Grambling heads into conference play at 0-3

GRAMBLING, Louisiana  -- With all the off-the-field discussion surrounding Grambling and Jackson State from 2013, there’s still an actual football game to be played.

Both coaches — Grambling’s Broderick Fobbs and Jackson State’s Harold Jackson — were peppered with questions about Grambling’s boycott last season that put a dent in JSU’s homecoming plans last October.

Saturday’s SWAC opener will be the earliest meeting for the two teams since 2008 when they also met in the fourth game of the season. Grambling won the contest amid a seven-game win streak against Jackson State from 2005-2011.

Jackson State’s last win over Grambling before 2012 and the 2013 boycott came in 2004 when its program was a lot like Grambling’s now, entering the game with three wins in two seasons.

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Southern University football vs. Prairie View A&M game capsule

When/Where: Saturday at 6 p.m. at Blackshear Field in Prairie View, Texas.

Television: This weekend's game won't be aired on television, but there will be a live stream on gojagsports.com.

Radio: WYNK 97.7

Coaches: Southern — Dawson Odums (second season as head coach, was interim in 2012, 14-11). Prairie View A&M — Heishma Northern (fourth season, 14-22).

About Southern: Saturday's match is the SWAC opener for the Jaguars, and it's been quite an inconsistent start to the season for the reigning conference champs. After getting trounced 45-6 by UL-Lafayette in the season opener, Southern bounced back with a commanding 56-14 victory over Central Methodist on Sept. 6.



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Tuskegee should be a good test for WSSU

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  -- After two games, just how good Winston-Salem State can be remains a mystery.

But today’s game against SIAC power Tuskegee should offer some insight. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Bowman Gray Stadium (Aspire Network Ch. 185, WTOB 1380).

The Rams, 1-1 and ranked No. 18 in the AFCA Division II coaches poll, have had mixed results with their two-quarterback system of Rudy Johnson and Phillip Sims. It worked well in a rout of UNC Pembroke in the opener. But last week in a hard-fought 22-17 loss to Valdosta State, the rhythm of the up-tempo offense was missing.

Johnson and Sims rotated every series in the first two games, but today it’s possible each will work two series at a time, depending on the flow of the game.

“I’m trying to get this team to get an identity, and we really haven’t had that yet,” Coach Kienus Boulware of the Rams said. “I want them to establish some kind of identity to kind of get their own legacy going instead of what we’ve done in the past.”



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Fort Valley State carries momentum into SIAC opener

FORT VALLEY, Georgia  --  After watching his team be soundly defeated by Delta State in its opening game, Fort Valley State head coach Donald Pittman was upbeat, stating that his team was much better than it showed in the opener.

Pittman’s confidence in his team paid off in the second game, as the Wildcats defeated Savannah State, a team that had beaten the Wildcats a year ago.

FVSU opens its quest for an SIAC title Saturday with a home game with Clark Atlanta, and Pittman remains confident that his team will continue to improve.

“I think we are much closer to being the kind of football team we are capable of being,” said Pittman, whose team pulled away from Savannah State in the second half for a 42-28 win. “We need to improve on both sides of the football, and we had people step up in the last game. We expect that we will be better this week. Clark gave us all we could handle last year, and I expect that kind of game again this year.

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XU's Abbes beats 1 and 4 seeds, rolls to HBCU singles final

JONESBORO, Georgia -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Nour Abbes defeated the No. 1 and 4 seeds Friday to reach the women's A-flight singles championship round of the HBCU Tennis National Championships.

Abbes, seeded fifth, beat Howard's Stacey Roheman 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals, then upset Bethune-Cookman's top-seeded Maria Goraz-Moreno 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals. Abbes will play Southern's Darnesha Moore for the championship at noon EDT Saturday.

