HARRISONBURG, Va. (JMU Athletics) – Alyssa Parker has been selected as the next head coach of the James Madison field hockey program, as announced by Director of Athletics Matt Roan on Wednesday morning.

“We worked deliberately and diligently in this national search to ensure that we identified the right fit to lead our program forward and to build on the long and successful tenure of Coach Christy Morgan,” Roan said. “I am confident we have done just that, and I am thrilled to welcome Alyssa to this special JMU community. Alyssa brings with her championship-level experience throughout her playing and coaching career. Her passion for the sport and our student-athletes, as well as her recruiting pedigree, will be extremely beneficial to the trajectory of our program. She possesses all the traits and characteristics we were looking for, and we look forward to the mark she’ll make here. I’d like to especially thank Associate Athletic Director and Sport Administrator Stephen LaPorta, for his effort and commitment in leading the search process. We are excited to have Alyssa, Scott, and their family join us in the Valley as proud members of the JMU family!”

“I am deeply honored to become the Head Field Hockey Coach at James Madison University,” said Parker. “This program is filled with remarkable individuals, and I’m excited to support their development as people, students, and athletes. What makes JMU so special is the combination of academic excellence, athletic ambition, and a community that leads with kindness. The Shenandoah Valley already feels like home. I want to thank President Jim Schmidt, Matt Roan, Stephen LaPorta, and the hiring committee for their trust. And I’m especially grateful to Christy Morgan for the culture she has built over the past 21 seasons—one that I’m proud to continue. My husband, Scott, and our son, Parker, are thrilled to join the JMU family! Let’s go Dukes!”

Parker makes her way to Harrisonburg from Virginia, where she spent the last five seasons as an assistant coach. During her time in Charlottesville, the Cavaliers made an appearance in the NCAA Women’s Field Hockey Championship every season, reaching the quarterfinals twice, and advancing to the semifinals in 2023.

As a recruiter, Parker helped bring in the MAX Field Hockey’s No. 1 signing class in 2025, inking six top 50 recruits and two top 10 prospects. Parker also coordinated opponent scouting and video analysis at UVA, as the Cavaliers produced a record of 69-32 over the last five years and reached the ACC Championship three times.

Beyond her work on the sidelines at Virginia, Parker serves as a FIH World Hockey Camp Coach and has coached at multiple levels with Nexus, USA Field Hockey’s Olympic development pathway.

Prior to UVA, Parker’s first collegiate coaching stop was at Saint Joseph’s where she spent the 2020-21 academic year.

Parker brings international experience to the Valley, having made 50 international caps with the U.S. Women’s National Team. As a member of Team USA, she competed in the FIH Pro League from 2019-20, including a ninth-place finish in 2019, and participated in the 2019 FIH Olympic Qualifier in Bhubaneswar, India. That year also saw Parker become a bronze medalist after Team USA finished third at the Pan American Games.

During her collegiate years at Maryland (2012-15) as a forward/midfielder, Parker helped guide the Terrapins to an ACC Tournament Championship in 2013 and a Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2015, making the NCAA Semifinals her freshman and sophomore seasons. The two-time NFHCA All-Region selection graduated from Maryland in the spring of 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in Family Science.

Parker prepped at Glenelg High School where she led the Gladiators to two state championships (2010-2011) and became just the second player in NFSHSA history to register 100 goals and log 100 assists, finishing her high school career with 114 goals and 108 assists. She was named the Varsity Sports Network’s No. 1 Field Hockey Player of the Decade (2022) for the state of Maryland and was inducted into both the Glenelg High School and Howard County Women’s Athletics Halls of Fame (2020).

— JMU Athletics —