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NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana fell three places Wednesday to No. 10 in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Postseason Top 25 poll, but the Gold Nuggets can boast of their fourth top-10 appearance in the last five postseason polls. The Gold Nuggets began the season 19th, and on March 14 they made their first of six consecutive top-10 appearances. A No. 7 ranking May 7 was their highest of the season. The Gold Nuggets lost 5-4 to Indiana Wesleyan one week ago in the round of 16 at the NAIA National Championships in Mobile, Ala. IWU replaced XULA at No. 7. XULA is in the top 25 for the 48th consecutive time. That streak began May 1, 2012. Dating to Feb. 25, 2004, the Gold Nuggets appeared in 93 of the last 103 polls. (The 2005-06 season, when XULA did not compete intercollegiately, is not included.) Georgia Gwinnett, which repeated as national champion, is a unanimous No. 1 for the 10th consecutive poll.
NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through May 20)
Rank
Team
Record
Points
Last
1
Georgia Gwinnett (14)
26-0
374
1
2
Lindsey Wilson
22-5
362
2
3
William Woods
14-10
346
12
4
SCAD Savannah
16-4
337
3
5
Keiser
15-8
331
4
6
William Carey
18-4
312
6
7
Indiana Wesleyan
37-9
294
10
8
San Diego Christian
15-4
287
5
9
LSU-Alexandria
19-4
285
9
10
XULA
7-14
270
7
11
Northwestern Ohio
19-7
257
8
12
Cardinal Stritch
16-6
237
13
13
Mobile
23-5
229
11
14
Cumberlands
16-9
215
15
15
SCAD Atlanta
13-7
211
20
16
Arizona Christian
17-9
194
14
17
Lewis-Clark State
8-14
175
16
18
Davenport
14-11
160
18
19
Olivet Nazarene
10-12
156
19
20
Middle Georgia
13-8
140
17
21
Campbellsville
12-12
139
21
22
Georgetown (Ky.)
16-8
125
23
23
McPherson
9-3
124
22
24
Tennessee Wesleyan
12-7
78
25
25
St. Thomas (Fla.)
4-10
74
24
Dropped from rankings: none Others receiving votes: Reinhardt 48, Coastal Georgia 37, Cumberland 36, Marian (Ind.) 35, Asbury 35, Hastings 25, Missouri Valley 17, Southwestern (Kan.) 17, Brenau 13, Southeastern (Fla.) 6 Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
DURHAM, North Carolina -- Jordan Fieulleteau, a graduate transfer from the University of North Carolina, will finish his football career down the road at North Carolina Central.
Fieulleteau posted on his twitter page Friday morning “Excited to announce that I will be playing at North Carolina Central University next season for my final year of eligibility!”
Fieulleteau graduated from UNC in three years and will be eligible to play right away for the Eagles. After enrolling at UNC in the spring of 2013, Fieulleteau redshirted the 2013 season. In two seasons for the Tar Heels he caught eight passes for 129 yards. He posted a career-high in catches (4) and yards (74) versus Miami in 2015.
In high school Fieulleteau was one of the best wide receivers in the history of North Carolina prep football at Wakefield High School outside of Raleigh. He caught 111 passes (4th all-time in state history) for 1,669 yards and 25 touchdowns as a senior. He ended his career with the third-most touchdowns in state history and second-highest reception total in a season. In 2011 and 2012 he had the most touchdown catches in the nation. CONTINUE READING
Kobie Lain Courtesy: Delaware State University Athletics
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- Kobie Lain, Kenny Carter’s first quarterback recruit at Delaware State, announced he is transferring to Southern University for the final two years of his collegiate career.
Lain signed with the Hornets two years ago as Carter’s first recruiting class. He appeared in five games as a true freshman and started two, including the only victory of that season in the final game of the year where he had a rushing touchdown.
But Lain didn’t win the starting job for his sophomore season. He played in five contests but did not record a touchdown.
