MEAC/SWAC SPORTS MAIN STREET™: Ellender's Aaron Yarmush will join his sister at Xavier

Friday, August 17, 2012

Ellender's Aaron Yarmush will join his sister at Xavier

AARON YARMUSH

NEW ORLEANS — Aaron Yarmush of Houma, La., and Ellender Memorial High School has signed a men's cross country scholarship with Xavier University of Louisiana. He also will compete for XU's track and field program.

Yarmush finished eighth in 2011 and 2010 in the Class 4A state cross country meet. His best three-mile time is 16 minutes, 38.85 seconds.

On the track Yarmush won MVP awards at five outdoor meets in 2012, including the District 8-4A championships, where he placed first in the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs. At the 4A state meet he finished among the top nine in the 3,200 each of the past three seasons. His highest finish at state was seventh in the 800 in 2011.

Other best times for Yarmush include 2:04.84 in the 800 and 4:43.63 in the 1,600. His best 3,200 time was 10:26.28 indoors. He was the 8-4A track MVP as a junior.

He will join his sister Hali, a sophomore, in XU's cross country program. Hali was All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference a year ago. Aaron and Hali will be one of two sibling pairs in Coach Joseph Moses' program this year. The others are 2011 GCAC individual champions Kwame and Zahri Jackson, both sophomores.

Yarmush will major in computer science at Xavier and be one of two Gold Rush freshmen this season. David Holobowicz of Montgomery, Texas, signed in May.

The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets this year will seek their seventh consecutive GCAC team championships and fourth appearances in five years at the NAIA National Championships. Both teams will start the season Aug. 31 in the Mississippi College Opener at Clinton, Miss.

Xavier is one of 38 U.S. colleges listed as a "Best Buy School" in the 2013 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges.