Gold Nuggets 13th as a team, top-10 in 7 events

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women climbed from 18th to 13th Wednesday in the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings compiled by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
     
Rankings are based only on performances during the 2019 outdoor season and the number of athletes a school has near the top of the descending order list in the various events and how highly they are ranked.
     
The XULA women have seven top-10 NAIA national event rankings:
     •  The 1,600-meter relay team of Shalysa Wray, Alexis Williams, Ariel Ford and Raven Riley, second in 3 minutes, 53.20 seconds.
     •  The 400-meter relay team of Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs, Raven Davis and Wray, third in a school-record 46.23 seconds.
     •  Wray (school-record 55.27) and Ford (56.96), 4-10 in the 400.
     •  Wray (11.87) and Milton (11.94), 6-9 in the 100.
     •  Wray (24.81), 10th in the 200.
     
The USTFCCCA ranks 138 women's teams and 144 men's teams. Among Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's teams, SUNO is fourth, Edward Waters is 48th, and Dillard is 116th. Among GCAC men's teams, SUNO is 21st, Edward Waters is 53rd, Dillard is 62nd, and XULA is 86th.
     
The Gold Rush's highest ranked event is the triple jump, where Brandon Matthews is 13th with 14.40 meters (47 feet, 3 inches).
     
Next for XULA will be the GCAC Championships, a two-day meet starting Wednesday at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans.

NAIA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Team Rankings
1. British Columbia
2. Concordia (Neb.)
3. Wayland Baptist
4. SUNO
5. Indiana Tech
6. MidAmerica Nazarene
7. Westmont
8. Doane
9. William Carey
10. Oregon Tech
11. Hastings
12. Siena Heights
13. XULA
14. Southern Oregon
15. Friends
16. Olivet Nazarene
17. College of Idaho
18. Cornerstone
19. Vanguard
20. Dakota Wesleyan
21. Southeastern (Fla.)
22. Lindsey Wilson
23. Oklahoma City
24. Eastern Oregon
25. Lewis-Clark State

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