Friday, April 19, 2019

GCAC Championships: 3-peat for Nuggets; Rush 2nd again

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana won its third straight women's team title and fifth in six years Thursday in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Tad Gormley Stadium.
     

The Gold Nuggets scored 268 points to break the GCAC women's meet record for the second consecutive year. Senior Maliya Vaughan accounted for 37 1/2 points and was named the meet's most valuable women's track performer.
     

Xavier University of Louisiana women's track and fieldThe Gold Rush's 198 points are the most ever by a GCAC runner-up. Freshman Shane Buchanan won four individual distance races — the 3,000-meter steeplechase, 1,500 and 5,000 Thursday — and scored 42 1/2 points to earn most valuable men's track performer. Edward Waters scored 268 points to win its fifth consecutive men's team title.
     
Yhann Plummer, hired in August to lead both XULA teams, was chosen women's Coach of the Year.
     

XULA's second-day women's champions were Vaughan in the 1,500 and 3,000 steeplechase, Shalysa Wray in the 100 and 400, Taylor Price in the 5,000, Calah Williams in the discus and the 3,200 relay team of Ky'Reon McBrideBrianna Pace, Vaughan and Price. XULA's Thursday men's champions were Edward Angel in the high jump, Thomas Donald in the shot put, Khalil Gallien in the 110 hurdles, Kadeem Burton in the 800 and the 3,200 relay team of Jordan AshmoreFrancis Patterson, Buchanan and Burton.
     

XULA won six GCAC team championships in 2018-19, its most since winning eight GCAC/unaffiliated group championships in 2013-14.
     

Additional highlights:
     •  Wray set school records in the 200 (24.15; previous mark 24.51 by Devinn Rolland in 2012) and 400 (55.24; previous mark 55.27 by Wray March 30). Wray placed second in the 200. Wray became the second athlete — the first woman — to win the 100 and 400 in the same GCAC meet. (The first athlete was SUNO's Jahnoy Thompson; he won the 100, 200 and 400 with Plummer as his coach.)
     •  Williams repeated as discus champion with a school-record 37.12 meters/121 feet, 9 inches. Williams set the previous mark of 35.90 meters/117-9 in 2018 in her second collegiate meet.
     •  Price won the 5,000 for the third consecutive year.
     •  Angel became the first XULA man to win the GCAC high jump since Andre Tilton in 2004.
     •  Donald, a freshman walk-on, won in his first collegiate meet. His best mark of 12.32 meters/40-5 beat defending champion Fedner Homme of Edward Waters by 16 inches. Donald produced 


XULA's best mark in any meet since Johnny Wilson's 12.86 meters/42-2 1/4 in 2004.
     

Here are all XULA results from the second and final day of the GCAC Championships:

Women
     100:  Shalysa Wray, 1st in 11.95; Ariel Ford, 5th in 12.33; Justyce Riggs, 6th in 12.36;Ry-Anne Riley, 8th in 12.60
     200:  Shalysa Wray, 2nd in 24.15; Ariel Ford, 3rd in 24.79; Ry-Anne Riley, 6th in 25.71;Justyce Riggs, 11th in 26.98
     400:  Shalysa Wray, 1st in 55.24; Ariel Ford, 4th in 57.18; Alexis Williams, 7th in 1:00.18;Janelle Jones, 9th in 1:03.18
     800:  Ky'Reon McBride, 3rd in 2:39.78; Alexis Williams, 5th in 2:44.84
     1,500:  Maliya Vaughan, 1st in 5:37.23; Taylor Price, 2nd in 5:43.15; Ky'Reon McBride, 3rd in 5:46.32; Brianna Pace, 7th in 6:27.83
     5,000:  Taylor Price, 1st in 23:03.81; Mariah Cox, 2nd in 23:04.80; Maliya Vaughan, 4th in 23:50.45; Brianna Pace, 5th in 24:55.75
     100 Hurdles:  Raven Davis, 4th in 15.98; Hannah Young, 5th in 16.19; Maya Alexander, 6th in 16.27
     400 Hurdles:  Raven Riley, 2nd in 1:09.70; Hannah Young, 3rd in 1:12.02; Toni Trail, 5th in 1:17.03
     3,000 Steeplechase:  Maliya Vaughan, 1st in 14:57.76; Brianna Pace, 3rd in 15:20.62
     400 Relay:  Raven DavisJustyce RiggsRy-Anne Riley and Ariel Ford, did not finish
     3,200 Relay:  Ky'Reon McBrideBrianna PaceMaliya Vaughan and Taylor Price, 1st in 12:02.72
     Discus:  Calah Williams, 1st in 37.12 meters (121 feet, 9 inches); Jayla Moore, 3rd in 28.01 meters (91 feet, 11 inches)
     High Jump:  Mariah Cox, 2nd in 1.45 meters (4 feet, 9 inches)
     Long Jump:  Ireyon Keith, 5th in 4.90 meters (16 feet, 1 inch); Hillary Smith, 6th in 4.80 meters (15 feet, 9 inches); Hannah Young, 7th in 4.66 meters (15 feet, 3 1/2 inches); Bria Ward, 8th in 4.56 meters (14 feet, 11 1/2 inches)
     Shot Put:  Jayla Moore, 2nd in 11.37 meters (37 feet, 3 3/4 inches); Kennedy Martin, 6th in 9.12 meters (29 feet, 11 1/4 inches); Calah Williams, 8th in 8.96 meters (29 feet, 4 3/4 inches)
     Triple Jump:  Hillary Smith, 5th in 10.43 meters (34 feet, 2 3/4 inches); Hannah Young, 6th in 10.38 meters (34 feet, three-quarters of an inch); Bria Ward, 7th in 9.77 meters (32 feet, three-quarters of an inch)

Men
     5,000:  Sh
ane Buchanan, 1st in 19:12.88; Darrick Williams, 3rd in 20:03.87; Camren Sewell, 5th in 20:23.48
     1,600 Relay:  Tyler LewisJordan AshmoreKadeem Burton and Khalil Gallien, 2nd in 3:28.42
     Discus:  Evan Simmons, 4th in 39.03 meters (128 feet, 1 inch); Thomas Donald, 5th in 37.69 meters (123 feet, 8 inches)
     High Jump:  Edward Angel, 1st in 1.95 meters (6 feet, 4 3/4 inches)
     Long Jump:  Brandon Matthews, 4th in 6.43 meters (21 feet, 1 1/4 inches); Gustavo Carranza, 5th in 6.42 meters (21 feet, three-quarters of an inch); David Katembo, 10th in 5.57 meters (18 feet, 3 1/4 inches); Keairez Coleman, no mark
     Shot Put:  Thomas Donald, 1st in 12.32 meters; (40 feet, 5 inches); Keairez Coleman, 4th in 10.89 meters (35 feet, 8 3/4 inches); Evan Simmons, 7th in 9.59 meters (31 feet, 5 3/4 inches)
     Triple Jump:  Brandon Matthews, 3rd in 13.23 meters (43 feet, 5 inches); Gustavo Carranza, 5th in 12.59 meters (41 feet, 3 3/4 inches); David Katembo, 8th in 12.00 meters (39 feet, 4 1/2 inches)


Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletics Director for Communications
Department of Athletics & Recreation
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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