The month of September was a big one for Truett McConnell athletics as eight sports were in season with women's soccer, men's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's golf, cycling, cross country and competitive gaming.
 
Overall, the Bears and Lady Bears went a combined 26-4 throughout games with both soccer teams, volleyball and gaming. TMU also had two player of the week honors within the Appalachian Athletic Conference.
 
WOMEN'S SOCCER
The Lady Bears had a stellar month, going 6-0 with five wins in AAC play. Key wins in the month included a 2-0 win over Tennessee Wesleyan, who was receiving votes, and a 1-0 win over No. 22 Georgia Gwinnett at the TMU Soccer Complex. The team is first in the AAC standings and did not allow a single goal in the month, outscoring opponents 16-0.
 
"It's a complete team performance in keeping a clean sheet," defender Erin Ward said.
 
The stretch was highlighted by Isabella Hodson, who racked up seven goals through six matches and had two assists, resulting in 16 total points. The senior also produced the game-winning shot in three of the six matches in September. In a four-point week from Sept. 7-12, she received AAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for week four.
 
"I'm happy to contribute to the team by scoring goals and assists," Hodson said. "I believe what I do comes from the work of the team as a whole."
 
Truett saw a historical mark in the NAIA poll, climbing up as high as No. 6, the highest a TMU women's program has ever been ranked and the second highest NAIA program ranking in school history. Currently, the Lady Bears remain in the top ten with the No. 8 spot.
 
"Going forward, we want to take it one game at a time," Ward said. "We want to keep clean sheets while also getting as many goals as we can."
 
MEN'S SOCCER
To say that it was a good month for the Bears is an understatement. Along with the team going a perfect 6-0 in the stretch, the team picked up its first ranked win in nine years with a 3-2 thriller over No. 19 Union Commonwealth. It also had four shutouts on the month and posted a scoring margin of 31-3. The Bears are atop the AAC standings and hold the tiebreaker over second place Union, who is one game back.
 
Senior Jovica Lazarevic is the team leader in goals with seven picked up in September. He also had 16 total points with two assists, a .500 shooting percentage and produced a game-winner. Pablo Farrona, along with his four goals, recorded an astounding 11 assists on the month, which is a program record for assists in a single season. The senior currently leads the country in the assists category.
 
"I feel good about my performance so far but there's still a lot of work to do," Lazarevic said. "As a team, we need to take it one game at a time going forward."
 
Roman Reynolds also contributed offensively with 12 points (four goals, four assists). With his five-point week from Sept. 21-26, he was named AAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for week five.
 
WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
In a 16-match month that started with the Bear Invitational, the Lady Bears compiled a 12-4 overall record with a 6-2 mark in AAC play. In day two of the invitational, a 3-0 win over Montreat was followed by a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Brewton-Parker, in which the team had to win sets three, four and five. With a loss to St. Mary of the Woods in the final, TMU was named the runner-up of the tournament.
 
A 4-0 start in conference play was highlighted by a 2-0 weekend with five-set wins over Brenau and Reinhardt, the win over the latter being the first Truett victory in the series since 2023. The Lady Bears also had a straight set win over TWU on Sept. 25.
 
"These girls are playing well and they're facing adversity head on," head coach Joe Herrera said. "Our future looks bright, but we still have a lot of work to do."
 
Freshman Alexis Mills led the team with 2.12 kills per set and 106 total. She had a four-match streak from Sept. 19 through Sept. 26 in which she recorded double-digit kills.
 
"I have a lot of appreciation in coach Joe [Herrera] in putting me in this position," Mills said. "I think our team overall is playing well and we have a good future ahead."
 
 Faith Clarkson was also a threat with 1.98 k/s. Anna Forbus had 167 kills per set and totaled 32 blocks on the month. Defensively, Adleigh Schwier had 2.75 digs per set while Caroline Yeager had 26 aces on the serve.
 
"I'm really excited with how our season has gone so far," Clarkson said. "I think with everything we do it goes back to the team effort in every set."
 
GOLF
Both the Lady Bears and Bears got their fall seasons underway in September. The women shot at the Coastal Georgia Women's Fall Invitational and The Invite at Innisbrook, while the men played at the Coastal Georgia Men's Fall Invitational.
 
For the women, the team got T-4^th place in meet one and third out of 13 teams at Innisbrook. Nicoline Elde, who placed T-13^th, claimed the top spot for the team at Coastal Georgia with a score of +16, which included an even score in the second round. Abby Bryant also posted a +20 score and came in 21^st place.
 
At the Innisbrook meet, Brianna Bassett was the main golfer, placing fourth with a +3 score and leading the team to get on the team podium. It was her highest individual finish since the TWU Fall Invitational in 2025.
 
The men competed at the CG men's meet, where the team finished tenth of 15 teams. Rhys Graham was the leader with a +3 score, which included a third round in which he shot one under.
 
CROSS COUNTRY
Both cross country teams have competed in three meets through September. In the season opener at the Bruins XC Night Classic, the men's team placed seventh out of 12 teams. Both teams reached the podium at the Hoka Nights of Tunder XC Fest. At the Mike and Mary Johnson Classic on Sept. 19, the men placed second while the women finished in fourth place.
 
Obadiah Kipruto has led the men so far in 2026, posting a top five finish in every meet throughout September. He placed fifth in the first meet with a season-best 20:07.1 time in the 6k and then collected placements of second and third in the next two meets, running in the 8k race.
 
For the women, Riley Stevens has been the leader in all three meets. She reached a season-best seventh place finish at the Hoka Nights of Thunder XC Fest with a time of 21:35.4 in the 5k.
 
COMPETITIVE GAMING
The gaming team is off to a historical start in the Marvel Rivals league, going 2-0 with both victories being against NCAA Division I opponents. The three wins are the first vs. DI teams in the program's history. The Roaring Bears won 3-1 over the South Dakota Coyote Rivals before assuming victory in a forfeit vs. Aggie Esports MR Rising.
 
CYCLING
The cycling team competed in three meets over the month at Lindsey Wilson, Lees McRae College and at the SECCC Championships. In the Championships, Kayla Liles placed 28th in the Pro/Cat ½ race for the women. In the men's race, Garrison Riker placed 48th while Grayson Gunnin ended up in 60th place. In the dual slalom events, Brendan Powell and Riker finished 40th and 41st in the men's Pro/Cat ½ competition.
 
On Sunday, Riker led the men in the ½ race coming in at 46th. Gianna Claxton finished in 15th place in the 2/3 event while Liles placed 29th in the ½ for the women. In the downhill races, Gunnin placed 44th in the Cat 2/3 with a time of 3:16.18 while Riker scored a 2:36.63 time in the ½.