Roeper, Morgan Headline Mid-Conference Field Hockey Awards, Six Named All-Conference

CLEVELAND – James Madison field hockey garnered two major award winners and had six represented on All-Mid-American Conference teams, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Alice Roeper was named Offensive Player of the Year, while Head Coach Christy Morgan was dubbed Coach of the Year in JMU's inaugural season in the MAC.

Joining Roeper on the First Team is Cassidy Strittmatter. Sarah Beers and Carissa Tambroni earned Second Team nods, while Molly Schreiner and Lilly Turner were named to the All-Freshman Team.

For Coach Morgan, this marked the sixth time earning the title of conference coach of the year, previously being named CAA Coach of the Year in 1993, 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2021.

Roeper leads the conference in points (33), goals (14) and game-winning goals (5) to help the Dukes turn in a 13-5 (7-1 MAC) record and capture a share of the Mid-American Conference regular season title with App State and Miami (Ohio). Heading into the MAC Field Hockey Championship, the junior is tied for 14th in the nation in points per game (1.94) and 15th in goals per game (0.82).

Strittmatter has posted a strong senior season with 24 points (10g, 4a), tied for the second-most points in the conference. The Tabernacle, N.J. native owns three game-winning goals in 2024, including the Dukes' first-ever Mid-American Conference goal to defeat six-time reigning MAC Tournament champion Miami (Ohio).

Beers has started all 18 games and has anchored a JMU defense that has posted six shutouts, including four in Mid-American Conference play. The Dukes are second in the conference in goals allowed average (1.50), giving the team the 11th scoring margin in Division I at +1.58. Additionally, JMU has outscored opponents 28-8 in league games.

Tambroni has had a breakout fifth year with nine goals and six assists for 24 points to help the Dukes more than double its total wins from a season ago. The fifth year has scored seven goals in the last seven games and has tallied 18 points (7g, 4a) in that span, including recording a brace against Ball State (Oct. 27) and App State (Nov. 3).

Schreiner owns a 10-3 record (.769), tied for the 10th-best mark in the nation. The redshirt freshman has logged 690:43 of action, recording a pair of solo shutouts and combined shutouts. In total, the JMU defense has posted six shutouts, including four in Mid-American Conference play. The State College, Pa. native is third in the league in goals against average (1.56) and has a .695 save percentage.

Lastly, Turner has seen action in 12 games and has made her mark in her first season as a Duke with three goals and one assist for seven points. Her first collegiate goal helped ensure JMU's first conference win, taking down Miami (Ohio) 2-1 on Sept. 20. Turner's other two goals also came against MAC opponents Central Michigan and Bellarmine.

With the No. 1 seed entering the MAC tournament, the Dukes will play the winner of No. 4 seed Kent State versus No. 5 seed Ball State. The quarterfinal matchup between the Golden Flashes and Cardinals is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 11:30 a.m. JMU's semifinal contest against the game one winner is slated for 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7. All games take place on the campus of Miami (Ohio) and will stream on Chatterbox sports. The championship match will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. with the winner earning an automatic berth into the NCAA Field Hockey Championship.

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