CLEVELAND – For the third-straight year, Belmont University women's basketball's
Tuti Jones has been named to the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (ADA) Scholar-Athlete Team. The 2026 Division I-AAA ADA Men's and Women's Scholar-Athlete Teams, in conjunction with the men's and women's scholar-athlete of the year and postgraduate scholarship recipient, were announced by the association Wednesday morning.
The Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Teams are in their 24th year of existence.
"On behalf of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association, I am proud to recognize and congratulate this year's men's and women's scholar-athlete teams, as well as our selected scholar-athletes of the year and postgraduate scholarship award winner," said Division I-AAA ADA President and Director of Athletics at Seattle University, Shaney Fink. "These student-athletes exemplify excellence both in the classroom and in competition, demonstrating the dedication, discipline, and balance required to succeed at the highest level. We are honored to celebrate their achievements and support their continued success beyond their collegiate careers."
Last week, the Missouri Valley Conference announced Jones as one of 11 2025-26 winter State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award recipients for being an active member of the Nashville community while excelling both in the classroom and on the court.
Tabbed 2025-26 MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Jones is a three-time College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District
® honoree. Last month, Jones completed the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) "So You Want To Be A Coach" program at the NCAA Women's Final Four in Phoenix.
The only Bruin in Belmont's NCAA era to record 1,500 points, distribute 500 assists and gather 700 rebounds, Jones is a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete Team member and was the 2024 Division I-AAA ADA Postgraduate Scholarship awardee.
Named All-MVC Second Team this past season, Jones landed a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team for a third consecutive year. The Troy, Alabama (Charles Henderson HS), native broke the Bruins' all-time steals record on Jan. 15 in a win at Indiana State and finished her illustrious career with a school-record 449 steals, 1,766 points, 729 rebounds and 520 assists. Her 169 games played rank fourth-most all-time in NCAA Division I women's basketball history and her 168 starts are also a program record.
After graduating with her bachelor's degree in sport administration in May of 2024, Jones will complete her master's degree next week. Jones has maintained an unblemished 4.0 cumulative grade point average while pursuing her Master of Sport Administration degree. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Jones achieved a near-perfect 3.95 GPA.
About the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Teams and Awards
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for the prestigious annual awards. Each nominee is required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.20 (4.00 scale) in their undergraduate study and be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials. Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athlete Team, individuals must have reached junior academic standing at their respective institution (ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible).
About Division I-AAA ADA
Now in its 25th year, the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance initiatives common to its Division I-AAA membership (Division I institutions that do not sponsor football), in particular, aspects related to their flagship basketball programs. For more information on the Division I-AAA ADA, please visit
Div1AAA-ADA.com. The Division I-AAA ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 61st year. For more information on NACDA and the 19 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit
NACDA.com.
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