Gold Rush are No. 3 in NAIA for 4th consecutive poll

NEW ORLEANS — Georgia Gwinnett, Auburn Montgomery and Xavier University of Louisiana are 1-2-3 in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll for the fourth consecutive time.
     
The top-25 appearance is the 74th in a row for the Gold Rush (12-5). It's Xavier's 44th straight top-10 ranking.
     
Xavier is 8-0 against NAIA teams, and half of those victories are against top-10 opponents. The Gold Rush have two victories against No. 10 William Carey and one apiece against No. 4 Northwestern Ohio and No. 5 Keiser.
     
Xavier will play its final home dual of the season at noon Thursday at XU Tennis Center against NCAA Division I's Alcorn State. Honored in a prematch ceremony will be seniorsManav Chakma, Kevin Chaouat and Kyle Montrel.
     
Alcorn will be Xavier's 10th NCAA DI opponent this season. XU seeks a school-record fifth victory this season against DIs.
     
The national rankings are the NAIA's sixth of the season. Two-time defending national champion Georgia Gwinnett (19-0) is unanimously No. 1 for the sixth time. The top eight teams are the same as the previous poll.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through April 10) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Georgia Gwinnett (13) 19-0 343 1 2 Auburn Montgomery 14-4 331 2 3 Xavier 12-5 322 3 4 Northwestern Ohio 11-3 310 4 5 Dalton State 15-4 299 5 6 Keiser 17-2 288 6 7 Lindsey Wilson 11-3 276 7 8 Coastal Georgia 11-2 265 8 9 San Diego Christian 9-3 253 11 10 William Carey 11-6 248 10 11 Aquinas 17-5 221 13 12 McPherson 7-6 215 12 13 Lewis-Clark State 9-7 209 20 14 Cardinal Stritch 7-1 206 14 15 Reinhardt 9-2 173 15 16 Westmont 7-7 172 9 17 Mobile 10-6 168 25 18 Campbellsville 8-5 163 17 19 Olivet Nazarene 6-2 145 18 20 Middle Georgia 11-8 143 16 21 Bethany (Kan.) 7-2 126 19 22 Warner 8-3 119 21 23 Cumberland 8-7 103 22 24 Asbury 5-3 76 23 25 Marian (Ind.) 15-7 67 24 Dropped from rankings:  none Others receiving votes:  Tennessee Wesleyan 56, Pikeville 44, Southeastern (Fla.) 42, Baker 27, Lawrence Tech 27, Indiana Wesleyan 10, Cumberlands 10, Loyola 6, Missouri Baptist 5

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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JSU secondary attempting to focus on next play, day

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State safeties coach LaMarcus Hicks communicates the same thing to his safeties every day.

"Be the master of your attitude," Hicks said. "No matter what happened the day before, the play before, you have to come with a positive attitude the next day, the next play. ... The same thing goes on game day. We have to keep playing and stay positive all the time."

That should be a good message for the safeties and the secondary as a whole to follow after the Tigers' latest scrimmage this past Saturday.

The defense surrendered five touchdowns through the air, all of which came from wide receivers.

"Last week, we came out kinda flat," JSU corner Zavian Bingham said. "And the offense kind of got on us a bit. We came out flat from the jump."

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Arcadia's Travious Fielding signs with Grambling hoops

ARCADIA, Louisiana — Marcus Jackson fondly remembers two stories about Travious Fielding, his star player at Arcadia High School.

The first dates back to Fielding's eighth grade season when he shed two tears, according to Jackson, who serves as Arcadia's boys basketball coach, when learning he couldn't practice due to a cold. The second happened earlier this year when Fielding, fresh off an ACL surgery, dove over the opposing team's bench against Simsboro.

On both occasions, Fielding's reasoning was the same. He didn't know any other way. He just loves to play basketball.

"I said I'm glad this guy is on my team," Jackson recalled.

Now, Fielding is on Grambling's team after signing with the school Wednesday afternoon, and Tigers coach Shawn Walker is also glad to now have him.

