First Year of College, Already Leading Their Conference: Fall 2026 Freshmen

Every fall, a few freshmen walk into college and take over straight away. We read the season stats of every BIG EAST and Ivy League team in women's soccer, men's soccer and volleyball, and 11 freshmen already rank first or second in their conference in a major stat - in their first college season.

A year ago, most of them were where you are now: emailing coaches, sending film, waiting to hear back. Here is who they are and what they have done so far.

Freshmen ranked #1 or #2 in their conference

• #1 Luanna Markus (Marquette · Setter · BIG EAST volleyball): 9.47 assists per set
• #1 Aubrey Easterwood (Providence · Middle blocker · BIG EAST volleyball): 1.58 blocks per set
• #1 Kalyssa Taggart (Yale · Setter · Ivy League volleyball): 9.65 assists per set
• #1 Brooke Huleatt (Harvard · Forward · Ivy League soccer): 25 points
• T1 Frances Reuland (Xavier · Forward · BIG EAST soccer): 6 assists
• #2 Molly Welge (Marquette · Middle blocker · BIG EAST volleyball): 1.23 blocks per set
• #2 Carola Tesoro (St. John's · Outside hitter · BIG EAST volleyball): 4.07 kills per set
• #2 Tomiwa Adewumi (Marquette · Forward · BIG EAST soccer): 21 points
• #2 Sofia Kerrigan (Cornell · Goalkeeper · Ivy League soccer): 5 clean sheets
• T2 Mia Hurd (Marquette · Goalkeeper · BIG EAST soccer): 6 clean sheets
• T2 Jocy Koffi (Providence · Forward · BIG EAST soccer): 6 goals

What this means if you are being recruited

Coaches play freshmen who are ready - and who fit what the team needs. Playing early usually comes down to two things you can control: how prepared you are, and whether you chose a team with room at your position. The second one you can research right now.

How we counted

Season stats come from each team's own stats page, read on 12 October 2026 (games through 11 October). A conference is included only when every team in it was read: 11 BIG EAST teams and 8 Ivy League teams per sport. Volleyball per-set stats need 75% of the team's sets. Freshmen are first-year players who were not on last season's roster. T1/T2 means tied. Stats change after every game.

Find the teams with room for you

Calldup shows every roster we hold by position and class, so you can see which teams have seniors leaving at your position, then email the head coach in one tap. Start a 3-day free trial at calldup.com.