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. 5.
Men’s Soccer
In a battle of top-10 programs, West Virginia hosted Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers were able to notch their fourth shut-out of the season, and second in a row, with a 2-0 win. Carlos Hernando notched his first goal of the season in the 23rd minute, while Marcus Caldeira recorded his sixth of the season in the 72nd minute. Goaltender Marc Bonnaire recorded his fifth shutout of the season, earning him Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors.
This put West Virginia (6-0-3, 3-0-0 SBC) in a tie with Kentucky for the conference lead. The Wildcats (7-1-2, 3-0-0) are coming off a 2-0 victory over James Madison.
In Atlanta, 22nd-ranked Marshall went down early to Georgia State. Matt Taylor got his fifth goal of the season for the Panthers in the 41st minute. Alvaro Alvarez got his first two goals of the season, including the equalizer in the 43rd minute to help the Thundering Herd (4-1-4, 2-1-0 SBC) to break a two-game winless streak.
In the latest Top 25 poll, the victory over Georgia Southern moved West Virginia up to No. 4, while Georgia Southern dropped five spots to No. 11. Both Marshall and Kentucky moved up five spots, to No. 17 and No. 19 respectively.
Old Dominion’s Otu Bisong earned Offensive Player of the Week, after the freshman scored the game-winning goal against Coastal Carolina in his first career start.
Top Games for the Week Ending Oct. 16:
- No. 19 Kentucky at No. 17 Marshall
- No. 20 Indiana at No. 19 Kentucky
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Women’s Soccer
Last weekend saw five of the seven conference fixtures end in draws, with South Alabama and ULM earning victories in their matchups.
South Alabama (8-3-1, 4-1-1 SBC) defeated Arkansas State 2-0 at home, with Zamiyah Hill scoring her fifth goal of the season in the 79th minute to seal the win. ULM (8-2-3, 3-0-3) defeated Southern Miss 3-1 on the road, with Skylar Blaise netting her ninth goal of the season in the 56th minute to put the game out of reach. The performance earned the ULM senior forward the Offensive Player of the Week award — her second in three weeks.
The Defensive Player of the Week went to Old Dominion’s Gry Boe Thrysoe. The graduate midfielder helped the Monarchs to a victory over Troy and a scoreless draw against Coastal Carolina. In their win over Troy, Thrysoe scored twice to help ODU get the victory.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Volleyball
Coastal Carolina and South Alabama continued their undefeated runs in conference play. The Chanticleers (12-4, 4-0 SBC) swept Old Dominion last weekend. Jalyn Stout added to her NCAA record for career triple-double, notching her 42nd in the 3-0 victory on Saturday.
The Jaguars (9-6, 4-0 SBC) swept their weekend series against ULM. Georgia Southern dropped its first conference match of the season, falling 3-2 to Marshall on Friday. The Eagles (12-3, 3-1 SBC) earned weekend split on Saturday with a 3-0 victory on Saturday.
James Madison’s Kennedy Louisell earned her second straight Offensive Player of the Week honors — and third of the season — after recording 37 kills in a 3-2 victory over Georgia State on Saturday, breaking a school recorded that had stood since 1984. The Dukes’s Ayen Nhial was awarded Defensive Player of the Week after recording 18 total blocks during the weekend sweep of Georgia State. Georgia Southern senior Kirsten Barrett earned Setter of the Week award for the fourth time after she notched 95 total assists against Marshall.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Cross Country
Several schools competed in cross-county meets last weekend, with multiple teams and runners recording top-five finishes.
At the Fire Tower Project event hosted by Appalachian State, the Mountaineers won the men’s 8,000 meter race and Aaron Kidd claimed the individual title to earn Sun Belt Men’s Runner of the Week. Coastal Carolina finished seventh. The Mountaineers placed eight runners in the top ten of the event.
In the women’s 6,000 meter race, App State placed second, James Madison sixth and Coastal finished seventh. The Duke’s Sidney Walters led the group with a fourth-place finish.
At the Azalea City Classic in Fairburn, Georgia, South Alabama won both races while Troy finished third. The Jaguars’ Xavier Johnson finished second in the men’s 7K , and Charleen Elizando won the women’s three-mile event.
Arkansas State’s men’s team finished sixth in the men’s 8K of the Louisville Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. The Red Wolves’ Parker Noffz was the top finisher, placing 35th while Marshall was unable to place a runner in the top 50. Marshall’s Hannah Toth earned Sun Belt Women’s Runner of the Week after she was the top finisher amongst Sun Belt runners at the Louisville Classic.
To see the update Sun Belt conference standings and more news, click here.
Golf
In men’s golf, South Alabama finished third in the Trinity Forest Invitational, led by three Jaguars — Hugo Thyr, Tim Kretschmann, and Joshua Hill –who tied for sixth at 9-under par.
At the Fighting Irish Classic hosted by Notre Dame, Georgia Southern tied for sixth with 12-over, led by Morgan Blythe , who finished tied for sixth at 3-under. Coastal Carolina’s Max Bengtsson tied for fourth at 11-under at the West Bay Collegiate Invitational, helping the Chanticleers finish ninth.
Four teams competed in the Pirate Collegiate Tournament in Greenville, North Carolina. James Madison’s women’s team finished fourth, while App State’s Alisa Pressley tied for eighth at 2-under. South Alabama’s Anna Behnsen tied for sixth at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee, 3-under.
Women’s Field Hockey
Old Dominion had a tough weekend, falling to two top-10 opponents. On Friday, the Monarchs (4-7, 2-1 Big East) suffered their first conference loss against No. 7 Liberty 1-0. On Sunday, No. 1 North Carolina defeated ODU 4-1 in Norfolk.
App State also faced Liberty, losing 7-1 on Sunday. The Mountaineers (8-3, 2-1 MAC) also dropped their first conference game of the season, a 7-1 loss to Miami (OH) Friday. James Madison defeated Ball State on Friday to move into a four-way tie atop of the MAC standings. The Dukes (8-5, 2-1 MAC) then stepped out of conference play, falling to No. 9 Duke 5-0 at home.
To see the update conference standings and more news, visit the Big East page here or the MAC page here.
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