"He only knows one way to play and that's hard. He's tough. He defends and he'll be the catalyst to what we're trying to do defensively," Walker said Wednesday. "He's just a tough kid. He's a lamb off the floor and a dog on the floor."



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PVAMU names Ravon Justice new women's basketball head coach

COURTESY PVAMU ATHLETICS

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- Prairie View A&M athletic director Ashley Robinson an­nounced that Ravon Justice was hired to be the next head coach of the Lady Panthers women's basketball coach. She is the seventh head coach of the Lady Panthers since the start of the NCAA's women's basketball era in 1981.
 
Justice arrives at "The Hill" after seven seasons with the Uni­versity of Houston women's basketball team. She served as re­cruiting coordinator for the Cougars for the previous five years.
 
"I am very excited about the hiring of Coach Justice," Robin­son said. "She has a high basketball IQ and is someone who is going to bring a positive culture to the program."
 
One area in which Justice is expected to make an immediate impact is in the area of in-state recruiting. A native of Atlanta, Texas in the northeast corner of the state, Justice spent more than a decade as a top assistant collegiate coach in Houston, and played her sophomore basketball season in Clarendon College, located in the southern part of the Texas Panhandle.
 
"She is a great recruiter. There are few people in the coaching profession who have as much recruiting experience throughout the entire state of Texas as she does."
 
In Justice's first year at Houston in 2010-11, the Cougars enjoyed one of their finest seasons in program history, posting a 26-6 overall record and returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2004-05 season.
 
With Justice's guidance, Houston point guard Porsche Landry earned Conference USA First Team honors and became only the fourth player in Cougars' women's basketball histo­ry to tally more than 1,000 points and 300 assists during her career.
 
Justice also made an immediate impact on the recruiting trail after taking over those duties following the 2010-11 sea­son, as various recruiting services ranked the early six-player class that signed in November of 2011 among the nation's top-40 recruiting hauls, including Dan Olson's Collegiate Girls Basketball Report (No. 22) and ESPN HoopGurlz (No. 39).
 
Justice joined the University of Houston staff after five sea­sons as an assistant at Houston Baptist. Before helping the Huskies team transition from the NAIA to the NCAA's Division I classification, Justice was a part of the 2005-06 team that completed an undefeated run to the Red River Athletic Confer­ence's regular season and tournament championships; HBU repeated as tournament champions the following season.
 
The Huskies would also make two trips to the NAIA Division I tournament during Justice's tenure with the team, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2007.
During her own collegiate playing career, Justice attended Nicholls State for one year before transferring to Clarendon College. As a Lady Bulldog, she was named a junior college All-American in addition to receiving Western Junior College Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors.
 
Following her time at Clarendon, Justice played one season at Washington State before finishing her college career at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in Chickasha.
 
As a senior at USAO, Justice averaged 19.3 points per game and captured All-Sooner Athletic Conference honors. She tallied the third-most points (521) in a single season in school history during the 2003-04 campaign, while setting school records in free throws (133) and free-throw attempts (214).
 
Justice earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from USAO in 2004 and received her master's degree in liberal arts from HBU in 2009.

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Jackson State will wait to name starting quarterback

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Offensive coordinator Chad Germany told the media following Jackson State's scrimmage Saturday that LaMontiez Ivy has started to emerge in the team's quarterback competition.

That may be true, but it doesn't mean the Tigers will name a starter by the end of spring practice, which concludes with the Blue and White Game at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

"I think we're going to continue on into the fall camp because that's a long way to go," coach Tony Hughes said. "You name a starting quarterback, now you have to live with that and you go into the ups and the downs and leave yourself open for criticism and this and that. Let's keep the competition alive on our football team and let every kid still feel like he has an opportunity to play, earn playing time or become a starter."

Ivy has been the Tigers' starting quarterback for the better part of the past two seasons. He wasn't asked to do much in JSU's first scrimmage and completed 6 of 10 passes. In the second scrimmage, the Tigers aired it out a little more and Ivy tossed two touchdown passes, one to receiver Daniel Williams and the other to Benjy Parrish.

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Southern students shot in head, chest, coroner says; ballistics test expected to show who shot women

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Southern University’s student union was quieter than normal Monday, a day after two female students were gunned down outside an off-campus party in Baton Rouge.

