10 Belmont Athletes To Look Out For This Season

Belmont University is not an athletics powerhouse, but it still is home to plenty of exceptional athletes. 

Belmont’s sports teams play in the mid-major level of collegiate sports, primarily playing in the Missouri Valley Conference. The MVC, as a smaller conference, does not receive the same national attention that bigger conferences like the Big 10 or Southeastern Conference do. 

Despite not being in a power four conference, Belmont is still a Division I school, and its athletes are still among the best in the nation.  

Entering the fall semester, Belmont’s athletes will have the opportunity to show off their talents once again, and these are some of the best. 

10. Chloe Tarkany, Women’s Golf 

Tarkany led the women’s golf team with an average score of 75.9 last season and has averaged a score of 76 during her time at Belmont. She won MVC Golfer of the Week three times in the 2024-25 and had a season-low score of 68. Entering her senior year, she looks continue to lead the Bruins in the 2025-26 season. 

9. Brooke Gilleland, Volleyball 

Gilleland is coming off back-to-back seasons leading the Bruins in kills and kills per set. This past season, she finished with 333 kills, good for a mark of 3.06 kills per set. She led the team in points with 318 and recorded her single-game career-high in kills with 23 during her sophomore year and recorded a career-high 22 digs in a match last season. Her stats have improved each year of her career at Belmont, and if the trend continues, she’ll be in for another prolific season.  

8. Esunge Ndumbe, Men’s Tennis 

Ndumbe transferred to Belmont last year and instantly solidified himself as one of the best players on the Bruins’ roster. Before attending Belmont, he was ranked as high as 25^th in the nation while he played at the Division II level at Ferris State University. He was named Horizon League Singles Player of the Week four times and was named to the 2025 All-Horizon League First Team, helping the men’s team claim both the regular season and tournament championships in the Horizon League. This season, he has the opportunity to lead the Bruins to another conference championship. 

7. Chris Harpum, Men’s Golf 

Last season was Harpum’s first with the Bruins, and he introduced himself by leading the team in scoring with 74.3. He also posted the Bruins’ lowest score with 67, a mark he hit twice last season. He tied for sixth in the MVC Championship, his highest finish of the season. Still just a junior, Harpum will look to improve on his 2024-25 campaign. 

6. Reagan Ross, Women’s Soccer 

As a freshman, Ross recorded five goals and 11 total points, finishing second on the roster in both categories. She started in 18 of 21 games and was named to both the 2024 All-MVC Third Team and the 2024 MVC All-Freshman Team. Her aggressive offensive style and early success inspires a lot of excitement for her 2025 season. 

5. Tuti Jones, Women’s Basketball 

Entering her sixth and final season, Jones’ impact on the women’s basketball team is well known. She has been named to the MVC All-Defensive Team and All-MVC Third Team each of the last two seasons and was awarded the Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and was named to the All-OVC First Team during the 2021-22 season, prior to Belmont’s move to the Missouri Valley Conference. Jones’s defensive prowess has led her to become the program’s all-time steals leader. Jones also sits at sixth on the university’s all-time scoring list and all-time assists list and is likely to climb even higher on both leaderboards this season. Jones looks to lead the Bruins one last time. 

“That’s one of the things I’m trying to focus on this last year; just being grateful for all that has happened and all that’s to come,” said Jones. 

4. Dylan Steely, Men’s Soccer 

Steely was recently named to his second consecutive Preseason All-MVC team, and deservedly so. He’s also been named to the All-MVC Second Team in each of the previous two seasons and to the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2022. He’s one of two captains of the team this season, and he has been a key piece to the Bruins’ defense his entire career. As one of two players to start every match for the Bruins last season, he is one of the most important and dependable players on the pitch. As a defender, his playstyle may not fill up the stat sheet, but he has a significant impact on the success of the team each match. “It means a lot more knowing this is my last little dance, but nothing changes in the mentality in trying to win every single game and coming out and giving it my all,” Steely said. 

3. Ava Labocki, Women’s Soccer 

Similarly to her teammate Reagan Ross, Labocki joined the Bruins last season as a freshman and had an instant impact. She led the team in both goals and total points, with six and 13 respectively. She joined Ross on the 2024 All-MVC Third Team and 2024 MVC All-Freshman Team, while also adding on an MVC Freshman of the Week award. With explosive success this early into her career, she represents not just one of the most exciting athletes at Belmont for this year, but for years to come. 

2. Jailyn Banks, Women’s Basketball 

Banks led the Bruins in points and assists and finished third in rebounds last season. With Kendal Cheesman and Kendall Holmes, the team’s No. 2 and No. 3 scorers graduating, more of the offensive responsibilities will fall on Banks’ shoulders, which could lead to an even more prolific season for the junior guard. She was named to the MVC All-Freshman Team and received the MVC Freshman of the Year award during her first year at Belmont, and she has been named to the All-MVC Third Team twice. Finally, she was named to the 2025 WBIT All-Tournament Team, in part due to her last second heroics in a massive comeback win against Northern Arizona. If Banks can continue to play at a high level, it will significantly help Belmont repeat the success of the 2024-25 campaign, and she’s working to do just that. “I’m just staying in the gym, always pushing myself and just working hard. That’s all there is really,” Banks said.  

1. Tyler Lundblade, Men’s Basketball 

After redshirting his freshman year at SMU and hardly playing during two years at TCU, Lundblade exploded onto the scene in his first year at Belmont. He led the nation in three-point shooting percentage with a mark of 48.1% last season while averaging 12.4 points per game and set Belmont’s record for most three-pointers made in a season with 104. He established himself as one of the best shooters in the country last season and will look to defend his three-point percentage crown in the upcoming season. A video posted by graduate assistant Ryley McClaran showcased Lundblade making 174 of 179 three-point attempts, including 68 consecutive makes. “I know I can do the most with what I have, so that’s always been the perspective I’ve taken is just trying to get the most out of what I have and do it to the highest level,” said Lundblade.