NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana Athletics has hired three graduate assistants, including two XULA alumni, for the 2017-18 academic year.
Joining the department are Nour Abbes for men's and women's tennis, Gary Smith for men's basketball and Josh Smith (no relation) for men's and women's cross country and track and field.
Abbes, from Tunis, Tunisia, is the only XULA athlete to win an outstanding-player award at an NAIA national tournament. She did it twice, receiving the Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player Award after leading the Gold Nuggets to the national semifinals in 2014 and 2015.
Abbes was first-team NAIA All-America twice — leading XULA to a No. 1 coaches poll team ranking twice in 2014 and earning the ITA NAIA No. 1 singles ranking three times in 2014-15 — before transferring to the University of Washington for her final two years. Last season she helped the Huskies win 17 dual matches and qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the first time in six years.
Abbes received her bachelor's degree from Washington in human evolutionary biology. At XULA she is pursuing a master's in counseling.
Gary Smith, from the Houston suburb of Sugar Land, Texas, and a graduate of The Village School, begins his sixth consecutive season with the Gold Rush. He was a guard for XULA from 2012-16, set the XULA career record for games played with 131 and helped the Gold Rush qualify for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship every year. He is tied for 15th in program history with 260 career assists.
Gary Smith was a student assistant with the Gold Rush in 2016-17 before graduating in May with his bachelor's degree — a major in psychology and a minor in public health. He is pursuing a master's in clinician mental health counseling.
Josh Smith — a southern California native but a graduate of Flower Mound High School in Texas — competed for the University of Texas at San Antonio from 2010-14 and was a volunteer coach at Incarnate Word for two seasons (2015, 2016) and North Texas this past season. He specialized in long sprints and hurdles at UTSA, earning second-team All-America in 2013 after advancing to the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Josh Smith was a member of five UTSA teams that won conference track and field team championships: Southland indoors in 2011 and 2012, Southland outdoors in 2012, Western Athletic indoors in 2013 and Conference USA outdoors in 2014. He received his bachelor's degree from UTSA in kinesiology exercise science. At XULA he is pursuing a master's in post-secondary and clinical counseling.
Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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