Students were slowly coming to grips with the deaths of Annette January and Lashuntae “Tae” Benton, innocents in a shooting that also sent a young man to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

“A lot of people don’t want to go to class today,” said Demetrius Carter, a football team captain and the 22-year-old president of the school’s student athletic advisory committee. “It’s bad. … I’ve been up since 2 o’clock this morning taking calls trying to get people to calm down, listening to them, consoling and trying to figure out what actually happened.”

He gestured to a corner of the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union where a young woman was sobbing into the arms of a classmate.

“There’s a lot of that going on,” he said. “In the field house, there were so many people crying, I had to get up out of there, trying to hold myself together.”

Statement on death of two SU Baton Rouge students

"It is with deep sadness that the University confirms that two Southern University Baton Rouge female student-athletes were killed early Sunday, April 10, 2016. According to law enforcement, freshman track and field athlete Annette January of Gary, Indiana, and sophomore student athletic trainer Lashuntae Benton of Lake Charles, were killed by gunfire outside of an apartment complex in Baton Rouge near LSU, early this morning. An investigation is ongoing. The University asks for prayers and support for the families at this difficult time."
-Ray L. Belton, SU System president

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FAMU Baseball Gets Second Mercy Rule Win of the Weekend to Sweep NC A&T 17-7

GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Florida A&M (21-10, 11-1 MEAC) posted its’ second mercy rule win of the weekend to complete the sweep of North Carolina A&T (8-27, 3-9 MEAC) by a score of 17-7 at War Memorial Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Cameron Johnson helped pace the Rattler offense as he finished the day with five RBI, while going 2-for-4 with a grand slam in the fifth inning. Ryan Hutson added four RBI with his first career home run. FAMU finished the weekend with 44 runs scored on 36 hits with seven doubles, three triples and five home runs.

Five different Rattlers (Alec Wong, Marlon Gibbs, Brian Davis, Ben Ellzey and Johnson) recorded multiple hits in the win.

Rattler starter Chase Jarrell (4-1) picked up his fourth win of the season after working five innings and allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits with two strikeouts and one walk. JoJo Durden recorded his first save of the season after throwing the final three innings with three strikeouts and one run allowed on two hits.

FAMU scored first with two quick runs in the top of the first inning. Gibbs tripled into right center with one out and scored as Ellzey dropped in a two-out RBI single to center field. Dylan Dillard, who walked earlier in the inning with two outs, came around to score as Johnson recorded an RBI single into right field.

The Aggies answered by scoring three runs in the home half of the first inning to take a 3-2 lead. Timothy Ravare led off with a single to center field, but Willis McDaniel misplayed the ball and allowed Ravare to advance to third base. Milton Rivera then followed with a single just off the glove of Wong, as the infield was playing in, to plate Ravare from third. After a single from Adan Ordonez, both runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Dawnoven Smith then brought home Rivera with an RBI groundout. Ordonez scored the third run of the inning on a sac fly to center field from Ryan Jantsch.

Florida A&M regained the lead for good, at 6-3, with four runs in the third inning as Ryan Hutson hit his first career home run. With two outs and Dillard on first, Johnson drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Shane Gordon then reached on an error by the shortstop as Dillard came around to score the tying run. Hutson then crushed a three-run shot over the fence in left field to give FAMU the lead for good.

The Rattlers picked up a single run in the fourth inning to push their lead to 7-3. Gibbs reached on an error by the third baseman before Davis belted an RBI double into the left center gap to bring Gibbs home.

NC A&T cut the lead to 7-5 with two runs on two hits in the fourth inning. Myles Sowell led off with a walk and Kyle Clary singled to center to put runners on the corners with one out. Keenan Herring then grounded out to third, which allowed Sowell to score. Clary later came around to score the second run of the inning as Forest Kimbrell singled to center field.

