One is not a lonely number for XU in the NAIA polls

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Xavier University of Louisiana received one point Wednesday — the same number as this past week — in both of the NAIA Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 polls. But that pair of ones is significant.

For the Gold Nuggets, it's the first time since 2002 that they received a vote in consecutive polls, and it's the first time since that same season that they were mentioned in the poll entering the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships. For the XU men, it's the first time they received a vote this late in a season.

Both XU teams will compete Saturday in the GCAC meet at Choctaw Trails Course in Clinton, Miss. — women's race at 8 a.m., men's race at 8:30 — and both the Gold Nuggets and the Gold Rush are trying to win a sixth consecutive team championship. XU junior Matt Pieri is the defending men's individual champion.

NAIA Women's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses) Rank Team Points Last 1 Azusa Pacific (21) 652 1 2 Cal State San Marcos (2) 633 2 3 British Columbia 584 4 4 College of Idaho 576 8 5 Friends 572 6 6 Olivet Nazarene 570 5 7 Northwest Christian 529 3 8 Biola 516 7 9 Concordia (Ore.) 479 9 10 Carroll (Mont.) 459 11 11 Morningside 458 10 12 The Master's 423 12 13 Saint Xavier 371 13 14 Lewis-Clark State 359 15 15 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 355 14 16 Westmont 350 16 17 Taylor 309 17 18 Indiana Wesleyan 261 19 19 (tie) Concordia (Neb.) 260 NR 19 (tie) Southern Oregon 260 18 21 Roberts Wesleyan 246 20 22 Rocky Mountain 208 NR 23 Dordt 194 21 24 Aquinas 172 22 25 Milligan 155 23 Others receiving votes: Viterbo 114, Point Loma Nazarene 107, Shawnee State 80, Cornerstone 56, Eastern Oregon 35; Northwestern (Iowa) 23, SCAD Savannah 22, Judson (Ill.) 21, Spring Arbor 8, Northwest (Wash.) 7, Park 3, Grand View 3, Xavier 1,Southwestern (Kan.) 1, Huntington (Ind.) 1, Trinity Christian 1, Wayland Baptist 1, Cumberlands 1, Vanguard 1. NAIA Men's Cross Country Coaches' Top 25 Poll(first-place votes in parentheses) Rank Team Points Last 1 Oklahoma Christian (22) 622 1 2 Shorter 589 2 3 The Master's 566 5 4 Southern Oregon 554 7 5 Friends 520 9 6 Lewis-Clark State 517 6 7 Shawnee State 491 8 8 Cal State San Marcos 485 4 9 College of Idaho 483 21 10 Wayland Baptist 451 10 11 Concordia (Ore.) 430 3 12 Aquinas 400 12 13 Bryan 387 13 14 Westmont 356 14 15 St. Francis (Ill.) 340 16 16 Concordia (Neb.) 305 15 17 Oklahoma Baptist 294 18 18 Olivet Nazarene 289 11 19 Southwestern (Kan.) 277 17 20 Eastern Oregon 258 19 21 Biola 243 20 22 British Columbia 179 22 23 Siena Heights 136 24 24 Morningside 124 RV 25 SCAD Savannah 111 RV Others receiving votes: Graceland 98, Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 96, Vanguard 90, Berea 85, Carroll (Mont.) 48, Cornerstone 27, Azusa Pacific 24, Baker 20, Huntington (Ind.) 19, Rocky Mountain 8, Point Loma Nazarene 4, Cumberlands 3, Xavier 1, Dordt 1, Doane 1, By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA VISIT: XULAATHLETICS