Gold Nuggets tie school record, but Rush fall 5-4

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana women's tennis dominated William Carey 5-0 to tie a school record for consecutive victories, but the XULA men dropped all three singles matches that went three sets and lost 5-4 Thursday to the Crusaders.
     
The Gold Nuggets (14-7), ranked fourth in the NAIA, got doubles and singles victories from Mariia Borodii and Charlene Goreau to win their 11th in a row, matching the program mark set in 2013. It was the Nuggets' ninth victory this season against a top-20 NAIA opponent and fourth against the top 10. The Lady Crusaders (8-4) are ranked sixth.
     
The Gold Rush (10-9), ranked third, lost to the 14th-ranked Crusaders (9-3) for the first time since Feb. 8, 2013. The XULA men had won 11 straight against William Carey before Thursday, including 5-4 March 2 at Carey.
     
Goreau earned her 12th straight singles victory, 6-0, 6-1 against Maria Andreeva. Borodii, 13-0 as a collegian in singles, clinched with a 6-1, 6-0 decision against Alena Saettler.
    
 Pierre Andrieu won in doubles and singles for the Rush, including a 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 decision against Enzo Simon that gave XULA a 4-3 lead. But the Crusaders rallied when Leon Hoppstaedter beat Shaikh Abdullah 2-6, 6-0, 6-4 and Atikan Juprang clinched with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 victory against Gabriel Niculescu.
     
In the Gold Rush's last two losses to NAIA opponents — the other was current No. 2 Keiser — XULA was a combined 0-5 in three-set matches.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Idle Nuggets move to 15th; SLU meet moves to Friday

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's women moved from 12th to 15th Wednesday in the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Team Computer Rankings.
     
The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association administers the rankings, which are based only on performances during the 2018 outdoor season and the number of athletes a school has near the top of the descending order list in the various events and how highly they are ranked.
     
XULA was idle last week but will return to competition at 9 a.m. Friday in the Southeastern Strawberry Relays at Hammond, La. That meet has been pushed up one day because of inclement weather expected Saturday.
     
XULA's top-10 national event rankings are:

     •  The 400-meter relay team of Martina Latting, Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs and Ry-Anne Riley, second in 46.66 seconds.
     •  The 1,600 relay team of Janelle Jones, Ariane Williams, Riley and Kayla Quincy, seventh in 3:55.26.
     •  The 3,200 relay team of Brianna Pace, Maliya Vaughan, Taylor Price and Clarke Allen, seventh in 10:05.15.
     
Meanwhile, the XULA men have two top-10 national performers. Edward Angel is third in the high jump at 2.07 meters/6 feet, 9 1/2 inches, and Brandon Matthews is 10th in the triple jump at 14.31 meters/46 feet, 11 1/2 inches. Both are freshmen.
     
Among Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's teams, SUNO is second nationally, and Dillard, Edward Waters and Philander Smith are tied for 105th. SUNO leads the GCAC men at 13th, XULA is 48th after climbing eight places, and Dillard, Edward Waters and Philander Smith are tied for 107th.
     
Also competing with XULA and host Southeastern Louisiana in Friday's meet will be Southern, Alcorn State, Tulane, Nicholls, Loyola (N.O.) and Hinds Community College.

NAIA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Team Rankings
1. Indiana Tech
2. SUNO
3. Hastings
4. Wiley
5. Friends
6. Wayland Baptist
7. Doane
8. Concordia (Neb.)
9. Southern Oregon
10. Westmont
11. USC Beaufort
12. William Carey
13. MidAmerica Nazarene
14. Siena Heights
15. XULA
16. College of Idaho
17. SCAD Savannah
18. SCAD Atlanta
19. Olivet Nazarene
20. Shawnee State
21. Cornerstone
22. Columbia (Mo.)
23. Point Park
24. Benedictine (Kan.)
25. Northwest (Wash.)

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Middle blocker Jordan Johnson is Nuggets' first signee

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Wednesday that Jordan Johnson of Kansas City, Mo., is the Gold Nuggets' first volleyball signee for 2018.

