Women’s Basketball Adds Trio of Transfers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Belmont University women's basketball program and head coach Bart Brooks have announced the addition of three transfers for the 2026-27 season – Katie Criswell, Kenley McCarn and Lauren Rust. The trio will arrive in the Music City this summer and bring a wealth of NCAA Division I playing experience to the Bruins.
 
A native of Lawrenceburg, Tennessee, Criswell spent the last three seasons at North Alabama, while McCarn (Melbourne, Arkansas) scored over 1,500 points across the last four years at the University of Tennessee at Martin. Hailing from Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Rust played a little over two seasons at Atlantic Coast Conference member Pittsburgh.
 
Both Criswell and McCarn are graduate transfers with one year of eligibility left. Rust will be a junior athletically in 2026-27 and has two years of eligibility remaining.
 
Making 80 starts and playing in 90 games for the Lions, Criswell averaged over 8.0 points per game the last two seasons. Nearing 700 career points and 300 rebounds, Criswell distributed the second-most assists (52) for North Alabama in 2025-26 while averaging 8.4 points and 2.8 rebounds. A versatile 5-foot-10 guard, Criswell shot 32.7 percent (82-of-251) from beyond the arc in her first three collegiate seasons, came up with 54 steals and made 48 blocks.
 
"Katie is an elite athlete who can impact the game on both sides of the ball," commented coach Brooks. "Her instincts as a three-level scorer will complement our system beautifully, and Belmont fans will love how hard she competes to help her team win. Katie has shown over her career that she's not only an elite player but also an exceptional teammate who values selflessness and integrity as she competes."
 
Scoring over 1,000 points during her varsity career, Criswell played all five positions at Lawrence County High School where she was an all-district, all-region and all-tournament team selection.
 
Criswell will graduate with her bachelor's degree from North Alabama in August and enroll in Belmont's Master of Business Administration program.
 
Recently named UT Martin's Colonel William R. Kaler Academic Achievement Award winner, McCarn is a two-time All-Ohio Valley Conference First Team performer and three-time All-OVC pick. Starting 97 of the 98 games she played in for the Skyhawks, McCarn has established herself as one of the nation's elite scorers. In just a little more than three seasons, McCarn has already totaled 1,516 points, 447 rebounds, 228 assists and 140 steals. Averaging 15.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game for her career, McCarn is an 85.6 percent (232-of-271) career free-throw shooter.
 
The 5-foot-11 guard recorded a pair of double-doubles in points and rebounds this past season and turned in a remarkable 40-point performance on 14-for-16 shooting in a mid-January conference home victory. In her collegiate debut against Troy in November of 2022, McCarn scored an impressive 31 points on 12-for-19 shooting. Across her freshman and redshirt freshman seasons, McCarn was six times named OVC Freshman of the Week and was selected as OVC Player of the Week twice.
 
"Kenley is an ultra-competitive guard who has the ability to score in a variety of ways," spoke coach Brooks. "She has been an extremely productive college player, and we are very excited to have her join our Belmont family. Our fans will love her toughness and how hard she competes to make winning plays for our team. Kenley is a great teammate who will represent Belmont with character and class."
 
While starring at Melbourne High School in Arkansas, McCarn shot 52.1 percent from the field, including 44.7 percent from three-point range, and 81.5 percent at the free-throw line. She led the Bearkatz to four-straight state titles and finished her prep career with 65 consecutive wins. McCarn collected MaxPreps Small Town All-American honors and was tabbed Arkansas Class 2A State Tournament MVP for three consecutive seasons.
 
Already attaining her bachelor's degree in accounting and finance, McCarn will continue to pursue her MBA at Belmont.
 
Averaging 5.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists across 29 games and 19 starts last season for the Panthers, Rust posted double-figure rebounds in five different contests and scored in double figures four times. On New Year's Day, Rust poured in a career-high 17 points against Wake Forest before tallying a career-best 15 rebounds in a road win at Boston College three days later. As a true freshman, Rust appeared in 15 games for Pitt and made one start. Over the last three years with the Panthers, the 6-foot forward registered over 200 rebounds, nearly 200 points, 38 assists, 24 steals and 13 blocks in 47 games and 23 starts.
 
"We are thrilled to add Lauren to our Belmont family," said coach Brooks. "She is an incredible teammate who has a tireless work ethic. Lauren will bring great energy and enthusiasm to our program. Her size and versatility will allow her to thrive in our system, and our fans will love how hard she competes!"
 
Rust has already spent two years playing in Tennessee as she attended The Webb School in Bell Buckle for her junior and senior seasons of high school. Leading the Webb Feet to a 32-4 record and a third consecutive Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Division II Class A state championship her senior year, Rust earned Prep Girls Hoops All-Tennessee Team honors. In Canada, Rust was named to the 2023 BioSteel All Canadian Games roster, which is comprised of the top 24 Canadian born high school players. She also played in the U18 Canada Games and the U17 Canada Nationals, earning All-Star First Team accolades after averaging 9.8 points and a tournament-best 11.2 rebounds per game. In addition to basketball, Rust was an all-district volleyball player at The Webb School.
 
"We are beyond excited to welcome Katie, Kenley and Lauren to our program and we can't wait for them to represent Belmont as we compete next season," coach Brooks added.
 
Criswell, McCarn and Rust join the Bruins' freshmen class of guard Tayli Dimarco (Sale, Victoria, Australia), forward Samiya Jones (Memphis, Tennessee) and guard Chelby Jordan (Trenton, Tennessee) as Belmont's newcomers this summer.
 
The Bruins return guard Quinn Eubank, center KK Brodie, forward Leah West and guards Rylie Beers, Kate McGinnis and Tatum Woodson.
 
How to Follow
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