FAMU took a commanding lead with seven runs in the top off the fifth inning that made the score 14-5. Gordon led off with a triple off the wall in left center and came home to score on a sac fly to center field by Hutson. Peter Jackson then reached on a bunt single, stole second and moved to third on a groundout to first by Wong. Jackson was later able to score as Gibbs recorded a two-out RBI single up the middle. Davis then singled to right and Miles, Jr. walked to load the bases. Ellzey would draw a bases loaded walk to score Gibbs before Johnson smacked a grand slam to center field, his second home run of his career in as many games.

North Carolina A&T scored a single run in the fifth inning for a score of 14-6. Ordonez doubled down the left line with one out and came around to score on a two-out RBI single up the middle from Jantsch.

The Rattlers tacked on two more runs that made the score 16-6 in the seventh inning. Davis was walked with one out and Miles, Jr. ripped an RBI double into the left center gap as Davis came home to score from first. Miles, Jr. then scored on Ellzey’s RBI single to center field.

NC A&T scored a single run in the bottom of the seventh inning and Florida A&M responded with a run of its’ own in the eighth inning for the final score of 17-7.

Aggie starter Will Greene (1-5) gave up eight runs (three earned) on seven hits with four walks, one strikeout and one hit batter for the loss.

The Rattlers return home on Tuesday, April 12 to face Jacksonville at Moore-Kittles Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5:00 PM.

As always, fans can follow Rattler Baseball on Twitter @BaseballFAMU and on Facebook. Live stats are also available on the baseball schedule page of FAMUAthletics.com.

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COURTESY FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

XULA Chatters sets javelin mark at Northwestern State meet

NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana — Drew Chatters broke her Xavier University of Louisiana record in the women's javelin at the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational track and field meet Saturday.
     
Chatters, a sophomore from Lake Charles, La., and a graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School, extended her record with 37.05 meters (121 feet, 7 inches) in her fifth throw of the competition. She placed fifth out of 13 competitors and finished ahead of eight NCAA Division I athletes.
     
Chatters' previous XU mark was 36.54 meters (119-10¾) at the McNeese Cowboy Relays in her hometown on March 14, 2015. She was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion a year ago.
     
Xavier produced 15 top-10 individual finishes. Maliya Vaughan was sixth in the women's 800-meter run with the Gold Nuggets' best time this season, 2 minutes, 27.40 seconds. Christopher August had a men's team season best with 4:13.69 in the 1,500 and placed fifth.
     
Xavier's highest individual finish was in the women's 3,000 steeplechase. Dionysia Love was third in 12:34.02 and produced the Gold Nuggets' fastest time in this event since 2014.
     
The meet, which did not have team scoring, was Xavier's sixth of the outdoor season. Next will be the Southeastern Invitational at Hammond, La., Saturday.
     
Here are all of Xavier's results from the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational:

Women     
100: Chelsea James, 4th in 12:43; Destini Thomas, 8th in 12.75; Martina Wright, 9th in 12.77; Alexis Milton, 10th in 12.97; Katelyn McMorris, 12th in 13:00     
400: Chinyere Jones, 12th in 1:01.24; Janelle Jones, 13th in 1:01.80; Ky'Reon McBride, 14th in 1:02.38   
800: Maliya Vaughan, 6th in 2:27.40     
1,500: Dionysia Love, 4th in 5:23.39; Brianna Pace, 5th in 5:38.22     
5,000: Hannah Finnegan, 4th in 23:27.83     
100 Hurdles: Tylor Row, 8th in 16:02     
400 Hurdles: Tylor Row, 12th in 1:14.17     
3,000 Steeplechase: Dionysia Love, 3rd in 12:34.02; Maliya Vaughan, 5th in 13:14.41;Hannah Finnegan, 6th in 13:56.55; Brianna Pace, 7th in 13:58.03     
400 Relay: Chelsea James, Destini Thomas, Alexis Milton, Clarke Allen, 3rd in 49.27     
1,600 Relay: Kailey Williams, Janelle Jones, Clarke Allen, Kayla Quincy, 4th in 4:02.08     
Javelin: Drew Chatters, 5th in 37.05 meters (121 feet, 7 inches)

Men     
100: Ethan Gipson, 17th in 11.41     
400: Langston Adams, 13th in 54.20     
800: Ammiel Williams, 17th in 2:07.00     
1,500: Christopher August, 5th in 4:13.69; Ammiel Williams, 11th in 4:36.58


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush tie XU record for success against NCAA DIs

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana defeated Jackson State 7-2 Sunday at XU Tennis Center and tied its men's program record for dual-match victories in a season against NCAA Division I opponents.