Abbes and senior Carmen Nelson won 8-2 against Southern's Darnesha Moore and Gabrielle Moore to reach the A-flight doubles semifinals. Abbes and Nelson will play Bethune-Cookman's Maria Sablina and Mina Matsuba at 9 a.m., with the final scheduled for 2 p.m.

Abbes, a sophomore, is 20-0 in singles and 18-2 in doubles in her XU career.

Xavier's men and women won a combined 7-of-11 matches.  Sophomores Sha'Nel Bruins and Adam Albrecht reached the semifinals of their C-flight singles consolation brackets.

Bruins beat Benedict's Adrienne Millow 8-2 and Prairie View A&M's Capra Fellows 8-4 in the women's bracket, and Albrecht beat Prairie View's Freddy Quintero 8-4 in the men's.

"Today was a much better day overall for everybody," XU coach Alan Green said. "Nour is playing lights out in singles and doubles. Carmen is also showing me some good things out here, too.

"After a tough day yesterday, Sha'Nel picked up her game much better today."

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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XU's Abbes, Nelson, Chaouat advance in HBCU main draw

JONESBORO, Georgia  -- Nour Abbes began the 2014-15 tennis season the way she ended the previous one: winning.

The Xavier University of Louisiana sophomore earned singles and doubles victories Thursday in the A-flight main draw of the HBCU National Championships.

Abbes, seeded fifth in singles, defeated Tuskegee's 12th-seeded Reicia North 6-0, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Abbes then teamed with senior Carmen Nelson -- who was playing collegiately in her hometown for the first time -- for an 8-3 victory against Alcorn State's Siobhan Ryan-Bovey and Ivana Boberic. That advanced Abbes and Nelson to the quarterfinals.

"Nour played well in singles and doubles," 12th-year XU coach Alan Green said. "She has a tough singles draw, so she will have to continue to play well to advance. In doubles she and Carmen played solid and smart. They played to their strengths."

Advancing in the main draw for the XU men was seventh-seeded Kevin Chaouat, a junior who reached the quarterfinals of the singles C-flight with a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6) victory against Prairie View A&M's 10th-seeded James Jackson.

"Kevin got off to a rough start but was able to come back and win," Green said. "He knows he can't afford to do that with his next opponent."

Abbes was 17-0 in singles and 16-2 in doubles as an XU freshman and was selected first-team NAIA All-America and ITA/NAIA National Rookie of the Year. She also received the NAIA National Championship's Marvin P. Richmond Outstanding Player Award. Chaouat was the men's Louisiana Newcomer of the Year.

After losing singles matches in the main draw, Nelson and sophomore Adam Albrecht advanced in their consolation brackets with victories.

The tournament will conclude Sunday. It's the first of three Xavier fall events.

Results:  Men    Women

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Tennessee State Men's Golf Starts Season at Murray State

NASHVILLE, Tennessee -- The wait is over for the Tennessee State men’s golf team as they travel to Murray, Ky. to open the 2014-15 season. The five-man squad is the last fall sport at TSU to take to competition and will take part in the Murray State Invitational.

 

The Tigers will play 54 holes, 36 Monday and 18 Tuesday, at the Par-71, 6,601 yard, Miller Memorial Golf Course in Murray. The 11-team field will have an 8:30am shotgun start on Monday and a 9:00am start on Tuesday.

 

TSU will face off against Alabama State, Christian Brothers, John A. Logan, Missouri Baptist, Northern Kentucky, Wright State and Ohio Valley Conference opponents, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State and UT Martin.

 

Senior James Stepp and junior Blake Burgett will lead a group which includes three newcomers. Donning the Blue and White for the first time will be Jeremy Fultz, Andy Stout and transfer Todd McGill.

 

Results and full recaps can be found on tsutigers.com.

 

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WSSU Notes: Boulware takes cautious approach

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Quarterback Phil Sims, offensive linemen Robert Kearney and Justin Kee and wide receiver Brandon Felder all missed practice Tuesday with minor injuries but are expected to play Saturday against Tuskegee.

