James Madison University Athletics

JMU scholarship student-athletes have the privilege to experience JMU through the lens of sport, while still pursuing your academic endeavors. And, as a student-athlete who has been awarded a scholarship, JMU donors have provided our Dukes the opportunity to enjoy their experience as a student-athlete. We want to celebrate our scholarship student-athletes and the donors who have supported them. 

Enjoy a view into the scholarship student-athlete experience. 
 

• From first learning they were going to be receiving a scholarship...
• To participating as a member on a JMU Athletics team...
• To having the opportunity to pursue their academic experience as a student-athlete!

 

Name: Cassidy Strittmatter

Sport: Field Hockey

Year in School: Junior

Major/Minors: Marketing, Minor in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technical Communication, and Honors Interdisciplinary Minor

Hometown: Tabernacle, New Jersey 

What is your dream job once you complete your studies at JMU?
To be a Public Relations Specialist representing non-profit organizations, socially responsible companies, or professional athletes. I would also love to be involved with podcast production.

What extracurricular activities are you involved in at JMU? And, what is your role in each of the organizations? 
I am a captain on the James Madison Varsity Field Hockey team. I am a JMU SAAC Board Communications executive. I am a member of the Diggin' Dukes Leadership team.

When did you find out that you would be receiving a student-athlete scholarship?
I was going into my sophomore year of high school.

What has it meant to you to be a recipient of a student-athlete scholarship?
Being a recipient of a student-athlete scholarship at JMU has changed my life in a way that I never could have imagined. This opportunity to pursue my dream of being a collegiate athlete while being able to continue my academic career has left me so graciously honored.

If you had the opportunity to meet the donors who provided the funds to support your scholarship, what would you want to say to them?
I would want to thank them for making my dreams come true. They have shaped my life in such an unimaginable way and have changed my future. Being able to have this experience as a student-athlete has provides me with the greatest lessons and experiences I could ever have. And they have given me a second family to call my own.

What has been your favorite part of being a JMU student-athlete?
I love the community that is essential to being a JMU student-athlete. The relationships I have gained in this experience has fully enriched my life.

What motivates you to give it your all in your sport and in the classroom?
I know that the opportunity to have access to such an amazing education is a privilege and that my potential is only decided by what I commit to for myself.

What do you love most about your team and JMU Athletics?
I love how my team is the epicenter of some of the most hardworking, kind, and eccentric people I have ever met in my life. My coaching staff, especially Christy Morgan, emphasize the importance of connecting to things that are bigger than yourself, and giving your best to those around you.

Do you have a favorite moment from your experience as a student-athlete? If so, please share!
At our preseason camping trip this past year our whole team sat around a fire to talk about our excitement and fears for the upcoming season. Everyone was so engaged and invested... until my chair broke beneath me! I fell flat on my back. So many of my teammates rushed to help me- after we were done cracking up. We all laughed so hard for so long after that happened.

Do you have any competition/game day traditions or superstitions?
I always wear the bracelet that I share with my sisters-it is like I have them with me even when we are so far apart.

Who is your mentor and, what is the best advice you've received from your mentor?
My mom is the person whose advice I seek in every situation, and who has had the greatest impact on my life. The best advice I have ever received from her is that "if all else fails, if there is one thing that can go right, if there is one thing that you can always depend on, it is your effort."

What advice do you give to other JMU student-athletes to help encourage them during their journey at JMU?
Being a student athlete is so rewarding and while also being intense. So, be vulnerable with those around you. That is when your greatest growth will happen.

Learn more about the Duke Club and how you can make your impact on the JMU student-athlete experience at JMUDukeClub.com/ProudAndTrue.