24 top-10 finishes, including NAIA 400 qualifying mark

CLINTON, Mississippi — Ariane Williams produced an NAIA B-qualifying time in the women's 400-meter dash Friday and had one of 24 top-10 finishes for Xavier University of Louisiana in the Mike McMillan Invitational track and field meet at Mississippi College.
     
Williams' time was 57 seconds flat, and the sophomore from Gonzales, La. — in her first season at XULA after transferring from Southeastern Louisiana — finished second out of 24 runners. Williams finished less than half a second behind Lakeia Hill of Hinds Community College.
     
Williams qualified for nationals two weeks ago in the 1,600 relay. The NAIA's national meet will be May 25-27 at Gulf Shores, Ala.
     
The Gold Nuggets also got second-place finishes from freshmen Taylor Price in the 5,000 (19:48.26) and Taylor Ducros in the javelin (33.59 meters / 110 feet, 2 inches) It was the first collegiate meet for Ducros, who also plays volleyball for XULA.

Maliya Vaughan was third in the 1,500 with a PR of 5:05, and she was eighth in the 800 (2:31.18). Janelle Jones was seventh in the 400 with a PR of 59.35. In the 100, Martina Wright ran a PR and XULA's best time of the season (12.47), and teammate Alexis Milton was three-hundredths of a second behind her.
     
For the XULA men, freshman Khalil Gallien had PRs in the 110 hurdles (15.17, sixth place) and 400 hurdles (1:00.48, fourth place).
     
The Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush will travel to Alabama next Friday for the University of Mobile Invitational, which will start at 11 a.m.
     
Here are all XULA results from the Mike McMillan Invitational:

Women
     100:  Martina Wright, 14th in 12.47; Alexis Milton, 15th in 12.50; Justyce Riggs, 27th in 13.51; Katelyn McMorris, 28th in 13.69
     200:  Ry-Anne Riley, 5th in 25.40; Ariane Williams, 7th in 25.59; Martina Wright, 16th in 26.34
     400:  Ariane Williams, 2nd in 57.00; Janelle Jones, 7th in 59.35; Tramaine Shannon, 10th in 1:00.76
     800:  Brianna Pace, 4th in 2:22.55; Maliya Vaughan, 8th in 2:31.18; Carlie Calais, 10th in 2:34.87
     1,500:  Maliya Vaughan, 3rd in 5:05.00; Brianna Pace, 7th in 5:15.47; Taylor Price, 12th in 5:31.57
     5,000:  Taylor Price, 2nd in 19:48.26; Dionysia Love, 6th in 20:39.18
     400 Relay:  Martina Wright, Alexis Milton, Janelle Jones, Justyce Riggs, 4th in 48.65
     1,600 Relay:  Alexis Milton, Chinyere Jones, Janelle Jones, Brianna Pace, 6th in 4:06.32
     Long Jump:  Ry-Anne Riley, 7th in 5.41 meters (17 feet, 9 inches); Ireyon Keith, 9th in 5.30 meters (17 feet, 4 3/4 inches); Justyce Riggs, 13th in 5.00 meters (16 feet, 5 inches); Dorian Hill, 16th in 4.79 meters (15 feet, 8 3/4 inches)
     Shot Put:  Tamia Scott, 25th in 8.00 meters (26 feet, 3 inches)
     Javelin:  Taylor Ducros, 2nd in 33.59 metere (110 feet, 2 inches); Tamia Scott, 4th in 32.21 meters (105 feet, 8 inches)

Men
     100:  Joseph Moses III, 19th in 11.18; Treshunn Miliner, 20th in 11.18
     200:  Treshunn Miliner, 24th in 22.67; Aaron Grundy, 41st in 23.66
     400:  Aaron Grundy, 30th in 52.47
     800:  Oji Wells, 9th in 2:03.06; Ammiel Williams, 11th in 2:05.49
     1,500:  Ammiel Williams, 18th in 4:44.06; Darrick Williams, 24th in 5:35.75
     5,000:  Darrick Williams, 10th in 21:02.51
     110 Hurdles:  Khalil Gallien, 6th in 15.17
     400 Hurdles:  Khalil Gallien, 4th in 1:00.48
     1,600 Hurdles:  Khalil Gallien, Ammiel Williams, Aaron Grundy, Oji Wells, 9th in 3:38.35
     High Jump:  Aaron Grundy, 10th in 1.75 meters (5 feet, 8 3/4 inches)

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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JSU Tiger offense starting to take shape

JACKSON, Mississippi -- The inability to move the ball was JSU’s Achilles heel in SWAC play last year, but offensive coordinator Chad Germany thinks the Tigers are going to turn that around in 2017.

