Tony Belt joined the Virginia Athletics department in December of 2023 and currently serves as Deputy Athletic Director.
Belt is a distinguished intercollegiate athletics leader with more than a decade of experience advancing student-athlete success, academic achievement, student-athlete development, organizational leadership, and community engagement. Belt currently leads the Student Success Unit (Academics and Student-Athlete Development) in supporting more than 750 student-athletes for all 27 programs.
In addition to academics, Belt leads the department in admissions, provides strategic oversight of student enrollment, roster management and campus partnerships. Belt also serves as the primary sport administrator for multiple nationally competitive programs, including Virginia’s six-time national champion swimming and diving program, women’s field hockey, men's swimming and diving and assists with the administration of Virginia Football.
Under his leadership, Virginia Athletics has achieved repeated departmental record-setting team GPAs, a 96% overall graduation rate, and two Top 5 Learfield Directors’ Cup finishes. He has also contributed to fundraising efforts generating support in endowed scholarships and student-success initiatives.
Prior to joining Virginia, Belt served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Student-Athlete Experience at the University of Toledo, directing academic services and student-athlete development for the athletic department. His responsibilities included student-athlete admissions, academic support, retention, academic compliance, community engagement, and campus collaborations. During his tenure, Toledo achieved six consecutive record-setting GPAs, a 92% overall graduation rate, and back-to-back MAC Conference Cartwright Awards recognizing excellence across academics, athletics, and community service.
Belt's experience includes previous stops at Duke University, The College of William & Mary, Virginia Tech, and The University of Louisville where he began his professional career in academic support.
As a former elite collegiate track and field athlete, Belt brings a unique perspective to athletics leadership as both a former student-athlete and senior administrator. He was the University of Louisville's first NCAA Track and Field National Champion, a seven-time NCAA All-American, a 10-time Big East champion, and a World Junior Championships silver medalist in the long jump. In 2022, he was inducted into the University of Louisville Hall of Fame.
Belt holds a Master of Education and a Bachelor of Science in Sport Administration from the University of Louisville. He is also active in national intercollegiate athletics organizations, including NACDA/N4A/MOAA.