Johnson is a 6-foot-1 middle blocker who will graduate next month from Liberty High School in Liberty, Mo. She was a three-year starter in volleyball and a two-year starter in basketball for the Blue Jays.

"Jordan has a strong presence at the net," XULA coach Pat Kendrick said. "She will definitely add to the depth of our middles for next season."

Johnson in 2017 was second on her team with 183 kills, a .298 hitting percentage and 60 blocks. She helped Liberty win conference and district titles in 2017 and 2015 and reach the quarterfinals of the Class 4 state playoffs in 2017. She was first-team all-district as a junior and senior, second-team all-conference as a junior and first-team all-conference as a senior.

Johnson also played for Invasion Volleyball Club and helped her team qualify for nationals three times.

In basketball Johnson helped Liberty finish fourth in the Class 5 state playoffs in 2015 and 2017.

Johnson will be a biology/pre-medical major at XULA.

XULA in 2017 won Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament championships and qualified for the NAIA National Championship — all for the seventh consecutive year. The Gold Nuggets finished 23-3 and set a school record for season winning percentage.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Lack of scholarships a hindrance to UAPB’s baseball program, coach says

PINE BLUFF, Arkansas -- The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions (11-14, 8-5) baseball team suffered a 9-1 loss to the University of Central Arkansas Bears (19-13) on Tuesday.

UAPB Head Coach Carlos James said he is disgusted with the pitching performance by his guys, and that’s been a reoccurring thing with the mid-week group out of the bullpen.

The Golden Lions have only had four allotted scholarships since James has been the head coach, and he said that won’t get it done against quality opponents. The full scholarship allotment is 11.7, but university officials have said they don’t have the money to fund them.

James added that if they don’t have the guys and scholarships they need, they can’t maximize the program’s potential.

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Two seasons: A look at ASU coach Hill-Eley's contract

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama State is initially giving Donald Hill-Eley two seasons to show what he can do as its head coach.

After replacing Brian Jenkins and leading the Hornets to a 5-1 finish last season, Hill-Eley signed a deal for an annual base salary
of $185,000 from Dec. 7, 2017, to Dec. 31, 2019.

Montgomery Advertiser obtained Hill-Eley’s contract through a Freedom of Information request. If renewed, it’ll be from Jan. 1, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020, for the same annual base salary.

ASU started spring practice last week. The Hornets open the 2018 season Sept. 1 against rival Tuskegee at ASU Stadium.

“As I told the young men when we were taking the field, it’s one thing that we’re putting it on paper that this is who we are,” Hill-Eley said after the first day of spring practice. “But now we need to put that on the grass and come out of spring with an identity of who we are as a program.”

Hill-Eley became interim head coach when Jenkins was fired after starting 0-5 in his third season. Jenkins signed a three-year deal from Jan. 1, 2015 to Dec. 31, 2017 with a renewal component from Jan. 1, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019.

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Gold Nuggets 4th nationally for first time in 3 years

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed Tuesday in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 for the third time in four attempts and has its highest ranking in three years.
     
The Gold Nuggets (13-7) moved from fifth to fourth to equal their best position since the 2015 postseason rankings. XULA is 2-0 since the previous poll March 27 — home victories against NCAA Division I Southern and Jackson State to extend the win streak to 10.
     
XULA will play two top-10 teams in the next five days. The Gold Nuggets will play host to NAIA No. 6 William Carey at 2 p.m. Thursday, then visit NCAA Division II's No. 2 team, West Florida, at noon Sunday. Thursday's start time was pushed back one hour.
     
Although XULA dropped from second to third in the men's rankings, it's the first time ever that both XULA teams are in the national top four simultaneously.

Here are all the Gold Nuggets' active poll streaks:
     •  54 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began May 1, 2012.
     •  54 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began May 1, 2012.
     •  13 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 28, 2017.
     •  4 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began Feb. 27, 2018.
     •  3 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began March 13, 2018.
 

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through April 8)

Rank	Previous	School	Record	Points
1	1	Keiser (Fla.) [14]	18-2	374
2	2	Georgia Gwinnett	11-2	362
3	4	SCAD Savannah (Ga.)	9-3	342
4	5	Xavier (La.)	13-7	337
5	3	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	6-2	334
6	6	William Carey (Miss.)	7-3	305
7	7	William Woods (Mo.)	8-3	303
8	10	Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)	5-5	293
9	9	Indiana Wesleyan	25-3	275
10	11	LSU Alexandria (La.)	6-5	266
11	12	San Diego Christian (Calif.)	8-6	246
12	14	Brenau (Ga.)	11-6	244
13	13	Middle Georgia State	9-5	225
14	8	Northwestern Ohio	7-4	223
15	16	SCAD Atlanta (Ga.)	9-5	202
15	15	Westmont (Calif.)	8-8	202
17	18	Campbellsville (Ky.)	10-4	174
18	22	Mobile (Ala.)	10-5	166
19	17	Arizona Christian	10-9	164
20	19	Cumberland (Tenn.)	10-7	158
21	21	Union (Ky.)	11-4	153
22	24	Reinhardt (Ga.)	10-5	108
23	NR	Loyola (La.)	10-6	107
24	23	St. Thomas (Fla.)	6-8	87
25	NR	Marian (Ind.)	16-3	86

Dropped from the Top 25: Olivet Nazarene (Ill.); Martin Methodist (Tenn.)

Others Receiving Votes: Georgetown (Ky.) 68; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 43; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 36; Southwestern (Kan.) 31; Huntington (Ind.) 23; Cumberlands (Ky.) 18; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 18; Tennessee Wesleyan 8; Coastal Georgia 7; Asbury (Ky.) 5

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush drop to 3rd after trading places with Keiser

NEW ORLEANS — The drop was inevitable, but the momentum is still building.
     
Xavier University of Louisiana switched positions Tuesday with Keiser in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25. The Gold Rush dropped from second to third, and the Seahawks moved to No. 2 after their 6-3 victory March 27 against XULA.
     
It was the first time since April 1, 2014, that the Gold Rush dropped in the national rankings. The XULA men had spent the previous 15 polls at No. 2.
     
But coach Alan Green isn't dealing with despair. His team won twice at home this past weekend against NCAA Division I opponents, including a come-from-behind 5-4 victory Saturday against Troy. What he saw that day encouraged him.
     
"If we can continue to play like we did against Troy, we're going to feel pretty good about our chances at nationals," said Green, who led the Gold Rush to national runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2017.
     
XULA (10-8), which has played six ranked teams this season, will play three more in the next five days. The Gold Rush will play host to NAIA No. 13 William Carey at 2 p.m. Thursday — start time was pushed back one hour — then travel to Pensacola, Fla., for matchups with two NCAA Division II teams: No. 12 Valdosta State at 3 p.m. Saturday and No. 8 West Florida at noon Sunday.
     
XULA climbed from fifth to fourth in the women's rankings, making it the first time ever that both XULA teams are in the national top four simultaneously.
     
XULA has the longest active streak of top-25 appearances in NAIA men's tennis. Here are all the Gold Rush active poll streaks:

     •  92 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
     •  83 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
     •  68 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
     •  62 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
     •  24 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
     •  22 consecutive appearances in the top 3 . . . streak began March 1, 2016.
 

