James Madison has found a new home.

The school announced Friday that the women’s lacrosse team will join the American Athletic Conference as an affiliate member beginning July 1, joining Cincinnati, East Carolina, Florida, Old Dominion, Temple and Vanderbilt in the conference for the 2023 season.

“This is a big-time move for James Madison University,” Dukes coach Shelley Klaes said in a press release issued jointly by James Madison and the AAC. “The American Athletic Conference will position JMU lacrosse to continue to compete for championships at the conference and national level. The conference’s relationship with ESPN will add momentum to our championship journey and allow our team to showcase our talent to JMU Nation and beyond. This is all part of an upward trend for JMU with athletics going to the FBS level and the university reclassifying to an R2 research institution, which demonstrates our commitment to growing our brand and prestige nationally. Alignment with like-minded universities becomes paramount for the future of our program.”

This spring will mark James Madison’s last in the Colonial Athletic Association, with the school moving most of its sports to the Sun Belt Conference. The Dukes, who have made six consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and won the national championship in 2018, are ineligible for the CAA championship and will try to make its seventh straight postseason appearance as an at-large contender. They are ranked 12th in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20.

“We believe JMU lacrosse strengthens the American with our program’s storied tradition and a great presence within the footprint of the lacrosse community,” athletic director Jeff Bourne said. “We have been a consistent factor in the postseason.”

“JMU is firmly established as one of the nation’s top programs, with sustained success that aligns with our conference’s objective of competing for championships at the highest level,” commissioner Mike Aresco said.

Three AAC teams — Florida, Temple and Vanderbilt — qualified for the NCAA tournament last year. Cincinnati could be the next team in limbo, however, with the university leaving the conference for the Big 12 and no guarantee that the AAC will retain the Bearcats as an affiliate in women’s lacrosse.

This is the latest in a series of moves related to conference realignment over the last six months. USA Lacrosse Magazine contributor Jeremy Fallis examined the effects on the college lacrosse landscape in an article published earlier this week.