He finished the season with with 135 passing yards and was 17-of-32 passing attempts with an interception. CONTINUE READING
NEW ORLEANS — Sixteen months ago, Charlene Goreau succeeded Nour Abbes as the top singles player for Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis. Tuesday Goreau joined Abbes as the only Gold Nuggets to earn first-team NAIA All-America as a freshman and sophomore.
Goreau — from Toulouse, France, a graduate of Raymond Naves School and a business sales and marketing major at XULA — was 15-12 in singles and 11-14 in doubles in 2016-17. She led the Gold Nuggets to five victories against ranked opponents and a No. 7 national team ranking.
Goreau concluded her second season of a collegiate competition last week with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory against Indiana Wesleyan's 19th-ranked Rachel Bottorff in the round of 16 at the NAIA National Championships in Mobile, Ala. Although Bottorff was 15 places ahead of Goreau in the most recent ITA rankings, Goreau was 2-0 this year against the IWU senior.
Goreau is the fourth Gold Nugget to make first-team All-America twice. Abbes, Kourtney Howell and Anastesia Opata also did it. Nine Gold Nuggets have earned a collective 16 All-America berths (first or second team); six have accounted for 10 first-team spots.
This is the fifth straight season that XULA produced at least one first-team All-American apiece on the women's and men's teams.
NEW ORLEANS — Coach Alan Green reloaded at midterm, produced a second straight national runner-up finish in men's tennis four months later — and was rewarded Tuesday with a school-record four All-Americans on the NAIA's committee-selected team.
Catalin Fifea and Antoine Richard made the first team, and Moses Micheal and Karan Salwan were on the second team. All were XULA newcomers in 2017 except for Salwan, who was first-team All-America a year ago. Fifea, Richard and Micheal enrolled at XULA in January.
Fifea — a junior sociology major from Bucharest, Romania, a graduate of General School No. 31 and a transfer from NCAA Division I's VCU — was 11-2 this year in singles and 11-8 in doubles. He led the Gold Rush in singles winning percentage. Earlier this month he was named Louisiana Newcomer of the Year.
Richard, a freshman finance major from Laval, Quebec, and a graduate of Le Tremplin, was 9-6 in singles and 13-4 in doubles with Micheal as his partner. Previously Richard was chosen ITA NAIA National and Region IV (South) Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Louisiana.
Micheal, a freshman business major from Kaduna, Nigeria, and a graduate of Universal School, was 7-6 in singles and led in 5-of-6 unfinished matches. He recorded victories against a pair of 2017 second-team All-Americans: Lucien Samitier of William Carey and Julian Turosienski of Keiser.
Salwan, from New Delhi, India, a graduate of Modern School, and a transfer from DI Utah State, was a team-leading 17-4 singles and 16-7 in doubles. A business management major, Salwan received his bachelor's degree May 13.
Salwan joins Zach Taylor, Loic Didavi, Nikita Soifer and Kyle Montrel as Gold Rush players with multi-year All-America honors. This is the sixth straight season that the Gold Rush have a first-team All-America player.
BALTIMORE, Maryland – Coppin State University's Director of Athletics Derek Carter announced Timothy Walsh as the 12th women's volleyball head coach in school history.
Walsh comes to Coppin State after spending the last two seasons at Marywood University as their women's volleyball head coach. He guided the Pacers to a 25-36 combined record and a 15-7 conference record in two years, including the program's 400th all-time victory in 2015. His 2015 team was one of 141 Division III schools to be named an American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award recipient. Walsh and his Pacers reached the CSAC playoffs for two consecutive seasons. The 2016 squad collected 17 wins, the most for Marywood's program since the 2013 season.
Prior to Marywood, Walsh served as the head coach at Francis Scott Key High School in Union Bridge, MD for six seasons. He led the Eagles to the 2A Maryland State Championship in 2009. Walsh led Key to a 66-18 overall record and a .727 winning percentage. The Carroll County Times named him Volleyball Coach of the Year in 2013. He coached two county players of the year in 2009 and 2014. Eight of his players went on to play collegiately and his 2012 team reached the Class 2A West Regional Finals.
