Xavier Gold Rush remain eighth in the national rankings

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana maintained its program-record No. 8 position in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll announced Tuesday. It's the first time an XU tennis team has been in consecutive top 10s.

The Gold Rush (10-5) have appeared in 28 consecutive top 25s dating to April 4, 2007, and it's the 19th straight time dating to April 30, 2008, that the Gold Rush are among the top 18. This is the second XU men's team of 2010-11 to make the top 10 in consecutive polls — the basketball team did it in December.

XU's men will play four times before the next poll on April 5, including three duals in as many days beginning Friday. The Gold Rush will play Loyola at 3:30 p.m. Friday and third-ranked Auburn Montgomery at 4 p.m. Saturday — both at City Park Tennis Center — and visit NCAA Division I New Orleans at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Fresno Pacific is No. 1 for the 11th consecutive poll. Embry-Riddle (Fla.) replaced Auburn Montgomery at No. 2 after defeating the Senators 7-2 on March 14. AUM is the defending NAIA champion and winner of four of the last five championships.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Sunday, March 20)
Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Fresno Pacific (9) 12-2 219 1
2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 7-5 207 3
3 Auburn Montgomery 13-2 203 2
4 Azusa Pacific 10-3 199 4
5 Oklahoma Christian 11-1 197 5
6 Point Loma Nazarene 8-2 184 6
7 Westmont 5-4 177 7
8 Xavier 10-5 169 8
9 Concordia (Calif.) 4-8 164 9
10 Union (Ky.) 10-4 156 11
11 Graceland 3-4 145 10
12 Vanguard 4-9 142 13
13 Shorter 6-1 139 12
14 St. Thomas (Fla.) 8-2 127 14
15 Lewis-Clark State 7-7 122 15
16 Aquinas 13-2 104 19
17 Webber International 12-3 100 18
18 Cumberland 3-1 95 RV
19 Olivet Nazarene 10-0 85 21
20-tie McKendree 5-1 84 20
20-tie Campbellsville 6-4 84 RV
22 Lee (Tenn.) 1-4 69 22
23 Tennessee Wesleyan 3-2 66 16
24 Martin Methodist 4-4 62 17
25 SCAD Savannah 3-3 57 24

Others receiving votes: William Carey 42, Oklahoma Baptist 36, Lindsey Wilson 36, Huntington (Ind.) 17, Bethany (Kan.) 17, Northwood (Fla.) 8, Biola 5, Northwestern Ohio 4, Bethel (Tenn.) 1, Belhaven 1.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
Xavier University of Louisiana
Visit: XU Athletics