JACKSON, Tenn. – Union University Director of Athletics Mark Campbell tabbed Kelly Toomey Elliott to fill the department’s senior woman administrator position. In addition, Elliott will also serve as the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Sponsor.
Campbell said, “We are excited to announce that Kelly will be our new SWA. Kelly knows who we are here at Union University. She exemplifies all that we stand for in athletics as well. She has been a leader on our campus as our volleyball coach and in the classroom. She has a heart for ministry and loves leveraging what we do in athletics for kingdom purposes. Kelly will use her leadership skills and vision to impact our community service emphasis and lead SAAC. We are excited about this addition to our athletics family.”
Elliott, now in her 21st year at Union University, spent two seasons in the department previously as the Union volleyball coach from 2010-11.
Elliott began as the residence director at Union in 2004. In 2007, she was named a professor in the Union’s Physical Education, Wellness, and Sport Department. As Union volleyball head coach, her team won the 2010 TranSouth Conference Regular Season Title and she was named the conference coach of the year. She coached one All-American, a conference freshman of the year, and seven all-conference selections during her two years.
Elliott said, “As a former collegiate athlete and coach, I am passionate about the role that sport can play in our character growth and spiritual formation. I am honored to serve under the leadership of Director of Athletics Mark Campbell and his dedicated team in Union Athletics to live out the mission of Union University in being a place that is excellence-driven, Christ-centered, people-focused, and future-directed. Having served at Union for 20 years, this place has become family. I look forward to investing in our student-athletes and supporting our talented athletic coaches and staff, and the whole Union athletic family.”
More recently, in addition to her teaching role at Union, Elliott served as the volleyball coach for Trinity Christian Academy, a local high school in Jackson. She coached from 2013-2019, and then again in 2022 for one season. She was voted district coach of the year four times, West Tennessee Coach of the Year twice, and in 2014-15, was selected as the NFHS Tennessee State Coach of the Year. Elliott coaches seven all-state players, three West Tennessee Players of the Year, and 14 all-district players. Six of her high school players moved on to play college volleyball, including two at Union.
Before coming to Union, Elliott was the assistant volleyball coach at her Alma Mater, King University, from 1997-2004. She was a four-year starter at King from 1991-94. While playing for King, she was named all-conference twice, all-district two times, and was twice named an NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete. She was also the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Athlete of the Year as a senior in 1994. Elliott’s 1994 team is also in the King University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Elliott is a 1995 Magna Cum Laude graduate of King University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in coaching. She earned two master’s degrees, a Master of Education in Counseling from the University of Louisville in 1997, and a Master of Arts in Education, Sports Management concentration from East Tennessee State University in 1999. She is working toward a Doctor of Ministry from Richmont Graduate University with a 2026 expected graduation date.
Elliott and her husband Michael were married in 1995. They live in Jackson, Tennessee, and have two children, Isaac (Union, ’95) and Anna Elliott Fultz. Isaac, a college pastor, is married to Brooke Watson (Union ’20) and the two live in Nashville with their daughter, Quincy. Anna and her husband Ethan will live in Jackson as Anna works as a graduate assistant for the Union University Edge Program while pursuing her master’s in social work.
Tre Walton named assistant men’s basketball coach
JACKSON, Tenn. – Union University men’s basketball head coach David Niven has announced Tre Walton as the next assistant coach for the program. Walton was named the assistant coach for the Union University men’s basketball program in May 2024. Walton is in his first season with the Bulldogs.
Niven said, “I could not be more excited about the addition of Tre to our program. He has made an immediate impact in recruiting, and building relationships with our players and people on our campus. Tre’s faith fits the mission of Union University. He is excellent with on-the-floor coaching and player development. Tre is a rising star in the coaching world and will be an excellent head coach in the near future.”
Before coming to Union, Walton was the Director of Player of Development for Sam Houston State University in 2023-24. As an assistant coach at Sam Houston, Walton helped lead the team to the Conference USA Title and boasted three all-conference players. He was the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Western Texas College in 2022-23 where he recruited and developed an all-conference player.
Walton said, “I am very excited for the opportunity to join Coach Niven’s staff at Union. Union basketball has had a history of recruiting great players to build great teams, and I hope to continue in that tradition.”
Walton was a graduate assistant at Dallas Baptist University from 2020-22, helping that squad to a third-place finish in the conference and a trip to the NCAA D2 National Tournament. In his two years at Dallas Baptist, he coached several first-team all-conference players, a freshman of the year, a defensive player of the year, all-region, and All-America players.
Walton also served as the assistant coach from 2016-20 at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He coached all-conference players and was a player of the year. Walton’s final season at John Jay ties the best regular-season record for the Bloodhounds. The team finished with a 20-5 record and a 13-1 conference record. The team also made its second consecutive ECAC postseason tournament.
Walton is a 2017 graduate of St. John’s University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management. He earned a Master’s Degree in Leadership from Dallas Baptist University in 2021.
Walton is a graduate of St. Mark’s School of Texas where he played three years of basketball.
