No, James Madison University (JMU) is not moving its entire athletic program to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).
While JMU is not making a full institutional move to the ACC, one of its sports teams has indeed transitioned to a new conference. The James Madison women's lacrosse team announced it joined the American Athletic Conference (AAC) as an affiliate member. This change became effective July 1, allowing them to compete in the AAC for the 2023 season and beyond.
JMU's Lacrosse Team Joins the AAC
This specific move for women's lacrosse highlights how individual sports teams can sometimes operate independently regarding conference affiliation, especially when their primary conference does not sponsor that particular sport or when seeking a more competitive environment. For the 2023 season, the JMU women's lacrosse team competed alongside several established programs within the American Athletic Conference, including:
- Cincinnati
- East Carolina
- Florida
- Old Dominion
- Temple
- Vanderbilt
JMU's Primary Conference Affiliation
Beyond the specific arrangement for women's lacrosse, James Madison University's athletic programs primarily compete in the Sun Belt Conference. JMU officially joined the Sun Belt Conference in July 2022, marking a significant transition for the university's overall athletic department to the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. This primary affiliation with the Sun Belt Conference encompasses the majority of JMU's sports teams, with the women's lacrosse move to the AAC being a distinct and separate arrangement for that sport only.