The Gold Rush (12-5), ranked third in the NAIA, are 4-5 this season against teams from the NCAA's highest classification. The XU men also produced four victories in 2013, 2009 and 2008.

Xavier's women lost 6-3 at home to Jackson State.

Karan Salwan, Thomas Setodji, Kyle Montrel and Adam Albrecht won in doubles and singles for the Gold Rush. After Xavier swept the doubles for the eighth time this season, Salwan clinched when he defeated Camilo Patino 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 singles.

Setodji, a freshman who is 11-0 in singles, defeated Federico Boscarino 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2. Kyle Montrel beat Miguel Gomez Martin 6-1, 7-5 at No. 3, and Albrecht defeated Richie Agarwal 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6.

Xavier improved to 16-1 at home this season in men's doubles. Kyle Montrel and Adam Albrecht completed the sweep of the Tigers (5-16) with an 8-5 victory against Boscarino and Patino on the first court.

The Gold Rush are 6-0 at home this season.

In the women's matchup, Jackson State (8-15) won 2-of-3 in doubles and won a pair of 3-set singles matches to earn its first-ever victory against the Gold Nuggets (8-11) in five duals.

Julia Angermann clinched for the Lady Tigers with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory against Charlene Goreau at No. 1. Jana van der Walt and Goreau defeated Karina Ono and Bright Phakamad 8-4 at No. 2 doubles, and Xavier got singles victories in third-set super-tiebreakers from Brion Flowers and Tess Guarino.

Flowers defeated Phakamad 7-6 (8-6), 0-6, 1-0 (10-6) at No. 4, and Guarino beat Ono 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) at No. 6.

The Gold Nuggets are 2-4 this season against NCAA DIs.

The Rush and Nuggets will play another DI, Alcorn State, at noon Thursday at XU. Seniors Montrel, Manav Chakma and Kevin Chaouat of the Rush and Flowers, van der Walt and Vashni Balleste of the Nuggets will be honored in a prematch ceremony.


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Alabama Supreme Court rules against former ASU AD

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday overturned a 2015 circuit court decision that found former Alabama State University athletic director Stacy Danley had been wrongfully terminated and awarded him $140,000.

The justices upheld the court’s decision that dismissed ASU’s counterclaim against Danley for unapproved travel expenses, and it reversed the order providing Danley attorneys’ fees.

“We thank the Supreme Court of Alabama for upholding the longstanding legal principles of sovereign and state-agent immunities,” ASU attorney Kenny Thomas said.

Attempts to reach Danley and his attorney, Joseph Fitzpatrick, were unsuccessful Friday afternoon.

In the lengthy opinion, which picked apart due process claims from plaintiffs suing state entities, the Alabama Supreme Court said the lower court erred in awarding Danley damages because ...

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Sims Wins No. 850 as Badgers Sweep Lemoyne-Owen in DH

SHC head coach Frank Sims now holds an 850-831-3 career record
Courtesy Spring Hill College Athletics

MOBILE, Alabama -- The Spring Hill College (SHC) baseball team swept a Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) doubleheader away from the LeMoyne-Owen College (LOC) Magicians by the scores of 23-0 and 14-8 at historic Stan Galle Field to hand head coach Frank Sims his 850th career victory.

In the first game, Badger starter Wesley Parrish (6-3) benefitted from a 14-run outburst by his offense in the 4th inning as the senior right-hander cruised to his fourth complete game and his first solo shutout of the season. Parrish allowed just two hits with a walk and nine strike outs.

Dexwin Thompson took the loss for LOC in 3.0 innings with nine hits, three walks and three strike outs. Thompson and his relief, Lawerence Baker, added to their own troubles by hitting a combined nine SHC batters in the game.

