Six Individuals, One Team Selected for 2024 JMU Athletics Hall of Fame Class

HARRISONBURG, Va. – James Madison Athletics unveiled its 2024 Hall of Fame Class, a group comprised of four student-athletes, two head coaches and a national championship team.

The 2024 JMU Athletics Hall of Fame Class will include: softball pitcher Meredith (Felts) Rowland (2006-2009), women's basketball head coach Betty Jaynes (1970-1982), women's soccer forward/midfielder Annie (Lowry) Young (2004-2007), two-sport athlete Julie (Martinez) Bowles (field hockey 1996-1999, lacrosse (1997-2000), football head coach Mickey Matthews (1999-2013) and baseball infielder/outfielder Greg Miller (1998-2001). The class will also include the fourth team to be inducted into the JMU Athletics Hall of Fame as the 2004 football national championship team will be recognized.

The induction ceremony will be held on Friday, September 6, 2024 in the Atlantic Union Bank Center. Ticket sales for the event will be announced during the spring.

Nominations for the JMU Athletics Hall of Fame can be submitted online by any individual at any time. All candidates are considered according to the Hall of Fame selection criteria.

JMU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024

2004 Football Team

While there were multiple high achievements for JMU football prior to 2003, it was the 2004 squad under Head Coach Mickey Matthews that proved what was possible for James Madison and redefined the trajectory of the program by capturing the I-AA (now FCS) national championship. The Dukes had made five total playoff appearances in their first 32 seasons with a 180-162-4 overall record, two postseason wins and double-digit wins just once in 1994. JMU had gone 19-27 in its previous four seasons leading up to 2004 before then going 9-2 during the 2004 regular season and sharing the Atlantic 10 crown at 7-1 in league play. Through the 2023 college football season, the 2004 JMU squad remains the only FCS title winner to claim the trophy without a playoff home game, taking down a quartet of top-15 ranked programs on the road en route to the title. The Dukes opened the postseason trudging through a 14-13 victory at No. 15 Lehigh and followed with a game-winning drive the following week at No. 5 Furman. JMU then avenged its only I-AA loss of the season, traveling across the Commonwealth to down No. 3 William & Mary in an epic Friday night clash. In the national title matchup on Dec. 17 against No. 2 Montana in Chattanooga, JMU rushed for 314 yards and controlled play with 36 minutes of possession, pulling away in the second half for the 31-21 victory. JMU finished 13-2 thanks to a balanced squad led by a stingy defense, solid special teams, balanced run game, dominant offensive line and a Hall of Fame quarterback in Justin Rascati. JMU led its opponents in rushing for the season 3,194 to 1,302 (212.9-86.8 per game). In the years following the 2004 title, JMU reached the playoffs in 12 of 17 remaining seasons at the I-AA/FCS level, including an additional title in 2016 and four other times reaching at least the semifinals, before then transitioning to the FBS Sun Belt Conference in 2022, finishing first in the SBC East Division in both seasons with AP Top 25 rankings in each and participating in the program's first FBS bowl game in 2023. James Madison has gone 176-61 in the 19 years since the program-altering 2004 title with a .500 or better record in each season.

2004 football team Hall of Fame

Meredith (Felts) Rowland ('10) – Softball (2006-2009)

The first JMU softball Hall of Fame inductee, Meredith Felts was a major factor in putting the program on the map, earning Most Outstanding Player and leading the Dukes to their first Colonial Athletic Association Championship in 2009. In the first five years of the program, the Dukes went 126-142, but in Felts' sophomore through senior campaigns JMU went 105-54. The Dukes finished third in the CAA Championship in 2007, runner up in 2008 and captured their first title in 2009, as a Felts one-hit shutout upended a Hofstra squad that had won all seven titles since the league added the sport in 2002. Felts was a three-time All-CAA selection, including First Team honors in 2008 and 2009, and was named to the 2010 Silver Anniversary Team as one of the top 25 players in the CAA's first nine years of competition. She was named Virginia State Pitcher of the Year in 2009 to go along with an All-State selection in 2008 and was a Second Team All-Region pick by the NFCA in 2008. As the softball program rose to national heights in the years following Felts, she still ranks fourth in career wins (61), fourth in strikeouts (581), fourth in complete games (52), fifth in ERA (1.60), fifth in opponent batting average (.198), fifth in starts (84) and sixth in innings pitched (589). Felts went on to become the first JMU softball player to play internationally, was a Division I assistant coach and now spends time as a private instructor.