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through April 8) Rank Previous School Record Points 1 1 Georgia Gwinnett [14] 21-0 374 2 3 Keiser (Fla.) 13-5 362 3 2 Xavier (La.) 10-8 350 4 4 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 8-0 338 5 7 Mobile (Ala.) 17-1 312 6 6 William Woods (Mo.) 6-5 310 7 8 Cumberland (Tenn.) 14-1 309 8 9 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) 7-3 294 9 11 Campbellsville (Ky.) 11-3 272 10 5 Northwestern Ohio 6-5 266 11 10 Arizona Christian 16-5 252 12 12 Middle Georgia State 9-3 238 13 14 San Diego Christian (Calif.) 8-5 227 14 13 William Carey (Miss.) 7-3 224 15 15 Reinhardt (Ga.) 11-2 222 16 16 Westmont (Calif.) 6-7 185 17 19 Union (Ky.) 10-4 173 18 17 Asbury (Ky.) 7-1 169 19 18 Coastal Georgia 10-6 160 20 21 Tennessee Wesleyan 8-3 144 21 20 Lawrence Tech (Mich.) 17-3 140 22 23 Indiana Wesleyan 24-5 107 23 22 McPherson (Kan.) 6-3 104 24 25 Point (Ga.) 13-6 100 25 24 St. Thomas (Fla.) 6-6 77 Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Texarkana 61; Loyola (La.) 60; Bethany (Kan.) 36; Aquinas (Mich.) 29; Cumberlands (Ky.) 27; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 24; Judson (Ill.) 9; Marian (Ind.) 7; Missouri Valley 4; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 4; Hastings (Neb.) 3 Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA  twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold

Delaware State anticipating Milstead era

DOVER, Delaware -- Delaware State will open coach Rod Milstead’s first season against Buffalo and play four times at home as part of an 11-game schedule.

The Buffalo game Sept. 1 is one of two games against FBS schools, the second two weeks later at Western Michigan on Sept. 15.

Six of the Hornets‘ first seven games are on the road. Their games at Alumni Stadium are against MEAC members North Carolina A&T (Oct. 6), North Carolina Central (Oct. 27) and Savannah State (Nov. 3) as well as Virginia-Lynchburg (Nov. 17).

2018 Delaware State Schedule

Sept. 1, at Buffalo
Sept. 8, at Saint Francis
Sept. 15, at Western Michigan
Sept. 29, at Norfolk State*
Oct. 6, North Carolina A&T*

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For HBCU marching bands, it’s all ‘about the showmanship’

ATLANTA, Georgia — Five drum majors approach midfield and snap into high-stepping formation, capes swirling as they spin and drop into splits before hopping up and bending backward until their hats scrape the ground.

When they dart toward the sideline, Bethune-Cookman University’s 300-piece marching band and its 14 Karat Gold Dancers surge onto the field, performing Mary J. Blige’s 2007 hit “Just Fine” for a crowd of more than 62,000 at the 16th annual Honda Battle of the Bands Invitational Showcase in Atlanta.

High-energy routines like Bethune-Cookman’s are the norm for marching bands at many historically black colleges and universities, keeping people near their seats instead of the concession stands. But the bands are more than a halftime show; their popularity has spread through pop culture, music and film.

“It’s about the showmanship,” said James Oliver, band director of the Mighty Marching Hornets at Alabama State University. “We are a show band. Our shows must be entertaining to our fans. HBCU marching bands are so much more different than the corps-style bands. It’s entertainment on a whole other level.”

Known for incorporating the latest chart-topping R&B and hip-hop hits into their performances, HBCU bands have appeared alongside some of the biggest names in music.

Florida A&M’s Marching 100 performed with Prince for his spectacular Super Bowl halftime show in 2007. Southern University’s Dancing Dolls squad accompanied Madonna at Super Bowl 46 and Beyoncé at her 2013 halftime show. Southern, FAMU and Grambling State have performed at 12 Super Bowls in all.



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Takeaways from Jackson State's second spring scrimmage

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jackson State wrapped up its second spring scrimmage Monday morning before the rest of campus could wipe the sleep from its eyes.

The Tigers got started at 5 a.m. and fit more than 20 possessions into the two-and-a-half hour practice, and head coach Tony Hughes said he was pleased with the effort.

"Today was a good day," he said. "...I thought we made some plays on both sides of the ball, and guys continued to improve. A lot of it (today) was about our execution and the focus it takes to execute at a high level on a consistent basis."

Here's some takeaways from today's scrimmage.

Defensive wins
As Monday's scrimmage wore on, the intensity continued to build on defense. They showed the ability to tackle in space and made several stops over the final handful of possessions.

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