At the plate, Garrett Webb enjoyed a 3-for-4 day with a double and an RBI while first baseman Michael Druhan was also 3-for-4 with an RBI. Catcher Alex Jones mashed a three-run homer in the 1st inning and finished the game with two hits and six RBI. Right fielder Ulysses Fluellen picked up two doubles and three RBI as SHC recorded its most runs of the year and tied the team's season high-water mark with 19 hits.

The second game saw the Badgers jump out to a 14-1 lead after five innings, but the Magicians rallied to score seven runs in the 6th frame before reliever Andrew Pierson came in to put out the fire. Starter Dylan Kiene (6-2) was the winner in five innings of work with four hits, a walk and a strike out.

Tyrus Asberry took the loss in the nightcap in four innings with nine hits, two walks and no strike outs while the LOC defense committed seven errors in the field.

William Floros cranked his third home run year while Druhan ripped his ninth dinger of the campaign. Fluellen added a double and a triple with two RBI to his day's totals while catcher Brennan Fontenot had a single and a double with one RBI.

For LOC, center fielder Tyrone Gaston had two hits in the twin bill while second baseman Robert Sheard lifted a three-run home run in the second game. First baseman Cameron Haynes also connected for two doubles in the nightcap.

Following the game, the Badger players rewarded Sims on his 850th career victory (814 coming at SHC) with an ice-water soaking courtesy the team's PowerAid cooler. "It all in good fun," Sims said. "In reality, it's more their achievement than mine. It's a testament to all of the great student-athletes I've coached here at Spring Hill over the past 30 years. They have to go out and do the things it takes to win."

The Badgers (21-14, 12-2 SIAC) will again host the Magicians (2-24, 2-8 SIAC) on Saturday in a conference doubleheader beginning at noon.

COURTESY SPRING HILL COLLEGE ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Peck Has Good Outing, Aggies Lose Two to FAMU

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  –  Junior Robert Peck had redemptive Game 2 pitching performance for the North Carolina A&T pitching staff, but a two-run home run for Florida A&M made the difference as the Rattlers swept a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader from the Aggies, 22-11 (in seven innings) and 5-3 at War Memorial Stadium on Saturday.

N.C. A&T (8-26, 3-8 MEAC) and FAMU (20-10, 10-1) will conclude the series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m., at WMS.

Peck went six innings in the scheduled seven-inning contest of Game 2 where he gave up three runs on five hits, struck out three and only gave up two walks in 90 pitches thrown. Peck (1-3) endured the tough-luck loss after giving up the go-ahead run in the FAMU sixth.

Dylan Dillard led off the frame by singling to left field, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt before stealing third. FAMU put runners on the corners after Ben Ellzey walked. FAMU power hitter Marlon Gibbs then hit a slow roller up the first base line. Peck fielded the ball and fired home but Dillard slid into home plate ahead of the tag to give FAMU a 3-2 lead. In the seventh, Dillard returned to the plate and hit a two-run homer into the wind flying out to right field for a 5-2 advantage.

N.C. A&T showed some grit in the seventh inning, however. Junior Timothy Ravare hit a one-out single to right and moved to second on a wild pitch. Rattler reliever Tyler Reker (RHP) put the tying run on by hitting Milton Rivera with an 0-2 pitch. It led to FAMU replacing Reker with RHP Kendal Weeks. Weeks started his outing by throwing a wild pitch to put both of N.C. A&T’s runners into scoring position ahead of Adan Ordonez’s groundout RBI to second that scored Ravare to put the Aggies down two.

But Weeks did get Dawnoven Smith to pop out to end the game as Weeks earned his third save of the season. Reker (1-1) got the win.

Ravare and Rivera had two hits apiece in the second game to lead the Aggies. Rivera also had two hits in the first game as he extended his hitting streak to 18 games. But Rivera’s Game 1 offense was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Aggies and the Rattlers combined for 33 runs, 25 hits, five errors and 18 walks in the first game. N.C. A&T was hurt because they posted 13 of the 18 free passes. They also hit three batters.

FAMU put together a seven-run second, an eight-run fourth and a five-run fifth to take a 20-3 lead going into the Aggies fifth.

