Dekine is Xavier's first female Academic All-District athlete

NEW ORLEANS — Brianna Dekine is the first female athlete from Xavier University of Louisiana to be chosen to a Capital One Academic All-District team.

Dekine, a sophomore chemistry/pre-medical major from Culver City, Calif., and a graduate of Culver City High School, was announced Thursday as a member of the District 6 College Division track and field/cross country team. The College Sports Information Directors of America selected the 12-member team.

Dekine was All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference in cross country in 2009 and 2010, helping the Gold Nuggets win GCAC team championships both years and qualify for the NAIA National Championship in 2009. She finished fourth in the GCAC meet in November.

An honor-roll student all four semesters at Xavier, Dekine is a charter member of the XU chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society and a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-medical honor society. She also was part of a team visit to Children's Hospital patients and a volunteer worker at the United Negro College Fund's Fund Run/Walk.

District 6 comprises schools from six states: Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. There are eight districts nationwide, and teams represent the university division (NCAA Division I members) or the college division (everyone else, including Xavier). Nominees must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale. They also must have completed at least one full calendar year at their current institution and reached sophomore athletic eligibility. First-team Academic All-District members advance to the Academic All-America® ballot.

Dekine is the only athlete from an HBCU (historically black college or university) to be chosen to an Academic All-District team in women's track/cross country this year. She is one of 10 from the NAIA to be recognized and one of five from Louisiana colleges.

Dekine is the first XU athlete since 2008-09 to be named Academic All-District. That year three Xavier men — basketball's Kelechi Okoroha (second team), cross country's Joe Drexler-Dreis (first team) and tennis standout Terry Richardson (first-team at-large) — were recognized. Drexler-Dreis was chosen second-team Academic All-America®.

BRIANNA DEKINE
Capital One Academic All-District
Xavier University of Louisiana

2010-11 Capital One Academic All-District
Women's Track and Field/Cross Country College Division District 6 Team

Name School Year Hometown GPA Major
Samantha Alvarez Texas A&M-Kingsville So. Victoria, Texas 3.75 Pre-Med
Sarah Banman Southern Arkansas Sr. Pottsboro, Texas 3.92 Physical Education, Wellness & Leisure
Rachel Brady Trinity (Texas) Sr. Jakarta, Indonesia 3.90 Biology
Sonia Brady Trinity (Texas) Sr. Jakarta, Indonesia 3.93 Engineering
Emeline Crutcher Angelo State So. Wellman, Texas 3.72 Biology
Brianna Dekine Xavier So. Culver City, Calif. 3.92 Chemistry / Pre-Medical
Katie Dugie Texas A&M-Kingsville Sr. Yorktown, Texas 3.78 Business Marketing
Elana Edwards Trinity (Texas) So. Austin, Texas 3.93 Mathematics
Lauren Karnitz Arkansas Tech Sr. DeSoto, Kan. 3.82 Nursing
Cathryn Rittenberry Angelo State Jr. Carthage, Texas 4.0 Integrated Accounting
Rhiannon Roper Harding Jr. Fortuna, Calif. 3.94 Early Childhood
Ashley Teague Ozarks (Ark.) Jr. Lavaca, Ark. 3.84 Pre-Law & Strategic Communication

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

XU degree for Olympic medalist — 71 years after enrolling

"It's a storybook ending. Can you believe it? Xavier really started my path in life. I learned academics there. I learned how to run. And I learned religion." — Herbert Douglas

NEW ORLEANS — Closure is coming this weekend for Herbert Douglas.

Douglas, 89 years old and Xavier University of Louisiana's only Olympic medalist, will receive an honorary degree during XU's 84th commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday at Lakefront Arena.

"It's a storybook ending," Douglas said. "Can you believe it? Xavier really started my path in life. I learned academics there. I learned how to run. And I learned religion."

Douglas arrived at Xavier in the fall of 1940 after being recruited to compete for future hall-of-famer Ralph Metcalfe's men's track and field program. Douglas excelled — in 1941 he set a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship-meet record of 23 feet, 11 inches in the outdoor long jump, and in 1942 he teamed with William Morton, Clarence Doak and Howard Mitchell to make Xavier the first HBCU (historically black college or university) to win a relay at the Penn Relays. The quartet won the 440-yard relay in 41.7 seconds.

But the demands of World War II forced Douglas to leave XU in 1942 after two years. His coach, Metcalfe, left Xavier after the fall 1941 semester to join the U.S. Army. Douglas returned home one semester later — not to enlist, but to help at his father's Pittsburgh parking garage.

"My father had been blind for several years and needed help," Douglas said. "He was losing employees to the military and to war-related industries. He had a 24-hour garage, and he could not find enough reliable workers. I wanted so much to stay at Xavier, but the circumstances just wouldn't allow me."

After the war Douglas returned to college — but at his hometown University of Pittsburgh, where he competed in football ("I scored a touchdown against Notre Dame," he said pridefully) and in track, where he set a school record in the long jump (24-4.88) which lasted 23 years. He received a bachelor's degree from Pitt in 1948 and a master's in 1950.

