Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Xavier Gold Rush eighth in final NAIA coaches poll of the season

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed one notch Monday to reach a program-record-tying No. 8 in the final NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 of the season.

The Gold Rush (13-9), idle since winning a qualifying tournament for the NAIA National Championship at Chattanooga, Tenn., on April 30, swapped places with Vanguard from last week's poll. Xavier won 6-3 at Vanguard on March 4.

Xavier first reached No. 8 in the March 8 poll and remained there for two additional rankings. XU's men were in the top 10 in five of the final six polls.

This is the first Xavier team to reach the top 10 in a final NAIA poll since women's basketball was No. 4 in 1997-98.

The Gold Rush are in the the top 25 for the 32nd consecutive time dating to April 4, 2007 — that's the fifth longest active streak among NAIA men's teams — and it's the 23rd straight time dating to April 30, 2008, that the Gold Rush are among the top 18. It's the sixth consecutive season that the XU men are among the top 25 in the final poll.

Xavier has qualified for the national tournament for the third consecutive season. The NAIA will announce seedings and pairings for the 24-team event by 5 p.m. Tuesday. The tournament will begin May 17 at Mobile, Ala.

Fresno Pacific received all the first-place votes and is No. 1 in the final poll for the second straight season.

Xavier's women, whose season ended April 30 with a 5-0 loss to Milligan in the semifinals of the qualifying tournament, are out of the top 25 for the fifth consecutive time after 44 straight appearances. The Gold Nuggets collected three points, two more than last week, to tie for 33rd place.

In last season's final polls, Xavier's men were 16th, and the women were 19th. This is the first time since 2003 that the Gold Nuggets are not among the final top 25.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 8)
RankTeamRecordPointsLast
1Fresno Pacific (10)21-22501
2Embry-Riddle (Fla.)14-62422
3Auburn Montgomery23-32333
4Oklahoma Christian21-12264
5Azusa Pacific15-62185
6Westmont12-52106
7Point Loma Nazarene15-72007
8Xavier13-91929
9Vanguard7-131838
10Union (Ky.)17-517710
11Shorter12-416612
12Concordia (Calif.)8-1416311
13Graceland11-515113
14Lindsey Wilson14-514715
15William Carey12-914314
16Aquinas24-313616
17St. Thomas (Fla.)14-311917
18Olivet Nazarene14-311018
19Lewis-Clark State10-810319
20McKendree20-39920
21Tennessee Wesleyan11-69021
22SCAD Savannah7-48422
23Martin Methodist14-58223
24Bethany (Kan.)21-36125
25Webber International13-66024

Others receiving votes: Lee (Tenn.) 47, Campbellsville 33, Cumberland 22, Lindenwood 20, Northwood (Fla.) 18, Northwestern Ohio 15, Biola 8, Our Lady of the Lake 7, Georgetown (Ky.) 1.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, May 8)
RankTeamRecordPointsLast
1Fresno Pacific (11)18-43121
2Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (1)20-33022
3Auburn Montgomery23-52883
4Azusa Pacific19-42814
5Oklahoma Christian17-22745
6Point Loma Nazarene19-32656
7Concordia (Calif.)14-72527
8Brenau10-72418
9SCAD Savannah10-22319
10Vanguard10-1022210
11Southern Nazarene14-620811
12William Carey14-620312
13Lee (Tenn.)9-519213
14Olivet Nazarene19-117614
15Shorter11-417315
16Lewis-Clark State6-14155tie-16
17Indiana Wesleyan21-1154tie-16
18Martin Methodist15-514518
19Lindsey Wilson13-513919
20Oklahoma Baptist9-1011220
21Campbellsville14-511122
22St. Thomas (Fla.)9-910821
23William Jewell17-79623
24Webber International12-87924
25Belhaven14-36825

Others receiving votes: Westmont 49, Milligan 49, McKendree 27, Indiana Southeast 26, Robert Morris (Chicago) 18, Cumberlands 16, Taylor 6, Xavier 3, Marian (Ind.) 3, Georgetown (Ky.) 1, Spring Hill 1, Northwood (Fla.) 1, Mobile 1, Northwestern Ohio 1.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS

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