each other in a knockout-round format.

Sinopoli said he’s been fortunate to represent his country from his childhood days and that being named to the Davis Cup is an honor.

“Since I was little, I’ve been playing tournaments representing my country,” Sinopoli said. “I’m going to return home to [represent] Venezuela in the Davis Cup. It will be a good experience because it’s the first time it will be in Venezuela in seven years.”

At the current stage of Davis Cup, Sinopoli and Venezuela host Hong Kong in the World Group II Play-off from Feb. 3-4. A win over Hong Kong will advance Venezuela to World Group I, which would take them one step closer to the Davis Cup Finals later this year.

In finding his way to Harrisonburg, Sinopoli had a connection to the team that went back three years. Sophomore Edson Sanchez became close with Sinopoli when the two

had to get him on the squad.

“I met him in 2020 when he went to train at [the same] academy,” Sanchez said. “We were actually roommates so we were pretty close. When the coaches told me they were talking to him, I said we need to get this guy.”

In the first two matches of 2023, Sinopoli showed why he was touted so highly by Sanchez. He clinched the team win for JMU in his collegiate debut with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Queens’ (N.C.) sophomore Laurenz Blickwede. Later that day, Sinopoli picked up the lone win against Virginia Tech in comeback fashion, 3-6, 7-5, 1-0(1), over sophomore Manuel Goncalves.

Head coach Steve Secord praised Sinopoli for his impressive start and

good.”

Following up the first weekend of matches, Sinopoli clinched the second JMU win this season at no. 2 singles — cruising to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Morgan State graduate Sebastian Lopez. Sinopoli also picked up his first career doubles win in this match, partnering with senior Holden Koons to take down Lopez and junior Mikeal Carpenter, 6-2. Sinopoli said that in the short time he’s been with the team, he’s already felt at home with all the coaches

“I am really happy to be here,” he said. “Since I’ve been here, everyone has treated me very well. The teammates have been really nice and [coach Secord] has given me a very good

After competing in the four dual matches to start the Dukes’ season, Sinopoli has returned home in preparation for the Davis Cup tie Feb. 3-4 against Hong Kong. Depending on how Venezuela does in the competition will determine Sinopoli’s time away from the team.

While Secord wishes Sinopoli remained at JMU to help the team compete in its first season in the Sun Belt Conference, he said these international tournaments will keep him prepared for his return to the team — whenever that is.

“He’s a competitor,” Secord said. “So I think anything [he’s] competing in is good. “What he’s been doing is very [good for him] as he’s playing high-level tournaments internationally.”

Whenever he’s back competing with the Dukes, Sinopoli said the goal is to take advantage of the great opportunities presented to him at JMU to better himself as a player and person. He said he’s been fortunate to end up in such a great environment where he can reach his lofty aspirations.

“I think JMU is a great step for me,” Sinopoli said. “We have great players … I want to keep pushing myself to one day be at the top of the lineup … I am looking to train hard and sacrifice to improve as a player and person.”

CONTACT Craig Mathias at mathiack@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more men’s tennis coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

On track for the long run

JMU track & field early success boosts attempt at second straight conference title in two years

By ZACH MENDENHALL The Breeze

It can be hard to set team goals in individual sports like track and field, but for Director Delethea (Dee) Quarles, without having shared goals, there’s no shared experience.

Entering a new season means lots to be excited about for the team, including a new conference and indoor conference championships, junior distance runner Miranda Stanhope said. With a new championship in sight, the team plans to be a strong force among its new opponents.

“We’re just looking right now at figuring out where people fit in, so that we’re able to score the best that we can at the conference championship,” she said.

The Dukes will also return to the Penn Relays, a 128-year-old meet that the team hasn’t competed in since the 201819 season. Along with claiming another ECAC championship, there are still many “unknowns” when it comes to the Sun Belt Championships, Quarles said, but the team is keeping its sights on both.

Stanhope is particularly looking forward to this season’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston the weekend of Feb. 10-11, as she said she feels it’s one of the most competitive of the season. The competition is so strong that “you always have someone to run with,” she said, and even for non-running events, the competition pulls runners closer to their personal best.

