A Great Time to be a Duke: State of JMU Athletics

The James Madison athletic program is coming off a historically great performance during the 2017-2018 school year.

Across all sports, the Dukes posted a .669 winning percentage, the best at JMU since 1982.

"It's just been an incredible year and a great run for us," said JMU Director of Athletics Jeff Bourne.

JMU's list of accomplishments during the year includes five CAA Championships, three CAA regular season titles, two national championship game appearances, and one national title.

The women's lacrosse team won its first-ever national championship while the JMU football team finished as national runner-up.

With continued success for the Dukes on the football field, season ticket sales have increased. As of June 25, more than 6,700 season tickets had been sold for the 2018 campaign, already surpassing last season's total.

"We're looking to optimize fan attendance in our stadium," said Bourne.

"That is one of the biggest things we've got."

Fan attendance and experience is also expected to improve for JMU men's and women's basketball. Construction is underway for the Union Bank & Trust Center, a new 8,500-seat, on-campus arena that is expected to be open in time for the 2020 basketball seasons.

"We didn't cut any corners on that building, it's going to be beautiful," said Bourne. "It's going to be a testament to our program and I am confident it will make significant differences for both of our teams, even though they do quite well, I think it moves them to a different level."