A look at how teams across the Sun Belt conference fared in the past week
While football continues to take center stage, 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 Oct. 12.
Men’s Soccer
Kentucky entered this past weekend’s fixtures against two top-25 teams on a nine-game unbeaten streak. The Wildcats last regular-season defeat was against UCF on Oct. 23, 2024. But, in the words of John de Lancie’s character Q during the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “All good things must come to an end.”
On Friday, Kentucky faced off against No. 17 Marshall in Huntington, West Virginia. The Thundering Herd (5-1-4, 3-1-0 SBC) started strong defensively, holding the Wildcats (6-1-3, 3-1-0 SBC) to just one shot attempt in the first half en route to a 4-1 victory. Gabriel Stevanato scored the opening goal in the 7th minute, while goalkeeper Eddie DeMarco faced only one shot on goal on five attempts all game.
The losing streak continued Tuesday against No. 14 Indiana. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first half, Indiana’s Palmer Ault scored twice in the final 25 minutes to defeat the Wildcats. The defeat dropped Kentucky to 3-22-5 all-time against the Hoosiers.
The biggest upset came in Orlando, when UCF extended their winning streak to two games with a 3-0 shutout of then-No. 11 Georgia Southern. Three different Knights scored goals, Clarence Awoudor assisting on two of those goals. Awoudor earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, while UCF goalkeeper Juanvi Munoz claimed Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting his career-high fourth shutout of the season.
In this week’s Top 25, West Virginia moved up one spot to No. 3, while Marshall jumped five spots to No. 12. Kentucky fell six spots to No. 25. Georgia Southern had the biggest drop among still-ranked teams, falling 13 spots to No. 24.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Soccer
Last weekend saw a logjam atop the Sun Belt standings, with six teams within three points of first place.
Old Dominion (8-1-4, 4-0-3 SBC) continues to leads the East Division, defeating Georgia Southern 2-1 on Saturday. But Georgia State (8-5-2, 4-2-1 SBC) and James Madison (7-3-5, 3-1-3 SBC) are on their heels after victories against Troy and Louisiana, respectively.
In the West Division, Texas State and ULM are both sitting at 4-0-3 in conference play, tied with the Monarchs for the league lead. ULM (9-2-3 overall) edged Appalachian State 3-2 on Saturday, while Texas State (7-2-5 overall) was held to a 1-1 draw by Coastal Carolina on Monday.
James Madison’s Ginny Lackey earned Offensive Player of the Week honors after recording the first hat-trick by a Dukes player since 2012 in the win over Louisiana. Marshall’s Kajsa Ekstrom nabbed Defensive Player of the Week honors after helping shut out South Alabama in an scoreless draw — South Alabama’s first home shutout this season.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Volleyball
James Madison moved to the top of the East Division with a sweep of previously undefeated Coastal Carolina on the road. Despite the loss, Coastal’s Jalyn Stout recorded another triple-double in Saturday’s match. The Dukes (14-6, 7-1 SBC) are now tied with Georgia Southern (16-3, 7-1 SBC), which swept long-time rival Appalachian State over the weekend.
South Alabama (12-7, 7-1 SBC) leads the West Division after sweeping Southern Miss. The Jaguars remain one game ahead of Arkansas State, which kept pace with a sweep of Texas State.
James Madison’s Kennedy Louisell earned her fourth Offensive Player of the Week honor — and third straight. Georgia Southern’s Kirsten Barrett also continued her streak, winning Setter of the Week for a third week in a row and fifth time overall. Teammate Lydia Seymour earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Cross Country
Texas State was the only Sun Belt program to compete last weekend, participating in the Old Glory Gallop hosted by Dallas Baptist University. Koket Jimata and Henok Hagos were the top Bobcat finishers the men’s 8K, placing 28th and 30th, respectively. In the women’s 5K, Nyomi Garcia finished 10th and Alexia Macias 19th — Texas State’s only top-20 finishers. Hagos and Macias earned Sun Belt runners of the week.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Golf
Six men’s teams took part in the Everett Buick GMC Classic in Little Rock, Arkansas. Coastal Carolina led four Sun Belt teams in the top ten, finishing 10-under par and tying for fourth with North Texas. Southern Miss’s Matthew Javier was the top individual golfer, ending at 9-under and tied for fourth. Georgia Southern won the Bash at the Boro in Statesboro with a 31-under par performance. Edouardo Cereto and Parker Claxton were the top performers among the three participating Sun Belt programs, tying for third at 9-under.
In women’s play, Arkansas State hosted the Lady Red Wolves Classic, where ULM won with a 19-under par team score. The Warhawks dominated, placing three golfers in the top four. Tournament winner Tessa Ion shot 9-under. Arkansas State’s Olivia Coit and Troy’s Victoria Stutts were tied for sixth with 3-under.
Women’s Field Hockey
Appalachian State swept a weekend road trip to Michigan, beating Central Michigan in conference play and Michigan State in a nonconference match in East Lansing. The Mountaineers improved to 10-3 and 4-1 in league play, moving into a three-way tie for first place. Sophia Baxter helped limit opponents to just one goal in the two matches and earned Defensive Player of the Week honors.
James Madison dropped its only game of the week, falling to Miami (Ohio). The Dukes fell to 8-6 and 3-2 in conference play.
Old Dominion defeating Villanova 4-1 last Friday in Big East play. The win improved the Monarchs to 5-7 and 2-1 in the conference. Sian Emslie scored twice to bring her season total to 19 goals, earning her Offensive Player of the Week recognition.
To see the update conference standings and more news, visit the Big East page here or the MAC page here.
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