Nuggets, Rush will run twice at home during 2014 season

NEW ORLEANS — Two city meets, including the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships, are highlights of the 2014 Xavier University of Louisiana men's and women's cross country schedules.
    
Tenth-year head coach Joseph Moses announced the schedules Tuesday. Both the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets are eight-time defending champions of the GCAC.
    
Xavier will play host to the GCAC Championships on Oct. 18 at City Park, with team and individual champions qualifying automatically for the NAIA National Championships at Lawrence, Kan., on Nov. 22. It will be the first time since 2003 that New Orleans is the site of the GCAC meet.
    
The other City Park meet will be the Xavier Big Easy Opener on Aug. 29. It will be the first time since 2007 that the Rush and Nuggets compete in their home city.
    
For the first time since 2010, XU teams will compete four times in Louisiana. Xavier will run at the LSU Invitational in Baton Rouge on Sept. 20 and the McNeese Cowboy Stampede in Lake Charles on Sept. 27.
    
Xavier's second meet — one of four before the conference meet — will be the Azalea City Classic at Mobile, Ala., on Sept. 12.
    
Xavier returns both 2013 GCAC individual champions, Catherine Fakler and Kwame Jackson. Also back is Jackson's sister Zahri, a GCAC individual champion in 2011 and 2012.


Xavier University of Louisiana
2014 Men's and Women's
Cross Country Schedule

Friday, Aug. 29
XAVIER BIG EASY OPENER, City Park, 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 12
Azalea City Classic, Mobile, Ala.

Saturday, Sept. 20
LSU Invitational, Baton Rouge, La.

Saturday, Sept. 27
McNeese Cowboy Stampede, Lake Charles, La.

Saturday, Oct. 18
GCAC CHAMPIONSHIPS, City Park, 8 a.m.

Saturday, Nov. 22
NAIA National Championships, Lawrence, Kan., 10:30 a.m.

Home meets in CAPITAL LETTERS
All times are Central except where noted
Schedules are subject to change

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold  

XU to open 2014 with 11 of first 13 matches at home

Hannah Lawing

NEW ORLEANS — A slew of early-season home matches is one of the features of the 2014 Xavier University of Louisiana women's volleyball schedule.
     
Second-year coach Hannah Lawing announced Tuesday the schedule, which consists of 23 regular-season contests. Xavier will play a school-record-tying 13 matches at home. Eleven of the Gold Nuggets' first 13 matches will be at home, including a school-record five in a row from Sept. 20-29.
     
The Nuggets' first 13 matches of 2013 were on the road. Two years ago they played 12 of their first 14 on the road, including the first seven.
        
Xavier is the three-time defending Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament champion and is 43-0 the past three seasons against GCAC opponents. Xavier is one of 17 schools to qualify for the NAIA National Championship each of the last three seasons.
     
This will be the Nuggets' second season in the Convocation Center, which opened in November 2012 and seats nearly 4,000 for volleyball or basketball. When Xavier opens against Faulkner at 2 p.m. on Aug. 23, it will be the second time in the program's seven seasons that the Nuggets begin their schedule at home.
     
Three days later, on Aug. 26, the Nuggets will play at 7 p.m. at home against Mobile. It will be the first of three matches against 2013 NAIA national tourney qualifiers.
     
Xavier will play its earliest-ever GCAC opener, Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. at home against Edward Waters. The GCAC will have eight members in 2014-15 — Fisk departed after four seasons to join the NAIA's Association of Independent Institutions — and all GCAC teams will play 14 conference matches.
     
First-time opponents will be Wiley — Aug. 30 at Wiley, Sept. 9 at Xavier — and Concordia (Mich.) on Oct. 11 at Xavier.
     
The Nuggets' other matches against 2013 NAIA tourney qualifiers will be Spring Hill at home on Oct. 10 and at Mobile on Oct. 14. Spring Hill this season begins the first year of its candidacy period in NCAA Division II.
     
Xavier will play three road matches in New Orleans: SUNO on Oct. 1 and Dillard on Nov. 6 in the conference and Loyola on Nov. 3.
     
Match times and dates are subject to change.
     
Xavier was 26-8 in 2013, 9-0 at home. The Nuggets have a school-record 13-match home win streak dating to 2012.


2014 Xavier University Women's Volleyball Schedule

Aug. 23:  FAULKNER, 2 p.m.
Aug. 26:  MOBILE, 7 p.m.
Aug. 30:  at Wiley, 11 a.m.
Sept. 5:  • EDWARD WATERS, 6 p.m.
Sept. 9:  WILEY, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15:  • at Tougaloo, 5 p.m.
Sept. 20:  • PHILANDER SMITH, noon
Sept. 22:  • TALLADEGA, 7 p.m.
Sept. 26:  LOYOLA, 6 p.m.
Sept. 27:  • DILLARD, noon
Sept. 29:  • VOORHEES, 7 p.m.
 Oct. 1:  • at SUNO, 7 p.m.
Oct. 10:  SPRING HILL, 6 p.m.
Oct. 11:  CONCORDIA (MICH.), 1 p.m.
 Also Oct. 11 at Xavier: Spring Hill vs. Concordia (Mich.), 11 a.m.
Oct. 14:  at Mobile, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 18:  • TOUGALOO, 1 p.m.
Oct. 20:  • at Talladega, 7 p.m.
Oct. 25:  • at Voorhees, 11 a.m. EDT
Oct. 26:  • at Edward Waters, noon EDT
Oct. 30:  • SUNO, 7 p.m.
Nov. 1:  • at Philander Smith, noon
Nov. 3:  at Loyola, 7 p.m.
Nov. 6:  • at Dillard, 5 p.m.
TBA:  GCAC Tournament
Nov. 22:  NAIA National Championship opening round at campus sites, TBA
Dec. 2-6:  NAIA National Championship final site at Sioux City, Iowa, TBA

