SPARKS, Md. – A pair of James Madison lacrosse student-athletes in redshirt senior Mairead Durkin and redshirt junior Isabella Peterson earned Division I Women’s First Team All-American honors, USA Lacrosse Magazine announced on Tuesday.

The duo was selected as two of 13 players on the First Team as JMU was one of just four Division I programs with multiple First Team selections, joining Boston College, Loyola and Syracuse.

Durkin earned her recognition as she consistently proved herself one of the toughest defenders in the country, causing 43 opposition turnovers and picking up 31 ground balls. She enters the NCAA Championship’s first weekend ninth in the country in caused turnovers per game (2.26). Durkin has led the third-best scoring defense in the country, as JMU has allowed just 7.26 goals per game.

The Stony Point, N.Y. native was unanimously named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year last week along with a unanimous First Team selection. She was also drafted among 11 college standouts to play professionally with Athletes Unlimited on Tuesday.

Peterson has been the primary scorer for JMU all season long, setting career highs with 78 goals and 20 assists. She has 16 hat tricks in total, scoring at least three goals in all but three games for JMU this season. Peterson has also keyed the draw, tied for the team lead with 81 draw controls, which amounts to 4.26 per game.

All told, she ranks third in the country in goals average (4.11) and tied for third in points average (5.16).

Like Durkin, Peterson was also awarded the conference’s highest honor at her respective position, unanimously earning the American Athletic Conference Attack Player of the Year along with a First Team selection. She was also named the USA Lacrosse Magazine Division I Player of the Week on Feb. 28 after an eight-goal outburst against High Point.

Both have taken USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American honors for the second consecutive year, as Durkin was named Third Team All-American and Peterson an Honorable Mention in 2022.

The Dukes (17-2, 6-0) will begin NCAA Championship play as the seventh seed and will face Army West Point in the first round on Friday, May 12 at 2 p.m. at Sentara Park.

— JMU Athletics —