Courtesy: JMU Sports
HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison swimming & diving has announced its 2023-24 schedule for its first season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference, as announced Monday morning by Head Coach Dane Pedersen.
“We are excited about our schedule this year because of the challenges it will provide us as we prepare for our inaugural Sun Belt Swimming & Diving Championships in February,” Pedersen said. “This schedule is super balanced and I like how everything came together. We look forward to competing and representing JMU.”
The Dukes will begin their season at home on Friday, Oct. 13, one of three home meets this season. They will welcome Liberty, last season’s Coastal Collegiate Sports Association champion that is now a part of the Atlantic Sun Conference. JMU will also host fellow Sun Belt member Marshall on Saturday, Nov. 4 before George Mason and Fairfield travel to Savage Natatorium for a tri-meet on Saturday, Jan. 13.
JMU will compete in a trio of road dual meets, beginning on Saturday, Oct. 18 at East Carolina. After the turn of the new year, the Dukes will also travel to Navy (Jan. 20) and Richmond (Jan. 27).
To end the fall half of the season, the divers will travel to Morgantown, W.Va. for the West Virginia Invite from Nov. 16-18 while the swimmers will head south to Charlotte, N.C. to compete in the Fall Frenzy Invite from Nov. 17-19. West Virginia and Queens will host the invites, respectively. Ending the spring portion of the season, the swimmers will travel down I-64 to Virginia for the UVA Invite from Feb. 2-4.
After the UVA Invite, the Dukes will head to Orlando, Fla. for their first Sun Belt Championships on Feb. 14-17 that will be held at the Rosen Aquatic & Fitness Center. Following the Sun Belt Championships, they will compete in the Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships that is tentatively scheduled for March 1-3 at a location that will be announced at a later time.
The NCAA Zone A Diving Championships will take place on March 4-5 in Princeton, N.J., preceding the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships being held in Athens, Ga. on March 20-23.