Home matches (in CAPITAL LETTERS) will be played at the Convocation Center (capacity 3,937), Xavier University campus, New Orleans
• Gulf Coast Athletic Conference match
TBA — To be announced
All times are Central except where noted


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
https://twitter.com/xulagold
https://www.facebook.com/xulagold  

HAPPY - Alabama State University

SC State Football Players Participate In Community Blood Drive

Junior defensive end Reggie Owens was one of many Bulldog football players who
participated  in the American Red Cross Blood drive held at O.C. Dawson Stadium.

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  -- The South Carolina State University football program teamed up with the American Red Cross in a community blood drive held Wednesday, June.25 at Oliver C. Dawson Stadium.

This year's blood drive was held in the conference room of Dawson Stadium with over 60 participants from the community, along with the Bulldog football team.

 "This year was the first year we teamed up with the American Red Cross for a worthy cause in giving blood," said head coach Buddy Pough. "We hope to make this an annual event so we can make more people in the community aware of the importance of donating."

According to event organizers, the blood drive was a huge victory for donating in the African- American Community. Every participant that donated blood or plasma will have the ability to save three lives in the future.

African-Americans have played a vital role in the development of the American Red Cross, through pioneering blood plasma research.

The African-American community has been invaluable in this effort, whether it's assisting victims of disaster, teaching health and safety courses or providing strong insightful volunteer leadership.

For more information about how you can donate blood to help save lives, please call or visit your local Red Cross office or www.redcrossblood.org and 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

COURTESY SOUTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

NSU Williams to Play for Houston Rockets Summer League Team

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Former Norfolk State guard Pendarvis Williams will play for the Houston Rockets' summer league team in Las Vegas in mid-July after signing a free agent contract with the Rockets organization after last week's NBA Draft.

Williams, who finished his four-year career with NSU last season, is one of at least nine players who will compete for the Rockets' team in Las Vegas from July 12-21.

It will mark the third year in a row a former NSU player participated in one of the two NBA summer leagues – the other taking place in Orlando. Former Spartan Kyle O'Quinn competed with the Orlando Magic in 2012 and '13 after the Magic selected him in the second round of the 2012 Draft.

Williams, a native of Philadelphia, earned first-team All-NABC District 15 and second-team All-MEAC honors in 2013-14 as a senior with NSU. He also garnered AP All-America honorable mention and participated in the Reese's College All-Star Game before the Final Four.

He averaged career highs of 15.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals last year. He ended his career 15th all-time at NSU with 1,646 points and is only one of two players to tally at least 1,600 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.

Mike Bello, Asst. SID

COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Former HU's McCorory edges Richards-Ross for women's 400 title

SACRAMENTO, California — Francena McCorory had to wait for the replay to see the best race of her life. The U.S. women's 400-meter champion has a tendency to run with her eyes closed.

Not that it mattered much.

 

McCorory won Saturday in the Sanya Richards-Ross.

U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships, finishing in 49.48 seconds to edge Olympic champion

 

McCorory had her best career time and the fastest in the world this year. She did it despite running three-quarters of the race with her eyes closed, something the sprinter has done since she first took up running as a 12-year-old.

 

That McCorory somehow stays in her lane without bumping into other runners was just as impressive as her winning time.

 

"I know it's weird because I have to go around an oval and turn left, but I really don't feel anyone," McCorory said. "I've run so many 400s I can feel the track. At 300 yards, I was like, 'Yes, I'm almost home.' That's the only time I opened my eyes.

 

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New AD Marshall follows his 'passion' to Hampton University

HAMPTON, Virginia — Eugene Marshall Jr. took the plunge 30 years ago. Farewell IBM and potential long-term security and stock options. Hello college sports administration and thankless hours and inevitable job change.

He's never looked back, and Monday the well-credentialed, supremely grateful Marshall was formally introduced as Hampton University's athletic director.



"Probably not wrapped too tight," he said with a broad smile of leaving IBM. "(But) athletics has always been my life. It's one thing to have a job. It's another thing to have a passion. So for 29 years, I've had a passion, not a job. … That's why I'm here. I love what I'm doing. The hours don't matter, because it's not a 9-to-5 job."

The job at Hampton is particularly difficult, witness its rampant turnover. Marshall is the seventh person to hold the position, full-time or interim, since Dennis Thomas resigned in 2002 after 12 years to become commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

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