Jackson State ranked eighth in the SWAC in both scoring offense (18.5 points a game) and total offense (308.5 yards). They have an infusion of youth coming in the fall from the latest signing class, but even without those players, there’s reason for optimism.

The Tiger offensive line is gelling around returning starters Vincent Hunter and Brandon McCoy, and Jordan Johnson is far from the only playmaker in the JSU backfield. Carle Ollie leads a young, talented group of receivers.

The trick, Germany said Friday, is to be as consistent as possible.

“The progress is coming at a turtle’s pace, but it’s coming,” Germany said. “Our continuity is one of the most important things, and we have that. Our quarterbacks are understanding what we want to do, and we’re really starting to gel as a unit.”

And while JSU’s four quarterbacks are getting closer by spending time in the film room, the competition among them is heating up on the field.

CONTINUE READING

9 are March recipients of GCAC Player of Week awards

NEW ORLEANS — Nine Xavier University of Louisiana student-athletes earned a collective 13 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards in March. They are:

     •  Khalil Gallien (freshman from Detroit / Bloomfield Hills High School), men's track, Feb. 27-March 5 and March 6-12 . . . Began XULA career with a fifth in the 110-meter hurdles (15.32 seconds) and a 10th in the 400 hurdles March 3 at the Tulane Early Bird Twilight meet . . . Then placed eighth in the 110 hurdles and 15th in the 400 hurdles the following week at the McNeese Cowboy Relays.

     •  Charlene Goreau (sophomore, Toulouse, France / Raymond Naves School), women's tennis, Feb. 27-March 5 and March 13-19 . . . Won in singles and doubles Feb. 27 against then-NAIA No. 4 Brenau . . . Did the same March 22 at NAIA No. 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) to help the Gold Nuggets win 9-0 on the road.

     •  Antoine Richard (freshman, Laval, Quebec / Le Tremplin School), men's tennis, Feb. 27-March 5 and March 20-26 . . . Won in singles and doubles March 3 at NAIA No. 6 William Carey to lead the Gold Rush to a dual-match victory on the road . . . Earned singles and doubles victories to help the Rush win again March 22 at home against Ouachita Baptist, the No. 39 team in NCAA Division II.

     •  Tamia Scott (freshman, Lafayette, La, / Carencro High School), women's field, Feb. 27-March 5 and March 13-19 . . . Fourth place in the javelin at the Tulane meet in her collegiate debut, then placed seventh with a season-best throw of 110 feet, 6 inches March 17 at the Emory Invitational.

     •  Keairez Coleman (sophomore, Harrisville, Miss. / Mendenhall High School), men's field, March 13-19 . . . Scored the only Gold Rush points of the Emory Invitational when he triple-jumped a season-best 44 feet, 9 1/2 inches.

     •  Catalin Fifea (junior, Bucharest, Romania / General School No. 31), men's tennis, March 13-19 . . . Pair of doubles and singles victories on the road against ASA Miami and St. Thomas. ASA Miami is ranked second in the nation among two-year schools.

     •  Ry-Anne Riley (freshman, New Orleans / Lusher Charter High School), women's track, Feb. 27-March 5 . . . In her collegiate debut, Riley posted a pair of top-3 finishes (300 dash, 400 relay) at the Tulane meet.

     •  Maliya Vaughan (sophomore, Elk Grove, Calif. / West Campus High School), women's track, March 6-12 . . . Seventh in the 1,500 at McNeese in a career-best 5:07.42 . . . Helped XULA place third in the 3,200 relay.

     •  Ariane Williams (sophomore, Gonzales, La. / East Ascension High School), women's track, March 13-19 . . . Produced three top-5 finishes at the Emory Invitational, including an NAIA A-qualifying time of 3:53.83 in the 1,600 relay. That mark ranks fourth in the NAIA this season.

XULA men's and women's track will compete Friday in the Mike McMillan Invitational at Mississippi College in Clinton, Miss. XULA women's tennis will travel to Alexandria, La., for Saturday duals against LSU-Alexandria at 9 a.m. and Grambling at 1 p.m. Next for XULA men's tennis will be a noon dual April 8 at Jackson State.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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No. 2 Gold Rush make 52nd straight top-10 appearance

NEW ORLEANS — You've heard this before. Xavier University of Louisiana is No. 2 in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
     
It's the sixth consecutive time that the Gold Rush (8-3) are second. The XULA men have won eight of their last nine dual matches; the lone blemish was 5-0 Feb. 19 against Georgia Gwinnett, which Tuesday earned its 24th consecutive unanimous No. 1 ranking.
     
Since the previous poll, the Gold Rush won 8-1 at then-NAIA No. 19 St. Thomas (Fla.) and 5-2 at home against Ouachita Baptist, No. 39 in NCAA Division II.
     