Betty Jaynes – Women's Basketball Head Coach (1970-1982)

James Madison women's basketball's history has been intertwined with the history of the sport itself as one of the top five winningest program's all-time, and Betty Jaynes was a key piece of that growth at JMU. Jaynes took the reins as Madison College transitioned to James Madison University and men's varsity sports began competition. As JMU Athletics became diversified and grew, Jaynes ensured that women's basketball remained a foundational sport for the university, even as the oversight of the sport was transitioned to the NCAA from the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) upon her exit in 1982. The game of women's basketball evolved to become a five-player, full court competition and added the 30-second shot clock early in her tenure, and Title IX was signed into national law in 1972. Amid such evolution in so many facets, Jaynes led JMU to a 144-114 mark in 12 seasons and compiled the first 20-win campaign in 1978-79, finishing second in the Virginia Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (VAIAW) to eventual national champion Old Dominion. In 1975 she was tournament director as JMU hosted the AIAW Large College National Basketball Championships in Godwin Hall, placing 16^th. In her final year at JMU in 1981-82, Jaynes and a group of coaches formed the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) with Jaynes selected as the organization's first executive director. She held that title for 15 years before being named CEO of the WBCA in 1996. During her tenure, the organization grew from 212 members to over 5,000 as it influenced the growth and exposure for women's basketball as a major sport in American culture. Jaynes is already a member of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame (2000), the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (2008) and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame (2007). Jaynes will be inducted posthumously after passing away in 2014.

Annie (Lowry) Young ('08) – Women's Soccer (2004-2007)

A standout performer on the field and in the classroom, Lowry earned a bevy of personal accolades during her four years in purple and gold while also leading the Dukes to team success, including one of its best marks in program history in her senior year in 2007. Lowry earned Second Team All-America honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) in her senior year. Regionally she was a Soccer Buzz All-Freshman selection in 2004 and followed that with three consecutive years named to the NSCAA All-Region Team. She was a three-time First Team All-CAA selection and also thrice named to the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) All-State Team. She added Strength and Conditioning All-America status in her last season. Lowry ranks eighth in career goals for the Dukes with 29, 10^th in career points with 74 and 17^th with 16 career assists. James Madison went 51-30-7 during her four seasons, advancing to the NCAA Championship as an at-large selection in 2004 and 2007. In recognition of her career achievements, Lowry was named to both the CAA Silver Anniversary Team and the JMU 25^th anniversary squad. The 2007 squad went 17-5-1 to set program records for wins (17), winning percentage (.761), regular season wins (15), home wins (12) and consecutive games without a loss (9, 8-0-1), a record that stood until 2023 when NCAA rules changed to eliminate overtime play during regular season games, thus creating more ties. In addition to her performance honors, Lowry was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District selection and the JMU Scholar-Athlete of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. She was a President's List honoree and was a four-year recipient of both the CAA Commissioner's Academic Award and recognition as a JMU Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete.