That is when the Aggies offense went to work. Ordonez started the scoring with an RBI single to left. He moved into second on the throw home and Rivera advanced to third. An error by FAMU first baseman Brian Davis on a Jason Davis ground ball allowed Rivera to score ahead of Kyle Clary’s RBI single that scored Ordonez. Lance Jensen then hit his second home run in as many games as his blast went over the right field. The inning ended with N.C. A&T trailing 20-9.

Jensen’s home run was significant because in MEAC play the game is over if a team trails by 10 or more runs after seven. N.C. A&T put themselves in position to extend the game beyond the seventh with a two-out rally in the sixth as Ravare and Ordonez scored on wild pitches to make it 20-11.

Dillard, who was a tough out for N.C. A&T all day, hit a two-run home run in the seventh to put the Rattlers up 11. N.C. A&T did not respond with multiple runs in their seventh, therefore, they were not able to extend the game.B
Tevelle Clark (2-1) took the loss, Ryan Anderson (4-1) was the winner. Clary added two hits for the Aggies and Ravare scored three times.

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COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

Daniel Williams shines in Jackson State's scrimmage

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Most Jackson State observers are aware of what receiver Daniel Williams is capable of.

First-year Tigers coach Tony Hughes was still waiting to see it from the two-time All-SWAC wideout though.

Williams showcased his ability for Hughes and everybody else in attendance with a two-touchdown performance at JSU's scrimmage on Saturday.

"I think Dan Williams had a breakout practice finally," Hughes said. "He made some plays, he caught the slant and made a big run and catch after that one. He made a nice run across the field. It was great to see him finally show up."

In the Tigers' first scrimmage, Williams caught one pass for 30 yards. He got involved early in the second scrimmage with a 13-yard reception on the second play of the day.



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Chatters sets javelin mark at Northwestern State meet

KAYLA QUINCY

NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana -- Drew Chatters broke her Xavier University of Louisiana record in the women's javelin at the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational track and field meet Saturday.

Chatters, a sophomore from Lake Charles, La., and a graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School, extended her record with 37.05 meters (121 feet, 7 inches) in her fifth throw of the competition. She placed fifth out of 13 competitors and finished ahead of eight NCAA Division I athletes.

Chatters' previous XU mark was 36.54 meters (119-10¾) at the McNeese Cowboy Relays in her hometown on March 14, 2015. She was the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference champion a year ago.

Xavier produced 15 top-10 individual finishes. Maliya Vaughan was sixth in the women's 800-meter run with the Gold Nuggets' best time this season, 2 minutes, 27.40 seconds. Christopher August had a men's team season best with 4:13.69 in the 1,500 and placed fifth.

Xavier's highest individual finish was in the women's 3,000 steeplechase. Dionysia Love was third in 12:34.02 and produced the Gold Nuggets' fastest time in this event since 2014.

The meet, which did not have team scoring, was Xavier's sixth of the outdoor season. Next will be the Southeastern Invitational at Hammond, La., Saturday.

Here are all of Xavier's results from the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational:

Women

100: Chelsea James, 4th in 12:43; Destini Thomas, 8th in 12.75; Martina Wright, 9th in 12.77; Alexis Milton, 10th in 12.97; Katelyn McMorris, 12th in 13:00

400: Chinyere Jones, 12th in 1:01.24; Janelle Jones, 13th in 1:01.80; Ky'Reon McBride, 14th in 1:02.38

800: Maliya Vaughan, 6th in 2:27.40

1,500: Dionysia Love, 4th in 5:23.39; Brianna Pace, 5th in 5:38.22

5,000: Hannah Finnegan, 4th in 23:27.83

100 Hurdles: Tylor Row, 8th in 16:02

400 Hurdles: Tylor Row, 12th in 1:14.17

3,000 Steeplechase: Dionysia Love, 3rd in 12:34.02; Maliya Vaughan, 5th in 13:14.41; Hannah Finnegan, 6th in 13:56.55; Brianna Pace, 7th in 13:58.03

400 Relay: Chelsea James, Destini Thomas, Alexis Milton, Clarke Allen, 3rd in 49.27

1,600 Relay: Kailey Williams, Janelle Jones, Clarke Allen, Kayla Quincy, 4th in 4:02.08

Men

100: Ethan Gipson, 17th in 11.41

400: Langston Adams, 13th in 54.20

800: Ammiel Williams, 17th in 2:07.00

1,500: Christopher August, 5th in 4:13.69; Ammiel Williams, 11th in 4:36.58

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Alcorn's offense, defense at different points of growth

LORMAN, Mississippi -- Spring practice has essentially been a tale of two sides of the ball at Alcorn State.