The next Gold Rush dual match will start at noon April 8 at NCAA Division I Jackson State. The next home appearance will be April 13 at 11 a.m. against NAIA No. 6 William Carey at XULA Tennis Center.
     
The Gold Rush active poll streaks:
     •  82 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
     •  73 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
     •  58 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
     •  52 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
     •  14 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
     •  12 consecutive appearances in the top 3 . . . streak began March 1, 2016.
     •  6 consecutive appearances in the top 2 . . . streak began May 25, 2016.

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through March 26) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Georgia Gwinnett (12) 18-0 312 1 2 XULA 8-3 302 2 3 Keiser 15-3 291 3 4 Northwestern Ohio 12-0 283 5 5 Lindsey Wilson 9-5 272 4 6 William Carey 9-3 262 6 7 Arizona Christian 11-8 250 7 8 William Woods 6-4 235 10 9 Campbellsville 7-3 229 8 10 Cardinal Stritch 5-3 226 9 11 Mobile 16-1 217 11 12 Westmont 5-6 200 12 13 San Diego Christian 4-6 190 13 14 Coastal Georgia 11-5 185 14 15 Reinhardt 8-5 161 16 16 Middle Georgia 9-6 156 18 17 Aquinas 10-3 154 17 18 Tennessee Wesleyan 8-1 123 21 19 Olivet Nazarene 4-5 122 15 20 SCAD Savannah 6-6 110 NR 21 McPherson 1-3 105 20 21 Cornerstone 12-5 105 NR 23 Cumberland 3-2 99 22 24 St. Thomas (Fla.) 5-8 81 19 25 Lewis-Clark State 1-7 75 24 Dropped from rankings:  No. 23 Warner, No. 25 Bethany (Kan.) Others receiving votes:  Warner 54, Asbury 45, Bethany (Kan.) 41, Loyola (N.O.) 20, Lawrence Tech 17, Biola 14, Cumberlands 10, Marian (Ind.) 10, SCAD Atlanta 8 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

Nuggets climb again in NAIA — this time to No. 9

NEW ORLEANS — For the first time in four years, Xavier University of Louisiana has climbed in three consecutive NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 polls.
     
The Gold Nuggets (5-6) moved Tuesday from 10th to ninth. The XULA women have improved by 10 spots since the preseason poll, mainly on the strength of four victories against ranked opponents. Their most recent dual match was a 9-0 victory at No. 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) March 17.
     
The 2013 Gold Nuggets climbed six consecutive times in the polls en route to the first-ever NAIA No. 1 ranking by a XULA team in any sport.
     
The ranking is the Gold Nuggets' highest since No. 4 on May 20, 2015. This is the 27th all-time top-10 appearance for XULA's women.
     
Next for XULA will be a pair of duals Saturday at Alexandria (La.) City Courts. The Gold Nuggets will play NAIA No. 13 LSU-Alexandria at 9 a.m. and Grambling of NCAA Division I at 1 p.m. The Gold Nuggets' next home appearance will be April 13 at 11 a.m. against NAIA No. 10 William Carey at XULA Tennis Center.

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through March 26) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Georgia Gwinnett (14) 18-0 374 1 2 Lindsey Wilson 11-4 362 2 3 SCAD Savannah 10-3 350 3 4 Keiser 11-5 338 4 5 Northwestern Ohio 10-4 303 15 6 William Woods 4-6 300 6 7-tie San Diego Christian 9-2 298 8 7-tie Mobile 18-2 298 7 9 XULA 5-6 279 10 10 William Carey 9-2 264 9 11 Indiana Wesleyan 22-6 257 11 12 Cardinal Stritch 2-8 248 5 13 LSU-Alexandria 10-0 243 12 14 Davenport 5-4 205 tie-13 15 Arizona Christian 11-6 201 16 16 Middle Georgia 12-5 194 18 17 Olivet Nazarene 1-6 170 17 18 Campbellsville 3-4 163 RV 19 SCAD Atlanta 5-6 141 21 20 Cumberlands 8-6 122 RV 21 McPherson 1-2 114 20 22 St. Thomas (Fla.) 4-8 108 22 23 Lewis-Clark State 3-10 104 tie-24 24 Marian (Ind.) 12-7 102 tie-24 25 Coastal Georgia 10-8 99 RV Dropped from rankings:  No. 13 (tie) Brenau, No. 19 Cumberland, No. 23 Reinhardt    Others receiving votes:  Reinhardt 90, Cumberland 84, Brenau 76, Georgetown (Ky.) 47, Tennessee Wesleyan 22, Southwestern (Kan.) 7, Westmont 7, Missouri Valley 5, Huntington 5, Texas Wesleyan 3 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold