Sun Belt student-athletes are making their mark on the national scene
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. 26.
Men’s Soccer
As the Sun Belt prepares to enter its final weekend of play, three teams are vying for the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
Coastal Carolina (3-8-0, 2-5-0 SBC) played their way into the top eight with back-to-back victories over Georgia State and South Carolina — the Chanticleers’ first wins since their season opener against Winthrop. Kentucky (9-2-3, 6-1-0 SBC) extended its winning streak to three with victories over Georgia Southern and West Virginia.
Projected Sun Belt Tournament matchups as of Oct. 27:
- No. 8 Coastal Carolina vs. No. 1 Kentucky
- No. 7 Old Dominion vs. No. 2 Marshall
- No. 6 Georgia State vs. No. 3 West Virginia
- No. 5 UCF vs No. 4 Georgia Southern
Old Dominion earn the No. 7 seed over Coastal Carolina based on its 2-1 victory on Oct. 3. South Carolina sits one point behind both in ninth place.
Kentucky’s Kevin Larsson was named Offensive Player of the Week after recording his fifth multi-goal game in the Wildcats’ 2-1 victory over Georgia Southern. Marshall’s Eddie DeMarco earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after posting two clean sheets.
For the first time this season, no Sun Belt team appeared in the top ten of the national poll. Marshall dropped two spots to No. 11, West Virginia fell nine spots to No. 19, and Kentucky moved up seven spots to No. 18. Georgia Southern dropped out of the rankings but received four votes.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Soccer
The regular season concluded on Oct. 29 with six teams vying for the top two seeds in the Sun Belt Tournament.
South Alabama earned the No. 1 seed over ULM via tiebreaker, thanks to the Jaguars’ 1-0 win over Troy on a fifth-minute goal by Zamiyah Hill. Texas State dropped to the No. 4 seed after suffering its first conference loss, a 4-2 defeat to James Madison.
Old Dominion claimed the No. 2 seed by one point over the Dukes, clinching the division title with a 2-1 win over Georgia State.
Despite earning the No. 3 seed, ULM captured its first Sun Belt regular-season title in program history and set a school record for most points in a season with 22, surpassing its 2023 mark of 17.
Quarterfinal matchups (Nov. 3, Foley, Ala.):
- No. 8 Louisiana vs No. 1 South Alabama
- No. 5 James Madison vs No. 4 Texas State
- No. 6 Marshall vs No. 3 ULM
- No. 7 Georgia State vs No. 2 Old Dominion
The semifinals will be held on Nov. 5, followed by the championship on Nov. 8.
Louisiana’s Miku Kurihara continued her stellar freshman season by scoring the sixth hat trick in program history — and first since 2015 — in the Rajun Cajuns’ 8-0 victory over Troy. She was named Offensive Player of the Week. James Madison goalkeeper Sofia DeCerb earned Defensive Player of the Week after recording her third shutout of the season.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Volleyball
James Madison and Coastal Carolina continue to dominate the East Division, with the Dukes holding a one-game lead over the Chanticleers. Both teams swept their weekend series last week — Coastal over Appalachian State and JMU over Georgia Southern.
In the West, South Alabama leads Arkansas State by two wins. The Jaguars split their weekend series with Louisiana, losing Friday before rebounding for a Saturday victory.
James Madison’s Kennedy Louisell earned her fifth Offensive Player of the Week honor this season after recording 57 kills in the Dukes’ sweep of Georgia Southern. Teammate Julia McNeley was named Defensive Player of the Week with 53 digs. South Alabama’s Anna Loberg earned her second straight Setter of the Week after posting 80 assists against Louisiana.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Basketball
The season tips off Nov. 3 with the MAC-SBC Challenge. Georgia State is the only Sun Belt school not participating since the MAC expanded to 13 teams with the addition of UMass. The Panthers will instead face Division III Oglethorpe, based in Lookout Mountain, Ga.
James Madison was picked as the preseason favorite, earning nine of the 14 first-place votes. The Dukes went 18-0 in conference play last season and 30-6 overall, falling to Arkansas State in the Sun Belt tournament final. The Red Wolves received three first-place votes to finish second in the poll. Troy, Old Dominion, Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina round out the top six.
James Madison’s Peyton McDaniel was named Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. The reigning Player of the Year averaged 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season, recording 14 double-doubles.
The Dukes also received recognition in the USA Today Coaches Poll, earning four votes. It is their first preseason poll appearance since the 2020-21, where they were in the CAA. The last Sun Belt team to earn preseason votes was UT Arlington in 2017-18.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Golf
Five Sun Belt programs wrapped up their fall seasons, with competition set to resume in February.
South Alabama’s men’s team tied Memphis for fourth at 2-under at the Steelwood Collegiate Tournament. Tim Kretschmann finished tied for 11th at 2-under. Troy tied with Seton Hall for 10th at the FAU Invitational, where Thomas Crane finished tied for 10th individually with 3-under.
On the women’s side, Marshall placed sixth at the French Broad Collegiate Invitational at 58-over, led by Olivia Kochan’s 12-over finish (T-16). Southern Miss tied Tulane for first at 13-under, winning a playoff to claim the title. Taylor Trible also won a playoff to secure her first collegiate title at 5-under. Georgia State tied Wofford for ninth at the Edisto Island Invitational, with TK Kongthong tying for sixth at 6-over.
Arkansas State’s Thomas Schmidt is the lone Sun Belt golfer ranked in the Top 25 of the men’s individual standing, at No. 25. He is the only Sun Belt player, men’s or women’s, ranked inside the Top 50.
Women’s Field Hockey
Old Dominion heads into its final regular-season match Oct. 31 against Georgetown having already clinched the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. If the Monarchs tie with No. 25 UConn, the Huskies hold the tiebreaker, though the Monarchs holds the edge over Villanova. ODU’s three-game winning streak ended last weekend with a two-overtime loss to UConn and a 2-0 defeat to No. 8 Duke.
Appalachian State and James Madison have also clinched spots in the MAC Tournament, with the Mountaineers locked into the No. 3 seed and the Dukes at No. 4. Their opponents will be determined Friday. If both No. 13 Miami and No. 15 UMass win, Miami will face JMU after defeating the Minutewomen earlier this season.
App State’s Sophia Baxter and JMU’s Ava Drexler-Amey shared Defensive Player of the Week honors. It was Baxter’s fourth time earning the award and Drexler-Amey’s second.
To see the update conference standings and more news, visit the Big East page here or the MAC page here.
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