Ms. Julie Martinez Bowles, a 1996 Upper Moreland High School graduate, current English teacher and former lacrosse coach and Assistant Athletic Director at Abington Senior High School, was recently inducted into the James Madison University Athletics Hall of Fame.
According to her teacher’s page, Ms. Bowles is in her 23rd year at Abington and teaches English III-CP (British Literature), AP Language and Composition, and Public Speaking.
She is the only two-sport All-American in the university’s history, according to her biography:
The only two-sport All-American in JMU Athletics history, Julie Martinez was a standout performer in both field hockey and lacrosse during her tenure with the Dukes, ranking top five in career goals for both sport programs. In lacrosse, she was a two-time All-American with Second Team honors by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) in 1998 and 2000. After 23 years and multiple All-Americans later, Martinez still ranks fourth with 161 career goals for the Dukes. She also ranks fifth in free-position goals (36), eighth in points (215), sixth in shots (388) and 15th in assists (54). JMU went 50-23 in her four seasons with the Dukes, including a pair of CAA Championships in 1997 and 1999. The Dukes qualified for the NCAA Championship in all four seasons with three quarterfinal showings 1997-1999 followed by a run to the semifinals in 2000, which remains JMU’s best NCAA Championship finish aside from the 2018 national title. In field hockey, she was a Third Team All-American in 1997 by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and was twice All-Region (1996, 1997). She was named CAA Rookie of the Year in 1996 as she set JMU freshman records with 38 points and 18 goals. As of 2023, she still ranks third with 59 career goals in field hockey and fourth with 127 points. JMU went 59-32 in her four seasons and was runner up in the CAA in each year, qualifying for the NCAA Championship twice in 1997 and 1999.
Her Hall of Fame Induction video is below:
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