Additionally, Walsh was a court director and coach at the Volleyball Factory, Inc. in Columbia, MD. He worked, traveled and trained with former All-Americans and USA National Team Members Cheryl Weaver and Kristee Porter to help student-athletes excel in volleyball. He also was a head volleyball club coach at Carroll Viper Volleyball Club and Maryland Elite Volleyball Academy. Walsh has also helped out the 2014 and 2015 Big South champions and 2016 Sunbelt champions, Coastal Carolina's head volleyball coach Jozsef Forman with his summer volleyball camps.
Walsh taught special education and American sign language at Key from 2007-14.
Walsh is a member of the AVCA. He was a two year captain and starter in the Empire State Games, Hudson Valley Region Men's Volleyball Team and played in various clubs and leagues during and after his stent at Towson University. He was a four-year Division I, cross country and track and field letter winner and captain for the Tigers.
Walsh received his Bachelor of Science in Deaf Studies with Cum
Laude distinction from Towson in 2004. He earned his Master of Science Degree in Deaf Education (2006) and his Education Administrator I Certificate (2012) from McDaniel College. He currently resides in Scranton, PA with his wife Shannon and baby daughter, Ayla Jeanne. COPPIN STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Hellas Construction is installing new turf for Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium at Grambling State University. Excitement is growing about the new possibilities that artificial turf brings.
Paul "Tiger" Bryant was hired in January as director of athletics and one top priority was stadium renovations. Out of five turf companies that submitted proposals, Hellas was the only one to ask for a geotechnical report to look below the surface. They selected Hellas.
Hellas will be installing Matrix® Turf, organic Geo Plus® Infill, and Cushdrain® Pad. Hellas' Cushdrain Pad allows for proper drainage, absorbs stress and diffuses points of impact, adding safety for athletes with increased shock absorption, reducing concussions. The 100% organic Geo Plus® Infill is recyclable, made from select cork and coconut fibers, which resists compaction, increases traction, and will reduce field temperatures up to 40 degrees, compared to rubber infill.
"The game day experience will be something we've never had at Grambling. This is going to transform the way we are looked at and opens doors for opportunities to host more than just football games," said Bryant.
Head Coach Broderick Fobbs said, "We are champions and champions deserve to play on a field as such." They went 11-1 last year, winning the SWAC Championship and HBCU National Championship at the Air Force Reserve Celebration Bowl.
Rick Gallot, university president said, "As exciting as this is for our alumni and fans, it's really exciting for our football players and band members. Our World Famed Tiger Marching Band members are truly thrilled that they get to perform on a top tier turf."
The first home game is September 9 and an extra home game was added October 28, for the annual homecoming game.
About Hellas Construction, Inc. headquartered in Austin, TX. One of the largest sports construction contractors in the U.S., specializing in general construction of sports facilities with innovative artificial turf manufacturing and installation, base construction, field, track, and tennis planning, installation, and maintenance. Visit hellasconstruction.com.
About Grambling State University Grambling State University, located in Grambling Louisiana, is a historically black university founded in 1901. The University is accredited by 13 accrediting associations and holds accreditations in all programs required by Louisiana Board of Regents. The 590-acre campus offers 43 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Grambling State University is a member of the University of Louisiana System.
NEW ORLEANS -- On paper, Texas Southern wasn't supposed to be quite good enough to win the Southwestern Athletic Conference baseball championship.
The Tigers, after all, entered Sunday's title game with just 19 victories and their roster had just one player to make the all-conference team.
And that player only made the second team.
But there Texas Southern was near the pitcher's mound at Wesley Barrow Stadium Sunday, hoisting the SWAC championship trophy for a second time in three years after a 13-inning, 4-2 victory over Alabama State.
"It was a total team effort," TSU coach Michael Robertson said. "Yes, we had one guy to make all-conference, but that's TSU. That's what we're all about. We don't put the focal point on one guy. We try to do everything as a team. We stick to our system, and I think that explains it best."
Gerrick Jimenez, in his first at-bat, drove in what proved to be the game-winner in the top of the 13th with his RBI single. CONTINUE READING
MOBILE, Alabama — Streaks ended and continued Saturday when second-seeded Xavier University of Louisiana fell 5-0 to top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett in the final of the NAIA Men's Tennis National Championship.
It was a rematch of the 2016 final, which the Grizzlies won 5-2, and it was the fourth consecutive national title for Georgia Gwinnett (23-0). But this time XULA (14-6) didn't win a match; the Gold Rush lost 8-4 on all three doubles courts after winning 2-of-3 in doubles a year ago.
"We got off to a really slow start in doubles, and that took a lot out of us," XULA coach Alan Green said.
"We fought hard to come back in singles, and for 20 or 30 minutes it looked like we shifted the momentum.
But Georgia Gwinnett did what it had to do to clinch."
It was the first time since the 2014 quarterfinals that the Rush failed to win a doubles match at nationals. All three matches ended within three minutes of each other, and it was the first losses of the tournament for the teams of Antoine Richard-Moses Micheal and Karan Salwan-Tushar Mandlekar.
About 90 minutes later, the Grizzlies clinched and capped a second straight unbeaten season. Rafael Coutinho defeated Adam Albrecht 6-0, 6-4 on the sixth singles court, then Federico Duran beat Mandlekar 6-2, 6-0 at No. 5. Mandlekar, XULA's all-time winningest player at nationals, lost for the first time in nine singles decisions at the tournament.
XULA's brightest moments were in singles, where Micheal led Jordan Cox — the ITA's second-ranked NAIA player — 7-6 (7-4), 0-1 when the dual was clinched, and Catalin Fifea led Connor Clements 6-3, 4-2. When XULA lost 5-0 Feb. 19 at Georgia Gwinnett, Micheal lost 6-0, 6-0 to Cox. Micheal is the second NAIA player to win a set against Cox in dual matches this season.
"Moses has gotten better with every match," Green said. "Cat (Fifea) has been rock-solid and a leader for us all season."
The Gold Rush are 0-6 all-time against Georgia Gwinnett and have yet to win a singles match. The Grizzlies extended their overall win streak to 55 dual matches — they were 26-0 in 2016 — and they're 34-0 the last three seasons against NAIA opponents and 16-0 all-time at nationals.
Can any school catch the Grizzlies? "We've got to keep trying," Green said. "We're not going to put our heads down after this and shut it down and quit. We're going to come back next year and keep trying."
NOTES: It was the final college competition for XULA seniors Albrecht, Mandlekar and Salwan . . . Albrecht and Mandlekar reached the national quarterfinals or better each of their four seasons . . . Salwan's final two singles matches were unfinished, and he finished the semester 11-1 with five unfinished matches, four of which he led . . . XULA's .700 winning percentage this season is the second highest of Green's 14 seasons as coach. The Gold Rush finished 17-7 (.708) in 2009.
SALISBURY, Maryland -- Bethune-Cookman scored nine runs in the first three innings Saturday on the way to an 11-1 victory over Norfolk State in the championship round of the MEAC baseball tournament at Perdue Stadium.
The game was stopped after seven innings by the 10-run rule. The Spartans (26-22), the Northern Division champion, needed to win twice to claim their first conference title.
Norfolk State pitcher Brian Beard (Great Bridge) led off the game with a double, advanced to third on a failed pickoff attempt and scored on Alex Mauricio's sacrifice fly.
After that, it was all Wildcats. Bethune-Cookman (33-23), the Southern Division winner, answered with three runs in the bottom of the first, then scored four in the second and two in the third.
The Spartans, who had just four hits, didn't get a runner to second base after the first inning. Beard (0-4) took the loss, allowing 12 hits and nine runs in four innings. Forced to play twice on Friday and come through the losers' bracket, Norfolk State's pitching staff was taxed. CONTINUE READING
WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Winston-Salem State is close to an agreement to play the defending MEAC champion N.C. Central Eagles in football in 2020.
The rivalry is one of the best in the state, and it’s something Tonia Walker, the athletics director at WSSU, says would bring a lot of exposure.
“As of now we don’t have a contract from N.C. Central, but it’s a verbal agreement,” Walker said. “We think it’s a good rivalry game, and it’s a rivalry game that’s been missed in the last several years.
“Right now, we are waiting on a contract from them.”
The game would be played at O’Kelly-Riddick Stadium on the campus of N.C. Central, Walker said.
Walker said she often hears from alumni and fans asking when Division II WSSU would renew its rivalries with N.C. Central and N.C. A&T.
BALTIMORE, Maryland – Coppin State University's Director of Athletics, Derek Carter announced that Nichole Person will serve as the Interim Assistant Athletic Director/Senior Woman Administrator for the athletics department.
Person, who has been with Coppin State since 2012, is also an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business instructing sport management and internship courses for students. In addition, Person worked with the National Basketball Association All-Star Weekend, T.D. Jakes 3-day Mega Fest and the New York Urban League Football Classic managing show flow, staffing and logistics. She also has experience with the Senior Professional Golfers Association (PGA) serving as an event Tournament Coordinator.
Person began her career in intercollegiate athletics as a student ath
letic trainer. She was a graduate intern for the 1996 Summer Olympic Paralympic Games. Person is a 1994 graduate of Morgan State. She obtained her master's degree from Georgia State in 1997.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Newly named Florida A&M head men's basketball coach Robert McCullum wasted no time in getting to work on his 2017-18 roster, signing 6'9" C/F Corbin Merritt to a scholarship to continue his play as a member of the Rattler squad.
Merritt, one of the most exciting players in the Big Bend, led his Godby Cougars to a 25-2 record. Merritt's development over last season netted the Cougars the district title.
McCullum is pleased to get Merritt in orange and green. "We are elated over Corbin's decision to further his academic and basketball endeavors at Florida A&M. In addition to adding much needed frontline help to our team, Corbin's size, athleticism and skill set will enable him to be very versatile offensively and more difficult to defend in our system. We are extremely pleased to add a high school prospect with this versatility," McCullum said.
Merritt averaged 18 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots per game this season. His decision to stay home and attend school speaks volumes about FAMU.
"We anticipate his decision will resonate on a number of levels both locally and statewide. Perhaps the most impressive point about Corbin's decision is that FAMU is where he and his family wanted him to be. I'm extremely grateful for the confidence Merritt and his family have shown in me," McCullum said.
Corbin Merritt
6-9 | C/F | Tallahassee, Fla | Godby High School
• Rated a three-star by ESPN
• Rated a three-star by 247 Sports
• MVP of the Jerry Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas
• Averaged 18 pts, 11 reb, 4 blocks per game
• 1st Team All Big Bend
• 3rd Team All State FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
MOBILE, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana overcame deficits in all three doubles matches Friday, then got singles victories from Tushar Mandlekar and Moses Micheal to defeat Keiser 5-1 in the men's semifinals of the NAIA Tennis National Championships.
The Gold Rush (14-5), ranked and seeded second, won in the semifinals for the second consecutive year. XULA will play top-ranked and 3-time defending champion Georgia Gwinnett (22-0) for the championship at 9 a.m. Saturday at Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center (851 Gaillard Drive, zip code 36608, phone 251-208-5181). Admission is free. It will be a rematch of the 2016 final, which Georgia Gwinnett won 5-2.
Prior to 2016, no XULA team in any sport had reached the championship round of an NAIA national tournament.
Micheal clinched the dual when he defeated Julian Turosienski 6-4, 6-3 on the second singles court.
XULA took a 3-0 into the singles when:
• Mandlekar and Karan Salwan overcame a 4-2 deficit and won 8-5 on the third court against nationally ranked Julian Turosienski and Romai Ugarte, who beat Salwan and Mandlekar in February.