Felder also missed last weekend’s game against Valdosta State with a lingering ankle injury.

Watch John Dell's interview with Keinus Boulware.

“I expect them all to play,” Coach Kienus Boulware said. “We can’t win games on Tuesday through Friday, but you can lose games by having guys practice when they probably shouldn’t. So we aren’t in a rush to get guys out there, especially the experienced guys.”

TV GAME: Saturday’s Tuskegee-WSSU game at 6 p.m. will be broadcast live on the Aspire network (Time Warner Ch. 185). The game is not part of the CIAA television package, meaning WSSU will receive more revenue.

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Edouard paves the way for B-CU

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida  -- In order for your offense to get into high gear, you need some great offensive linemen to create opportunities for your skilled players. Bethune-Cookman has one of those offensive linemen who can really pave the way. 

Andrew Edouard, the Wildcats' center, has been a major factor in making B-CU (2-0) the consensus No. 1 HBCU football team in the nation. Edouard is a terrific run and pass blocker. He’s big and strong and has good quickness along the offensive line. 

“Andrew has done a phenomenal job coming in and adapting to our program, finding a way to stay there and finding his role,” said Bethune-Cookman head coach Brian Jenkins. “He’s a phenomenal young man. He does an exceptional job of leading our front line. I think his accolades and productivity speaks for itself. It speaks for the job he’s done in the short period of time that he’s been here.” 

Edouard is truly an amazing story. This is his second year in the Wildcats football program after spending two seasons at Lackawanna College, a junior college in Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

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NCCU basketball success spurs changes to coaching staff

DURHAM, North Carolina  -- Sure signs that a coach’s squad is on the rise are when he starts hanging championship banners and his coaches begin getting picked off.

N.C. Central basketball coach LeVelle Moton last season guided the Eagles to both regular-season and tournament championships in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, which got the team into the Division-I NCAA Tournament for the first time.

And it wasn’t long after Iowa State beat NCCU in its inaugural game of the Big Dance when Lincoln University of Missouri athletics director Betty Kemna made a play for John Moseley, who was Moton’s top assistant coach, and netted him.

Lincoln kept applying pressure and came up with a steal, with Moseley convincing NCCU volunteer assistant coach C.J. Wilkerson to become his graduate assistant coach.

Both Moseley and Moton said it’s all good. No hard feelings, no love lost.

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Prairie View’s Johntá Hebert, a Glen Oaks graduate, is 'itching for a breakout game' against Southern

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas  --When it comes to playing against Southern, former Glen Oaks standout Johntá Hebert of Prairie View maintains it’s just another game.

No red circle on the calendar required.

History suggests otherwise: Hebert has enjoyed some of the finer moments over the first two years of his college career at the Jaguars’s expense.

“It’s more of a coincidence,” Hebert said. “I wouldn’t say I do anything different during the week or approach the game any differently.”

Southern (1-2), which visits Prairie View (0-2) to open Southwestern Athletic Conference play at 6 p.m. Saturday, is the latest obstacle between Hebert and the Panthers’ first victory.

With back-to-back losses to begin the year, including the SWAC opener to Texas Southern, there’s a greater sense of urgency, Hebert said.

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Kambui brings awareness, speed to FAMU's o-line

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Since the 2012 season, FAMU hasn't been able to find an offensive center to take ownership of the position.

Junior college transfer Mateo Kambui has changed that. He's quick at the snap and has proven to have a sense of what defenses are doing.

Even when the Rattlers played Miami, he was able to get off the snap fast enough to give quarterback Damien Fleming time to work.

"Everything starts with me and works its way out to the tackles," said Kambui, who last season played at Butler Community College in Kansas. "When you have a group of guys like we have, it makes everything pretty easy on me when they know their jobs. All I have to do is snap the ball and go."

Kambui's role will be pivotal for the Rattlers on Saturday when they play Coastal Carolina at Bragg Stadium. The Chanticleers (3-0) have been able to blitz their way to three quarterback sacks for an average of one per game. They've also recorded three quarter back hurry.

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TSU to host TTU in Return to the Hole, Saturday

WATCH LIVE | LISTEN LIVE | LIVE STATS | GAME NOTES   TSU v. TTU Game Notes

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- On Saturday, the Tennessee State football team will return to Hale Stadium for the first time since Nov. 9 of last season to take on Tennessee Tech.

Scouting TSU
The Tigers come into this week’s game at 2-1, having just defeated Jackson State, 35-7, in the Southern Heritage Classic. In that game, TSU scored all 35 points in the first half and coasted to the easy victory.

Scouting TTU
The Golden Eagles sit at 1-1 coming into Saturday and have had a week off to regroup after their 49-14 loss at Indiana State last time out. TTU fell behind 28-0 to the Sycamores before scoring on back-to-back special teams plays in the third quarter.



Three Keys to the Game

Go for the Ball
Through the first two games of the season, Tennessee Tech has fumbled seven times and lost four of them. In their last game alone, the Golden Eagles coughed up the football five times and Indiana State came away with it on three occasions. Tennessee State has already forced nine fumbles this year, but has only recovered three. The TSU defense will have to pick and choose when to go for the ball, but when there is a pile up, expect the Tigers to go for a strip.

Limiting Returns
Against Indiana State, TTU blocked a punt and ran it back for a touchdown and Ladarius Vanlier returned ISU's next punt attempt 72 yards for a touchdown. Vanlier finished the day with 200 all-purpose yards (his second career 200-plus yard all-purpose game), gaining 112 yards on kickoffs, 74 yards on punts, nine rushing yards and five receiving yards. Tennessee Tech also currently ranks fifth in the FCS in yards per kickoff return with 29.86. TSU meanwhile, has only allowed opponents to return punts for an average of 1.25 yards and kickoffs 19.63 yards so far this season. Big plays, or the lack of, from the special teams should again play a big role on Saturday.

Battle in the Trenches
On offense, TSU must continue to open up holes for backs like it did on Saturday when the Tigers rushed for 191 yards and three touchdowns. Senior offensive linemen Robert Myers, Anthony Morris and Derek Sibley should have a big day against TTU’s 47th ranked defense. On the other side of the ball, Tiger defenders need to continue to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks like they did last week when they totaled seven sacks. Reigning OVC Defensive Player of the Year Anthony Bass has been a force this season, totaling five sacks. Gabe Terry’s and Samquan Evans’s play have also been a bright spot as both have two sacks apiece.

TSU is 16-10 all-time against TTU and is 8-2 in the last 10 meetings. This will be the first OVC contest for both teams and a chance to get to 1-0 in conference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Hole.

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TSU Volleyball Beats ETSU as Roulhac Clinches 300th Win

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  --  The Tennessee State University volleyball team defeated East Tennessee State on Tuesday night at Kean Hall for head coach Kathy Roulhac’s 300^th career win.

The Tigers (4-7) won 3-1 over the Buccaneers (4-7) with a strong team performance. Three players finished with double-digit kills and three other players finished with double-digit digs. Senior Taylor Swayzer led the team on offense by putting down 17 kills. She was joined by junior Haley Hampton (11) and sophomore Arijana Anderson (10) in double figures. Anderson notched the match-clinching kill.

“I can’t say enough about this team,” coach Roulhac said. “This definitely feels like 300 wins. Swayzer put on a show, offensively, but it was a true team effort. Great match all around.”

Senior Naomi Wells led the team on defense with 17 digs. Her teammates, sophomore Taylor Patterson (16) and senior Ileanushka Maldonado (13), really helped her stabilize a Tiger defense that held the opposition to a .208 attack percentage.