“The indoor season is quickly passing us and quickly we’re going to be at the conference meet and so then we’ll go through those championships and hit a reset,” Quarles said. “It would be nice if we felt like we were in a position to have someone that the indoor national needs. We’re very unsure of that at this point.”

There’s also more motivation and a clear “attitude shift” among the Dukes, as heading into its first season of the Sun Belt — along with a new director — has given encouragement and created an exciting

situation for the process.”

JMU is trying to get as many names as it can to qualify for its first ECAC indoor meet in March, and that comes with getting better and better each week, Quarles said. Learning and improving every week is the focus early in the season, as JMU’s been able to overcome adjustments of the past.

“Anytime you have that much change in a program, it can be a little bit daunting, but I think it just gives us more motivation,” Stanhope said. “To show that we can get through that just like we got through a lot of other things … I feel like this team is really resilient.”

Many Dukes have been trying to step outside their comfort zone, Stanhope said, practicing for events they’re not used to competing in, but it’s been “awesome” to see those same people shine in them.

“I think that it’s coming together pretty nicely,” Stanhope said. “The coaches are getting to see what areas are our strengths and who scores better and in which event.”

With practices being individualized, it allows athletes to work on any area they’d like to.

“I’ll run with maybe the mid-distance girls who can really push me to get some good closing speed for that divided distance race, or I’ll get some longer workouts with the other distance girls, and that’s very helpful to me to get to be surrounded by a bunch of people who are working towards the same thing as I am,” Stanhope said.

With the overall team score always in mind, every member of the team “competes for each other,” Stanhope said, out of respect for the hard work put in by others.

This season, Stanhope is focused on running more 5Ks, as last year felt limited due to fewer events and catching colds, she said. With staying healthy, she also hopes

everyone’s hard work and supporting them during their workouts if I’m on the track while they’re doing one,” she said.

Stanhope described running as “an accumulation of fitness,” and “an exercise that doesn’t depend on one good or bad workout.” She feels it’s useful for people to gain the proper mentality when evaluating their training and to not perceive workouts as bad days.

“We all had an entire week before school started … There was a time for us to be in the same space and have dinner together and, you know, do some things together before the season started,” Quarles said.

The extra week together allowed for early bonding and a firm “bridge of communication” between team captains and coaching staff, she said.

During the team dinners, athletes discuss the highlights of winter break and tell others a fun fact that not many people know, Lloyd said. She said they were also encouraged to sit with members of the team outside of their event group in order to build connections with those they don’t often see in practice.

Having overcome COVID-19 and mono this past semester, Lloyd, who recently set a school record in pole vault of 3.81m at the VMI Winter Classic, said she’s thankful for the support in connections she has received from her teammates and coaching staff, as well as being able to talk one on one with Quarles.

“I got to tell her a lot about me, like, what motivates me and the things that have held me back in the past and what I want out of the season,” Lloyd said. “I really enjoyed getting to know her and just being able to talk and tell somebody about what I want to do.”

Quarles continues to encourage the team by planning meets close to home.

like doing that too.”

For Quarles, living out her mantra she presented from her initial hire has promoted unity and consistency among the team, she said.

“It’s easy to get caught up in what our goals are, or like, how we do that day, but she’s definitely done a good job of making us pay attention more to how our teammates are doing and what they have accomplished,” Lloyd said. “There’s some events where I don’t really know what’s a good mark and what’s a bad mark. So it’s been good to learn more about what our teammates are working towards.”

Quarles said it can be a vulnerable thing to open up to coaches and listen to them 24/7, however, her philosophy has always remained to coach the person first and the events second.

In terms of how far the team still has to progress, Quarles said she feels they’re just now beginning to see the results of fall training, as the team chose not to compete during December and instead solely to train.

“There’s the collective goal and then there’s individual goals that our coaching staff works very diligently and hard with individuals to have a plan for everyone,” Quarles said.

Whether it means winning or just missing the top spot, Stanhope said she wants the team to do well at the Sun Belt Championship later in May and to show a new conference “we all have winning in mind.”

CONTACT Zach Mendenhall at breezesports@ gmail.com. For more track and field coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

Courtesy of JMU Athletics