• Catalin Fifea and Pierre Andrieu, beaten 8-1 in the quarterfinals Thursday against William Carey, also overcame a 4-2 deficit and won 9-8 (7-3) against nationally ranked Bastien Sorg and Shaquille Taylor.
• Micheal and Antoine Richard won 9-8 (7-3) against Francesco Oliva and Clement Raymond on the first court. Like Fifea and Andrieu, Micheal and Richard won the 16th game to force a tiebreaker.
"That was the toughest 5-1 match I've ever been in," said Alan Green, the most successful postseason coach in XULA history. "Our guys clamped down when we needed to and found a way to win. They did a great job competing and battling."
After Keiser (21-5), ranked and seeded third, won on the sixrh singles court, Mandlekar made it 4-1 with his 6-1, 6-3 victory against Shaquille Taylor at No. 5. Mandlekar, a senior, is the winningest Gold Rush player all-time at nationals — 8-0 in singles, 9-3 in doubles.
XULA is 0-5 all-time against Georgia Gwinnett, including a 5-0 loss Feb. 19 in GGC's Grizzly Invitational.
"Tomorrow's match has nothing to do with last year, earlier this season or today," Green said. "It'll be a totally separate event."
MOBILE, Alabama — For the second consecutive year, Xavier University of Louisiana men's tennis is headed to the semifinals of the NAIA National Championships.
Led by seniors Karan Salwan and Tushar Mandlekar, the Gold Rush won for the second consecutive day with a 5-2 decision against regional rival William Carey.
XULA (13-5), ranked and seeded second nationally, will play third-ranked/seeded Keiser at 9 a.m. Friday at Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center. The Gold Rush are 3-0 in the past 15 months against the Seahawks, including victories in the 2016 NAIA quarterfinals and Feb. 17 in the Grizzly Invitational at Lawrenceville, Ga.
Salwan and Mandlekar posted XULA's first victory with an 8-4 decision against Clement Fosse and Hugo Robuchon on the third doubles court. In singles, Salwan made it 3-1 with a 6-1, 6-2 victory against Fosse at No. 3, then Mandlekar made it 4-1 — and avenged a 3-set loss to Paul Chaubaud from last month — with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No 5.
Catalin Fifea clinched on the fourth court with a 7-6 (7-0), 6-0 victory against Robuchon.
Also winning for XULA were Antoine Richard and Moses Micheal, who beat Chaubaud and Lucien Samitier 8-5 at No. 1 doubles.
Salwan is 4-0 after two rounds, winning twice in doubles with Mandlekar and twice in singles. Salwan was 4-3 in four tournament rounds in 2016.
Vladyslav Ladygin won twice for William Carey (16-6). Ladygin and Christian Hansson defeated Fifea and Pierre Andrieu 8-1 in 34 minutes on the second doubles court, then Ladygin — a two-time loser to Richard in the regular season at No. 1 singles — scored a 6-4, 6-2 upset against the 2017 ITA NAIA National Rookie of the Year.
The dual match lasted two hours and 39 minutes. The start was delayed 55 minutes because of rain.
XULA won for the eighth time this season against a ranked opponent and the third time in as many attempts against the Crusaders.
This will be the fifth straight year that Alan Green coaches XULA in the NAIA national semifinals. In addition to two straight appearances with the Gold Rush, he coached the XULA women in that round in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Green is the only coach in any sport to lead XULA to an NAIA semifinal.
Keiser advanced with a 5-4 victory against 2016 semifinalist Lindsey Wilson. On the other side of the bracket, Campbellsville defeated Northwestern Ohio 5-4, and three-time defending champion Georgia Gwinnett beat William Woods 5-0. Campbellsville and Georgia Gwinnett also will play at 9 a.m. Friday. The championship will start at 9 a.m. Saturday.
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana scored two comeback victories in doubles Wednesday during a 5-0 men's tennis decision against SCAD Savannah in the round of the 16 of the NAIA National Championships.
The Gold Rush (12-5), ranked and seeded second, reached the quarterfinals for the sixth consecutive year.
The XULA men will play sixth-ranked/seventh-seeded William Carey in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. Thursday.
XULA trailed 5-3 on the second and third courts before completing a sweep of the doubles matches. Karan Salwan and Tushar Mandlekar defeated Quentin Staley - Joshua Tewes-McCoy 8-5 at No. 3, and Catalin Fifea-Pierre Andrieu beat Daiki Naka-Yulin Liu 9-8 (7-2) at No. 2.
XULA is 6-0 in doubles tiebreakers in dual matches this year.
Salwan was the only Gold Rush player to win twice. He gave XULA a 4-0 lead in the dual when he defeated Liu 6-3, 6-1 on the third singles court. Last-minute replacement Adam Albrecht ended the dual with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Mateo Fernandez — Albrecht's first singles victory in two months. The Gold Rush led in three of the four uncompleted matches.
Antoine Richard and Moses Micheal, the ITA's sixth-ranked NAIA doubles team, put the Rush in the lead when they defeated Sean Hajdu and Fernandez 8-1 on the first court.
SCAD Savannah (9-9) made its first appearance at nationals since 2009.
The XULA men will meet William Carey at nationals for the first time but the third time this season. The Gold Rush won 7-2 at Hattiesburg, Miss., March 3 and by the same score April 13 at XULA.
MOBILE, Alabama— Oodles of opportunities, oodles of disappointment. That could summarize Xavier University of Louisiana's 5-4 women's tennis loss Wednesday to Indiana Wesleyan in the round of 16 of the NAIA National Championships.
The Gold Nuggets (7-14), ranked and seeded seventh, built a 4-2 lead before the Wildcats (37-8), ranked and seeded 10th, won three consecutive 3-set singles matches after dropping the first set in all three. The clincher was Thewuni Devaraja's 6-7 (9-11), 6-4, 6-3 victory against Yi Chen Pao in a matchup of two freshmen on the sixth court.
Indiana Wesleyan also rallied in doubles. Alex Mella and Lizzie Bauss, the ITA's 14th-ranked NAIA tandem, defeated Charlene Goreau and Emma Kranendonk 8-6 after trailing 6-3.
The Wildcats' victory, their first in four dual matches against the Gold Nuggets, was nearly three months to the day since losing 5-4 to XULA in the Grizzly Invitational at Lawrenceville, Ga., after holding a 4-2 advantage.
Nevertheless, Brandi Nelson — one of three seniors competing for XULA for the last time — Lacee Ancar and Goreau produced some notable performances.
Nelson and Ancar won in doubles and singles. They teamed for an 8-3 victory against Olivia Reed and Ellen Hornett. Nelson then beat 44th-ranked Bauss 6-4, 6-2 to equal Nour Abbes' Gold Nuggets record of 10 matches won at NAIA nationals. Beginning with the 2015 round of 16, Nelson won nine of her final 10 matches.
Ancar beat Marissa Klein 6-4, 6-3 to become the fourth Nuggets freshman to win in doubles and singles in an NAIA tourney debut. The others who accomplished that were Dominique Bell in 2004, Marian Lang in 2009 and Abbes in 2014.
Goreau, ranked 34th in singles, improved to 2-0 this season against 19th-ranked Rachel Bottorff with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory.
The other XULA seniors in their collegiate farewells were Kranendonk, Sha'Nel Bruins and Dasia Harris. Nelson and Bruins received bachelor's degrees from XULA this past weekend; Harris was not in the lineup against IWU.
MOBILE, Ala. — Xavier University of Louisiana's Alan Green and Antoine Richard were double-winners Monday when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association presented its 2016-17 awards during a banquet for teams competing in the NAIA National Championships.
Green, in his 14th season at XULA, was named men's Region IV (South) and National Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. Richard, a freshman from Laval, Quebec, received men's Region IV and National Rookie of the Year.
Also honored was XULA's Kevin Chaouat, the men's Region IV Assistant Coach of the Year.
Green's Gold Rush have been No. 2 in every coaches poll this season despite losing two All-Americans from last year's national runner-up team. This is Green's third ITA national coaching honor; he won the women's award in 2013. This is the fourth time in six years that Green won men's Region IV Coach of the Year.
Richard, the NAIA's highest-ranked freshman this season in singles (fourth) and doubles (sixth with Moses Micheal), picked up his second award in three days. He was named first-team All-Louisiana Saturday.
Chaouat, from Sarcelles, France, joined the coaching staff as a student assistant after a 3-year XULA playing career that he capped with an ITA All-America award a year ago. It's the second straight year that the Gold Rush won this regional coaching honor — Loic Didavi did it in 2016.
Receiving NAIA Champions of Character awards were Sha'Nel Bruins of the Gold Nuggets and Karan Salwan of the Gold Rush. Bruins was cited for the second consecutive year.
The NAIA's national tournament will open Tuesday at Copeland-Cox Mobile Tennis Center. Both XULA teams have first-round byes and will play in the round of 16 Wednesday. The Gold Rush will meet Reinhardt or SCAD Savannah at 9 a.m., and the Gold Nuggets will face Indiana Wesleyan or Asbury at 1 p.m. Admission is free.
NEW ORLEANS -- Texas Southern became the first team to clinch a berth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game with an 11-2 win over Jackson State on Friday.
The win allows Texas Southern to take a much-needed day off Saturday before taking the field Sunday for a chance to earn the SWAC's automatic bid to the NCAA regionals.
“It’s just a testament of everything we did during the season,” Texas Southern coach Ehren Moreno said. “We just tried to build up a good body of work. You talk about everything we’ve done this season — we lost 12 games by one run, and then we come out here and play really good ball.”
Friday marked the second time this week Texas Southern overcame Jackson State, but the games couldn’t have been more different.
On Thursday, JSU mounted an impressive comeback to force extra innings, and Texas Southern won with a game-winning three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th.
But on Friday, in what was an elimination game for Jackson State, TSU was in command from start to finish, scoring four runs in the ninth to seal the game.
NEW ORLEANS – Texas Southern and Alabama State had two chances apiece to reach the championship game of the SWAC baseball tournament at the MLB Urban Youth Academy at Wesley Barrow Stadium.
They each needed just one, winning in convincing fashion Friday to advance to Sunday’s title game.
Texas Southern knocked off Jackson State 11-2, while Alabama State dominated Prairie View 25-3 to win their respective brackets.
Alabama State scored 13 runs in the top of the third and 10 more in the top of the sixth. Texas Southern broke open a close game with three runs in the top of the fifth and four more in the ninth.
Earlier Friday, Jackson State ended Southern’s season with a 7-2 victory, and Prairie View moved into the bracket final with a 4-3 victory over Alcorn State.
Sunday’s final begins at 11 a.m. and will be televised by ESPNU. CONTINUE READING
BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Patterson guard Gary Blackston was talented enough to play Division I basketball coming out of high school. But the 6-foot-2, 180-pound combo guard had to make alternate plans because of his transcript.
“Going to JUCO, it’ll definitely make a man out of you,” said Blackston, a second-team Baltimore Sun All-Metro selection in 2015. “You have to perform at a high level. It’s a lot of pressure.”
The pressure was relieved last week when Blackston committed to Prairie View A&M, a D-I school in Texas that competes in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. Blackston was also recruited by Coppin State, James Madison, Lamar, Louisiana-Monroe, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, South Carolina State, Southern Utah and Stephen F. Austin.
Blackston, who played three years at Joppatowne before transferring to Patterson for his senior year, followed the path of another Clippers star to junior college. Shakir Brown came up short of NCAA qualifying standards and went to Angelina College in Lufkin, Texas; he ultimately landed at James Madison, where he averaged 10 points and 4.7 rebounds in two seasons.