TSU took the first set 25-21 before dropping the second set by the same score. The Tigers buckled down and took sets three and four under some outstanding play from Swayzer. She hit .359 on the game and led all scorers in kills. Freshman Samantha Beltran turned in a 41 assist-performance to help lead the team to its fourth win in five games.

“This team is so strong. They’ve had great chemistry throughout the preseason and now into the teeth of the season, and its showing. I have a good feeling about this team heading into our final non-conference tournament in Cincinnati.”

The Tigers take to the road, once more, for a weekend tournament in Cincinnati. TSU takes on Central Michigan this Friday at 3:30 p.m. to open up the tournament and then, on Saturday, plays Charleston Southern at 1:00 p.m. and the host Bearcats at 6:00 p.m. For the match with UC, the Blue and White have a chip on their shoulder. They’ll look to repay the 3-1 loss suffered at the Active Ankle Challenge in Louisville, Ky. earlier this month.

As always, check out the volleyball team on Twitter @tnstateVB.

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Grambling visits Jackson State after 2013 boycott

GRAMBLING, Louisiana – Broderick Fobbs wasn't at Grambling in 2013, but he'd be oblivious if he weren't paying attention to the turmoil last fall at his alma matter.

Not only was Grambling at the forefront of statewide headlines while Fobbs looked on as an assistant at McNeese State, but the Tigers garnered national attention for all the wrong reasons.

Grambling players staged a revolt following a loss to Alcorn State in Indianapolis, Indiana, due to lingering issues like poor facilities, ragged equipment and a growing disdain for former president Frank Pogue. As a result, the players failed to show up for a road game at Jackson State, essentially ruining JSU's homecoming plans.

Now Grambling is headed back to Jackson State almost a year later where the Tigers are expecting an intense atmosphere.

"There's a little more to it with everything that went on, but I mean we're going to play regardless, so it doesn't matter," Fobbs said. "If you need a situation to occur to get you ready to play against Jackson State, then you don't understand the colors you wear."

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Hampton U. aims for first win against D-II Miles College

HAMPTON,  Virginia — Connell Maynor didn't lose more than two games in any of his first four seasons as a head coach. His first Hampton University team lost three in three weeks.

Aside from a brief, playful shadow-boxing exhibit Wednesday, the Pirates' Big Whistle was composed and undeterred.

"We've got to be realistic and take everything in perspective," Maynor said. "This is right where everybody thought we would be — 0-and-3, playing those three teams. Nobody thought we (were) going to beat Richmond, nobody thought we (were) going to beat William and Mary, nobody thought we (were) going to beat ODU — and we didn't.

"But what we did, what people didn't think we (were) going to do, we played with those guys and we showed that we could move the ball, we could score. At times we could stop them. So we showed that we've got potential to be a good football team. Now we've got to continue with that and start getting some Ws, and we need to start this week with Miles and then get into conference play and continue to play good, solid football and the Ws will continue to come."



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B-CU's LeBranden Richardson eager to face old UCF teammates

DAYTONA BEACH — When Bethune-Cookman's LeBranden Richardson takes the field at Bright House Networks Stadium Saturday, he should feel right at home..

As a former UCF player, Richardson is quite familiar with the surroundings of the Knights home turf, but this time the confines won't be so friendly. Nonetheless, he's looking forward to seeing some of his old friends.

"It's going to be exciting … I love that Bright House stadium. It will be like a homecoming, bringing back some old memories. I made my first collegiate sack at that stadium," said Richardson, now a senior defensive end at B-CU. "I won't be nervous. I will just like any other game, but I will get that feeling once I get out there, I suppose. I'm excited for it."

Some of his former teammates are gone and so is his old position coach Jim Panagos, now the defensive line coach at Rutgers, but the Knights' roster still features some of his closest friends, including UCF receiver Josh Reese.

Reese and Richardson were teammates at Miami Central High, after Richardson transferred from Hialeah, and the pair chose to go together to UCF, along with highly touted teammate Jeffrey Godfrey. Godfrey had a breakout year as a freshman, earning Conference USA newcomer of the year honors in 2010.

