James Madison Withdraws As A Member Of The Colonial Athletic Association
Rob Washburn
RICHMOND, Va. (November 6, 2021) – Colonial Athletic Association Commissioner Joe D’Antonio announced on Saturday that the conference had received James Madison University’s letter of withdrawal as a member of the CAA, effective June 30, 2022.
“JMU has been a great member of the CAA for nearly 40 years and has brought acclaim to the conference through its athletic and academic accomplishments. We wish them well,” D’Antonio said.
“The CAA is made up of outstanding institutions that have a long history of success. Within the ever changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics the Conference remains committed to building a competitive model that provides a sustainable atmosphere for the schools in our conference. We will be vigilant in making decisions that are best for our membership going forward and are excited about the future.”
Per CAA bylaws, JMU will be ineligible to compete for all conference team championships, effective immediately. JMU will be allowed to continue competing in the 2021 CAA Field Hockey Championship. Student-athletes may compete for honors in individual championships (women’s swimming and diving, men’s and women’s golf, and women’s outdoor track and field), but team points will not be calculated.
JMU will no longer serve as the host for CAA championships in men’s soccer, women’s basketball, women’s lacrosse and softball. The conference office will work with the membership to determine new sites for those championships, and expects to make an announcement relative to this matter in the near future.
JMU teams will play the full regular season schedule in 2021-22, all contests will count in the CAA standings and their teams remain eligible to earn at-large bids to all NCAA team championships. JMU student-athletes and coaches will also be eligible for all preseason, regular season and postseason awards.