Sun Belt student-athletes are making their mark on the national scene
While football reaches the end of the regular season and men’s basketball season gets in full gear, many other Sun Belt student-athletes are making their mark on the national scene.
Here’s a look at how teams across the conference fared in the past week.
All rankings are accurate as of Nov. 23.
Men’s Soccer
Four Sun Belt teams entered the 48-team NCAA Tournament with hopes of reaching the round of 16. Each needed two wins, including one on the road.
Kentucky was the only team that did not advance out of the first round, falling 2-1 to Saint Louis at home on Nov. 20. Agustin Lopez put the Wildcats ahead in the 5th minute, but Kentucky failed to record a shot in the second half. The Billikens’ Jack DiMaria scored in the 86th minute to tie the match, and after Kevin Larsson was ejected with a red card in the 83rd minute. DiMaria netted the winner in the 104th minute. Kentucky finished the season 10-4-5 overall and 7-1-1 in Sun Belt play.
UCF defeated Florida Atlantic 3-2 in the opening round to set up a meeting with No. 7 seed Georgetown. The Knights held off seven first-half, but the Hoyas too control after halftime as Mitchell Baker scored twice in an 11-minutes span to secure a 2-0 win. UCF ended the season 11-7-3 and 4-3-2 in conference play.
West Virginia outlasted St. John’s 4-3 in a high-scoring first-round matchup, then traveled to face Big South champion and No. 10 seed High Point. The Panthers scored three goals in the first 53 minutes. The Mountaineers answered in the 55th and 87th minute but fell short, losing 3-2. West Virginia closed the season 13-5-3 and 7-2-0 in Sun Belt play.
Marshall carried the conference’s final hopes. David de la Vibora Bonilla scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory over Cleveland State. But the Thundering Herd fell 2-0 at No. NC State after conceding a goal just two minutes into the match. Marshall finished12-4-5 and 6-2-1 in conference play.
This marks the first time since 2020 — before the league’s 2022 realignment — that no Sun Belt reached the Sweet 16.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Volleyball
The Sun Belt Conference Tournament concluded on Nov. 23 with several early-round upsets.
In the first round, West No. 5 Southern Miss swept East No. 4 Georgia State, earning their first Sun Belt tournament win since joining the Sun Belt in 2022. It was also the program’s first conference tournament win since the 2018 Conference USA tournament. Arkansas State, the West’s top seed, defeated the Golden Eagles 3-0 in the quarterfinals.
The lone quarterfinal upset came when West No. 3 Texas State swept East No. 2 Coastal Carolina. Since winning the 2023 championship, Coastal has gone 1-2 in tournament play. Arkansas State against awaited the victor.
The championship featured the top seeds from each division: Arkansas State and James Madison. After splitting the first two sets, the Red Wolves won the next two to claim the Sun Belt title 3-1. It was Arkansas State’s seventh conference championship and first since 2015.
The NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced Nov. 30.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Basketball
Three Sun Belt programs faced Power Five opponents last week, earning two victories.
Troy earned its second straight victory over a power-conference opponent on Nov. 20, defeating Missouri 100-82. Emani Jenkins and Leilani Guion each scored 22 points, while Ashley Baez added a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. The win marked Troy’s fourth over a power-conference team during coach Chanda Rigby’s 14-year tenure.
On Sunday, James Madison defeated Virginia Tech 65-56 for its first win in three attempts against power-conference foes this season. In the school’s first meeting since the 2019 WNIT round of 16, Peyton McDaniel posted 19 points and 10 rebounds. Ashanti Barnes added a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds. JMU has won three straight in the series dating back to Nov. 22, 2009.
Troy also earned a strong non-Power Five win, defeating Montana State 74-60. Montana State entered the matchup with a NET rating of 55, giving the Trojans two wins over teams ranked 70th or better (Missouri was No. 69).
ULM opened the season 4-0 for the first time since 1984-85 , when the Warhawks started 15-0 en route to a 30-2 record and second consecutive Final Four appearance. But a 57-34 loss at Sam Houston — ranked No. 261 in NET — dealt a significant setback.
The loss dropped ULM out of ESPN’s latest Bracketology, replaced by Southern Miss, which remained a projected No. 15 seed matched up with LSU.
Marshall senior guard Timaya Lewis-Eutsey earned Player of the Week honors after scoring in double figures in all three of the Thundering Herd’s wins, capped off by a 18 point performance against IU Indy.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Wrestling
App State hosted the Mountaineer Open on Nov. 23, placing wrestlers in the top three of every weight class and earning four individual titles.
Cooper Foster won the 125-pound bracket by defeating teammate Colby McBride, improving to 8-6 on the season.
Kaden Kelser captured the 149-pound title with a win over high school senior and future Mountaineer Bentley Sly.
In 184-pound final, Tomas Brooker defeated North Carolina’s Nick Fea, moving to 8-4.
Heavyweight Stephan Monchery improved to 10-3 with a win over UNC’s Jacob Levy.
App State hosts No. 10 NC State on Nov. 30 in the first dual meet of the season.
To see the update conference standings and more news, visit the Southern Conference page here.
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