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Despite slow start, Spartans stay confident

NORFOLK, Virginia  -- Norfolk State faces the possibility that it could enter the all-important MEAC portion of its schedule at 0-4.

The Spartans (0-3) will visit Buffalo on Saturday for a final non-conference tune-up against the lone FBS team on the calendar.

But win or lose once more before the league opener against Morgan State on Sept. 27, players and coaches believe the early-season adversity will make them stronger in the long run.

And that's all that matters.

"Playing out-of-conference teams, you hope to come out with the win either way it goes," said star linebacker Lynden Trail. "But at the end of the day, you have to come to the realization that we're playing for our conference."


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Florida A&M Rattlers look to end drought at Bragg Stadium

TALLAHASSEE, Florida  -- FAMU didn't win a single game at home last season so naturally the question had to come up when the Rattlers met the media Tuesday afternoon.

There were some obvious frustration on the faces of the three players in attendance, but no one responded to the question more directly than sophomore guard Keonte Cash.

"To be honest, it was pretty embarrassing," said Cash, who endured a 3-9 season as a freshman starter for the Rattlers.

FAMU plays at home for the first time this season Saturday when it faces Coastal Carolina, the No. 5 ranked FCS team in the nation. The Chanticleers (3-0) knocked off two other MEAC teams in their last two games and will be looking for the hat trick in Bragg Stadium, where FAMU went 0-5 last season.

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Morgan State football using snub in MEAC preseason poll as motivation

BALTIMORE, Maryland  -- When the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference unveiled its preseason poll in the summer, Morgan State was picked to finish last in the 11-team league despite tying Delaware State for third in 2013.

In the aftermath of the Bears’ 28-3 thumping of Bowie State on Saturday, senior inside linebacker Cody Acker didn’t need any reminding about the team’s placement in the preseason poll.

“Believe me, I know that,” he said. “It’s just motivation. At the end of the day, I’ve never seen a preseason ranking dictate what a team does during the season. It’s all just speculation. All we have to do is come out and prove those guys wrong. At the end of the day, they don’t know what they have in our room. Only we do.”

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Southern University coach Dawson Odums said Prairie View offense still capable

Last year's Prairie View-Southern University game had video game like statistics and an Arena League Football like score. The Jaguars outgunned Prairie View, 62-59, in double overtime for their first victory of the 2013 season.

That victory catapulted Southern to the SWAC championship after the Jaguars had started 0-2.
But the Jaguars don't have the offensive weapons of last season. Quarterback Dray Joseph threw for 480 yards and six touchdowns in the victory. Wide receiver Lee Doss had nine catches for 214 yards and three touchdowns. Both were seniors in 2013.

The Panthers, though, return quarterback Jerry Lovelocke, who passed for 353 yards and a touchdown. Running back Johnta' Hebert , who carried for 154 yards and three touchdowns, also is back.

Prairie View gashed Southern for 772 yards in last season's contest. Southern coach Dawson Odums said the Panthers are still capable on offense.



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Jackson, Fakler earn third GCAC awards of the season

Kwame Jackson

Catherine Fakler

NEW ORLEANS — For the third time in as many weeks this season, Xavier University of Louisiana seniors Kwame Jackson and Catherine Fakler are the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Runners of the Week in cross country.
    
Jackson is from Kingwood, Texas, and a graduate of Kingwood Park High School. Fakler is from Phoenix, Ariz., and a graduate of Xavier College Preparatory Roman Catholic High School.
    
Jackson was the men's individual champion at the Southern Miss Invitational on Saturday. He ran 5,000 meters in 17 minutes, 30.8 seconds to earn his second victory this season and his fifth for Xavier. Jackson has 16 top-10 finishes and 11 top-5s in 22 collegiate meets.
    