He long-jumped 24-9 to win bronze at the 1948 Olympics in London and plans to return to London for the Olympics next year.

Douglas joined Schieffelin & Company (now Schieffelin & Somerset) in 1963 where he became the third African-American to reach the level of vice-president of a major North American corporation.

"I have been blessed in so many ways," Douglas said.

Front row, left: Xavier University of Louisiana men's track and field standout
Herbert Douglas in 1942. Also in the front row is Edward Culp. In the back
 row, from left: Howard Mitchell, Clarence Doak, Coach Giles Wright and
 William Morton.  Wright replaced Ralph Metcalfe after the fall 1941 semester.

According to the U.S. Olympic Committee, Douglas is the fourth-oldest living U.S. track and field Olympic medalist. Three other medalists from the 1948 U.S. team — sprinter Cliff Bourland and shot-putters Jim Delaney and Wilbur Thompson — are older.

Also receiving honorary XU degrees Saturday will be businesswoman and philanthropist Camille Hanks Cosby, BET Holdings CEO and chair Debra Lee. Urban League CEO and former New Orleans mayor Marc H. Morial will be the keynote speaker.

The honorary degree is far from a take-him-off-the-shelf-and-dust-him-off moment for Douglas. Next Tuesday he'll be back at his alma mater for a dinner he helped plan as a centennial salute to African-American athletes at Pitt.

"All the heavy hitters will be there," Douglas said. "Hugh Green, Tony Dorsett, Roger Kingdom, Larry Fitzgerald, Charles Smith . . . and Bob Costas will be the emcee."

Officials at the Penn Relays, Douglas said, want him to help plan a fundraising dinner within the next year. And there will be more projects.

"When will he really retire? That's a good question," said Douglas' wife, Minerva. "I would say never. He's like that (Energizer) bunny. He just keeps going. He finishes one thing, and then he moves on to another. He gets involved in a lot of things."

Douglas swims every other day in an indoor pool at his Philadelphia condominium. "I can't walk or jog for exercise any more because of my knees," he said. "But I'm doing fine for a guy my age."

The trip to New Orleans and Xavier will be the first for Douglas since 1992, when he attended the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials. He and the other honorary recipients will attend a baccalaureate Mass and honors convocation Friday evening at The Barn, then convene to Dooky Chase restaurant for a much-anticipated meal with Xavier officials.

"That's some good Creole food," Douglas said. "You know, Dooky Chase opened the year I got to Xavier, 71 years ago. I couldn't afford it then."

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

Dillard Bleu Devils Win Inaugural GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship

Baton Rouge, LA - The Dillard Men's Track and Field Team put on an impressive performance and won the First Annual GCAC Outdoor Track & Field Championship held at A.W. Munford Stadium on the campus of Southern University and A&M College on Good Friday.

The Bleu Devils dominated SUNO, Xavier University and Edward Waters College from start to finish en route to the championship. The Bleu Devils finished with 161.50 total team points. Edward Waters College finished 2nd with 136 points.

The Bleu Devils' relay team started the competition by finishing second in the 4x100-meter relay race with a time of 43.21. The 4x400-meter relay team, which has qualified for the NAIA Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis, finished second in competition with a time of 3:24.42. Dillard's Men's 4x800-meter relay team finished first in team competition with a time of 9:29.18.

The Bleu Devils led the way in individual competition. Ladalrius Miller finished 1st in the 110-meter hurdles. Three Bleu Devils finished first, second and third in the Men's 400-meter hurdles. Emory Nash finished first in the Men's 800-meter race with a time of 2:04.22. Zachary Harmon finished first in the Men's Shot Put with a score of 9.92 meters.



Dillard Lady Bleu Devils finish 2nd in GCAC Track and Field Championship

Baton Rouge, LA-The Dillard Lady Bleu Devils' Track and Field team finished off their season with a second place finish at the First Annual GCAC Track and Field Conference Championship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The Lady Bleu Devils finished with 133 team points to Xavier University's 138.50 point total.

The Lady Bleu Devils finished in the top five in 13 of the 26 total events at the conference meet. Dillard's 4x100-meter relay team, which has already qualified for the NAIA Track and Field Championships on May 26th, put on another strong performance, finishing first in Friday's competition with a time of 48.06. Lady Bleu Devil Courtney Henry, who has qualified individually in the 100 and 200-meter dash for the NAIA Track and Field Championships, won both races on Friday. Henry finished with a time of 12.39 in the 100-meter dash and a time 26.06 in the 200-meter race.

The Lady Bleu Devils finished second in the 4x400-meter relay competition with a time of 4:09.11. In field events, Lady Bleu Devil Monique Waiters finished 3rd in women's long jump competition with a distance of 4.94 meters. Sophomore Jonquil Griffin finished tied for 2nd place in the women's triple jump with a distance of 9.90 meters.

VISIT: DILLARD UNIVERSITY
VISIT: DU BLEUDEVILS