Julie (Martinez) Bowles ('00) – Field Hockey (1996-1999) & Lacrosse (1997-2000)

The only two-sport All-American in JMU Athletics history, Julie Martinez was a standout performer in both field hockey and lacrosse during her tenure with the Dukes, ranking top five in career goals for both sport programs. In lacrosse, she was a two-time All-American with Second Team honors by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) in 1998 and 2000. After 23 years and multiple All-Americans later, Martinez still ranks fourth with 161 career goals for the Dukes. She also ranks fifth in free-position goals (36), eighth in points (215), sixth in shots (388) and 15^th in assists (54). JMU went 50-23 in her four seasons with the Dukes, including a pair of CAA Championships in 1997 and 1999. The Dukes qualified for the NCAA Championship in all four seasons with three quarterfinal showings 1997-1999 followed by a run to the semifinals in 2000, which remains JMU's best NCAA Championship finish aside from the 2018 national title. In field hockey, she was a Third Team All-American in 1997 by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and was twice All-Region (1996, 1997). She was named CAA Rookie of the Year in 1996 as she set JMU freshman records with 38 points and 18 goals. As of 2023, she still ranks third with 59 career goals in field hockey and fourth with 127 points. JMU went 59-32 in her four seasons and was runner up in the CAA in each year, qualifying for the NCAA Championship twice in 1997 and 1999.

Mickey Matthews – Football Head Coach (1999-2013)

Owner of the most coaching victories in JMU football history, Mickey Matthews led the Dukes to a 109-71 record in 15 seasons, including the program's first national championship in program history and second among all sports in 2004. Matthews inherited a squad that went 8-14 in the two seasons prior to his arrival and immediately earned a share of the Atlantic 10 Championship and qualified for the I-AA (FCS) playoffs in his first year in 1999. Under Matthews' leadership, the program strategically revamped the roster, balancing the class structure and infusing talent, a process that led to a 19-27 record over the next four seasons. However, the fruit of the labor was a breakthrough season in 2004 with the Dukes again capturing a share of the Atlantic 10 title and then earning four straight playoff victories away from Harrisonburg, capped by a 31-21 victory over No. 2 Montana to finish 13-2 and win the national championship in Chattanooga. That initiated a five-year stretch featuring four NCAA Championship appearances, including a semifinal run and 12-2 mark in 2008, with a 49-15 ledger in that stretch. Overall, JMU made six playoff appearances in Matthews' 15 seasons with seven postseason victories. He also led the Dukes to one of the more memorable victories in program history with a 21-16 triumph at Virginia Tech in 2010, the second victory ever in college football by an FCS program over a ranked FBS program. Beginning in his fifth season, the Dukes finished .500 or better in each campaign, a mark that still stands at 21 straight JMU seasons, with only Boise State and Wisconsin matching that mark among all Division I football programs. Matthews was twice awarded the Eddie Robinson Award as National Coach of the Year (1999, 2008) and was named top coach nationally by the American Football Coaches Association after the title in 2004. He was the conference coach of the year in 1999 and 2008.

Greg Miller ('01) – Baseball (1998-2001)

Greg Miller was a starter and standout contributor for four seasons, starting 212 games for the Diamond Dukes. He was a two-time All-Region selection (1999, 2001) as well as two-time First Team All-CAA and two-time First Team All-State. He was named to the Colonial Athletic Association 25^th anniversary squad, which recognized the top 25 players of the first 25 years of competition in the league. Miller still holds the JMU and CAA record for career hits with 318 and also holds the program record with 238 singles. His name also stands in the CAA record book at fifth in single-season hits (100), eighth in career runs (208) and 10^th in at bats (855). For the Dukes, he also ranks second in career games (218), second in career at bats (855), second in career runs (208), third in career total bases (444), fifth in career steals (76), fifth in career RBIs (181), sixth in career doubles (55) and 10^th in career batting average (.372). Miller posted one of the greatest single-game performances in program history with a seven-hit game in the 2000 CAA Championship against Richmond while smacking three home runs, 17 total bases and nine RBIs, each single-game program records. After going 49-64-1 in his first two seasons, he helped the Dukes rise to a 73-45-1 mark in his junior and senior campaigns. Miller was a 20^th-round MLB Draft pick (615 overall) by the Atlanta Braves in 2001 and played three Minor League seasons, reaching the Double A level.

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