It's been quite the learning process for the offense, which lost an abundance of experience from last season, while the defense is attempting to uphold a standard set by former Braves coach Jay Hopson.

Last season, Alcorn State returned nearly everybody on offense, so even though it was the first year under offensive coordinator Fred Kaiss, there was still plenty of veterans on offense.

Some of those standouts, such as running back Darryan Ragsdale, tight end Jordan Payne and quarterback John Gibbs Jr.,are gone now. So the focus has been centered on filling the void.

"The goal (for spring) is establishing replacements," Kaiss said. "We have three linemen that have left, we lost a bunch of receivers, we've got new guys at new positions, but just don't know the system, don't know the position yet."

Kaiss tried to offset the loss of Ragsdale, who rushed for 1,183 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015, with the move of receiver Marquis Warford to running back.

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Saint Augustine’s Falcons Releases 2016 Football Schedule

RALEIGH, North Carolina -- Home games against Shaw University, Fayetteville State University and Carson-Newman University and road games against North Carolina A&T University, North Carolina Central University and Winston-Salem State University highlight the Saint Augustine's University football schedule, which was released Thursday, April 7, 2016.

The Falcons will host four home games at the George Williams Athletic Complex including Oct. 22 against Fayetteville State on Homecoming Day and Nov. 5 against crosstown rival Shaw on Senior Day. The Falcons defeated Shaw 31-24 in Durham, N.C., last season.

The home opener is Sept. 10 against national power Carson-Newman University, which is making its first trip to the George Williams Athletic Complex. The Falcons begin the CIAA season at home against Lincoln (Pa.) on Sept. 24.

The Falcons play six away games including two against former CIAA and current Division I Football Championship Subdivision opponents. The Falcons visit North Carolina A&T in the season opener Sept. 3 and head to North Carolina Central Sept. 17. Two Division I teams are on the schedule for the first time ever. Saint Augustine's University and A&T are squaring off for the first time since 1935.

"We have a challenging non-conference schedule which should prepare us for CIAA play," Falcons' Head Coach Tim Chavous said.

The Falcons play four CIAA away games in October including three straight contests. They face Virginia Union Oct. 1, Livingstone Oct. 8 and defending CIAA champion Winston-Salem State Oct. 15. After the Falcons host Fayetteville State, they visit Johnson C. Smith Oct. 29.

The CIAA title game is slated for Nov. 12 in Durham, N.C. The site is Durham County Stadium.

Below is the 2016 football schedule.
 
Falcon 2016 Schedule

Date	Opponent	Location	Time
Sept. 3	at North Carolina A&T	Greensboro, NC	6 p.m.
SEPT. 10	CARSON-NEWMAN	RALEIGH, NC	1 P.M.
Sept. 17	at North Carolina Central	Durham, NC	6 p.m.
SEPT. 24	LINCOLN (PA)*	RALEIGH, NC	1 P.M.
Oct. 1	at Virginia Union*	Richmond, VA	1 p.m.
Oct. 8	at Livingstone*	Salisbury, NC	1 p.m.
Oct. 15	at Winston-Salem State*	Winston-Salem, NC	1:30 p.m.
OCT. 22	FAYETTEVILLE STATE *#	RALEIGH, NC	1 P.M.
Oct. 29	at Johnson C. Smith*	Charlotte, NC	1 p.m.
NOV. 5	SHAW*	RALEIGH, NC	1 P.M.
Nov. 12	CIAA Championship	Durham, NC	TBA

* - CIAA Games
# - Homecoming
Home Games In Bold

COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION