Nuggets ranked 15th in NAIA preseason coaches poll

NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana was 15th in the NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll announced Tuesday.

The Gold Nuggets, 24-6 in 2012-13, are in the top 25 for the 45th consecutive time dating to January 2010. It's the second consecutive year -- a first in the Bo Browder coaching era -- that the Nuggets are in the preseason top 15.

Xavier will open its season at 6 p.m. Saturday against Langston in Grand Prairie, Texas. The neutral-site game will be played at South Grand Prairie High School's Warrior Coliseum. The Gold Nuggets' second game will be their home opener, against Spring Hill at 4 p.m. on Nov. 9. This is Browder's 15th season as head coach.

Vanguard is No. 1, followed by Oklahoma City  and defending champion Westmont. Four teams received first-place votes.

Xavier was one of three Gulf Coast Athletic Conference teams to receive votes. Talladega was 29th with 29 points, and SUNO was 33rd with five points.

The first regular-season poll will be announced Dec. 10. Oklahoma City, No. 17 Our Lady of the Lake and No. 25 LSU-Shreveport will play Xavier before that next ranking.

The preseason top 25:

1. Vanguard
2. Oklahoma City
3. Westmont
4. Georgetown (Ky.)
5. Westminster (Utah)
6. Freed-Hardeman
7. Cumberland
8. MidAmerica Nazarene
9. Campbellsville
10. The Master's
11. Shawnee State
12. Benedictine (Kan.)
13. Columbia (Mo.)
14. Faulkner
15. Xavier
16. Bethel (Tenn.)
17. Our Lady of the Lake
18. Carroll (Mont.)
19. William Woods
20. Southern Poly
21. Cumberlands
22. Wiley
23. Oklahoma Baptist
24. Lyon
25. LSU-Shreveport

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