Fakler finished fourth in the women's 5K in 19:48.2. It was her 17th top-10 finish and 14th top-5 in 23 collegiate meets.
    
Jackson has been GCAC Runner of the Week 12 times — one less than the record holder, former XU teammate Matt Pieri — and Fakler has won the women's award a GCAC-record 10 times.
    
Next meet for both XU teams will be the LSU Invitational at Highland Road Park in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday. The women will race at 8:05 a.m., followed by the men at 9:15. Distance for both will be 5K.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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SWAC Football Begins Conference ESPNU Matchups Thursday



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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – The Southwestern Athletic Conference has four league games, including the 2014 Toyota SWAC Football Championship, that will be nationally televised live on ESPNU this season.  SWAC football fans will have an opportunity to watch Alabama State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Alcorn State, Mississippi Valley State and Grambling State compete from the comfort of home or on their mobile devices.  The first conference matchup to appear on ESPNU will be Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alabama State this Thursday, Sept. 18.   Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. in the New ASU Stadium.

 

Games are tight between the two cross division rivals.  The last time the teams met in Montgomery, the Hornets dropped the game 24-21 after a big fourth quarter comeback fell short back in 2012.  Last year, they were able to complete the comeback, scoring 16 points in the fourth quarter to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 40-39.

 

Other games slated for ESPNU include:

• October 2: Alabama State at Alcorn State, 6:30 p.m.
• November 6: Grambling State at Mississippi Valley State, 6:30 p.m.
• December 6: 2014 Toyota SWAC Football Championship (Houston, Texas), 3 p.m.

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Rush sign Capdeville; XU opens fall schedule Thursday

JEREMIAH CAPDEVILLE

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana tennis coach Alan Green announced Tuesday a signee for his men's program and the 2014 fall schedule of his men's and women's teams.
    
New to the Gold Rush — an NAIA national quarterfinalist each of the past three seasons — is Jeremiah Capdeville, a right-hander from Jennings, La., and a 2014 graduate of Jennings High School. He is enrolled at XU this fall.
    
Xavier's first fall will be the HBCU National Championships at Clayton County Tennis Center in Jonesboro, Ga. The four-day tournament will begin Thursday.
    
Capdeville was a six-year member of the Jennings varsity and an LHSAA Division III state singles semifinalist in 2012 and 2014. He was a regional singles champion this year. He has won seven singles tournaments in USTA competition, including the Houma City Junior Open 18s title in 2012.
    
Capdeville maintained a 4.0 grade-point average in high school and tied for the highest GPA in his graduating class. He is majoring in Spanish at Xavier.
The HBCU National Championships is one of three fall tournaments for the Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets. For the second straight year, Xavier will play host to the USTA / ITA NAIA South Regional Championships at XU and City Park from Sept. 26-28 and compete in the Big Easy Classic at the University of New Orleans on Oct. 24-25.
    
The schedule of dual matches will begin in late January and will be announced in December or January.
    
Xavier's women were an NAIA national semifinalist each of the past two seasons.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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Echebelem's big numbers earn her GCAC player award

NEW ORLEANS — Big numbers for Xavier University of Louisiana's Chinedu Echebelem helped her earn Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in women's volleyball for Sept. 8-14.
    
In the Gold Nuggets' only match of the week, Echebelem had a season-high 19 kills, a career-high 28 digs and two aces in the Gold Nuggets' 29-27, 25-22, 23-25, 25-17 home victory against Wiley. The combined total of kills and digs is the largest by a Xavier player in a match since the program was reinstated in 2010.             
    
Echebelem is a 5-foot-6 senior outside hitter from Dallas and a graduate of Duncanville High School. This is the third time she has been GCAC Player of the Week; she won once in 2013 and once in 2012.
    
Xavier, 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the GCAC, will play conference opponent Philander Smith at noon Saturday at XU's Convocation Center. Admission is free. Xavier has a four-match win streak.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

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