No. 6 Xavier Rush have highest rank since 2014 preseason

NEW ORLEANS -- Six victories in the first seven dual matches propelled Xavier University of Louisiana to a tie for sixth Tuesday in the NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

It's the third poll of the season. The Gold Rush were eighth in the first two polls. The rank is the highest for the XU men since the 2014 preseason poll, when they were tied for sixth. 

Xavier's active streaks include 62 consecutive top-25 appearances and 32 straight times in the top 10.

Xavier and Bethany (Kan.) share sixth. Defending NAIA champion Georgia Gwinnett remains a unanimous No. 1.

It's the first time in 19 polls -- since Feb. 19, 2013 -- that the XU men are ranked higher than the women. The Gold Nuggets dropped from third to seventh.

Xavier will play Martin Methodist, which received poll votes this week, at noon Friday in the AUM Invitational at Montgomery, Ala. The Gold Rush have a five-dual win streak.

The top 25:

1. Georgia Gwinnett
2. Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
3. Auburn Montgomery
4. Vanguard
5. Lindsey Wilson
6. (tie) Xavier
6. (tie) Bethany (Kan.)
8. Westmont
9. Concordia (Calif.)
10. Cumberland
11. William Carey
12. Graceland
13. Northwestern Ohio
14. Belhaven
15. Northwood (Fla.)
16. Coastal Georgia
17. San Diego Christian
18. Pikeville
19. SCAD Atlanta
20. Oklahoma Baptist
21. Lewis-Clark State
22. Aquinas
23. SCAD Savannah
24. Olivet Nazarene
25. Indiana Wesleyan

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Florida A&M Baseball Shuts Down Jacksonville 5-1

Jacksonville, Florida – Florida A&M (4-6, 2-1 MEAC) pounded out a season-high 12 hits and the pitching staff shutdown the Jacksonville (5-7) offense en route to a 5-1 win at John Sessions Stadium on Tuesday night. The win is the fourth straight over JU. The Rattler pitching staff held the Dolphins scoreless with only four hits over the final eight innings. Eight different Rattlers recorded a hit in the win while Jared Walker, Ryan Kennedy, Marlon Gibbs and Michael Birdsong each had two hits apiece. FAMU’s bullpen has now allowed just one earned run in the last 21 innings.

Kendal Weeks (1-1) earned the win after working a pre-determined four innings and allowed just one run on four hits with a walk for his first win of the season. Ryan Anderson picked up the save as he pitched the final four scoreless innings and gave up just one hit with two strikeouts.

JU scored one run in the bottom of the first inning for an early 1-0 lead. Cameron Gibson and Angelo Amendolare recorded back-to-back singles to start the home half of the first to put runners on the corners with no outs. Connor Marabell’s sac fly to left then scored Gibson from third for the Dolphins only run of the game.

The Rattlers answered and took the lead for good with two runs on three hits in the top of the second inning for a score of 2-1. Gibbs and Birdsong had back-to-back singles of their own to open the top of the second. Peter Jackson drew a walk to load the bases with no outs and Brian Davis singled to right to plate Gibbs from third to tie the game at 1-1. After AJ Elkins struck out, Jared Walker’s bunt popped up back to the pitcher but an errant throw to third allowed Birdsong to score the second run of the inning for the lead.

FAMU pushed across two more runs in the third inning on a pair of RBI from Gibbs and Jackson to increase its lead to 4-1. Kennedy led off the third inning with a double off the wall in left and advanced to third as Jeremy Barlow laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. Kennedy would later score on Gibbs’ RBI single to left. Gibbs stole second on a hit-and-run play, where Birdsong struck out, and then took third on a wild pitch. Gibbs later came home to score on Jackson’s, two out, infield RBI single.

Florida A&M added one more run in the sixth inning for the final score of 5-1. Walker singled up the middle with two outs and stole both second and third. Walker would come home to score on a dropped third strike, passed ball, to Alec Wong that would have ended the inning.

Dolphin starter Shane Wise (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks for the loss.

FAMU returns home to Moore-Kittles Field for a five-game home stretch starting with a doubleheader against Savannah State on Saturday in the MEAC home opener. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM and game two will start shortly after the conclusion of game one. Chase Jarrell (1-1) will be on the mound in game one for the Rattlers, while MEAC Pitcher of the Week David Ogilvie (0-1) will start game two.

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Top-seeded Stillman Tigers Season Ends Versus Benedict in SIAC Quarterfinals, 82-78

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama  -- A second-half comeback fell short despite taking a late lead versus Benedict, ending the season for the Stillman Tigers in the SIAC Quarterfinals, 82-78.  Five players reached double-digits in points, including both seniors - Markeith Madison and Harold Ingram.

After falling behind early in the opening half Stillman took the lead for the first time, 18-17, when Ingram grabbed the offensive rebound and converted with a layup.  Kairo Cannon picked up the quick steal and found Madison for the fast break layup to extend the lead, 20-17, with 9:42 remaining in the opening half.  After Rodnerius Lewis tied the game with 5:26 to play, 25-25, Benedict used a 19-7 run to close the half and lead by a dozen points at the intermission; 44-32.  Benedict held the fist-half advantage in point in the paint, 22-14, and points off turnovers, 13-8.  Stillman turned the ball over 11 times in the opening 20 minutes.

Benedict led by as many as 15 points in the second half, 55-40, before Stillman fought back to tie the game.  Ingram connected with a 3-pointer to knot the score, 66-66, with 3:56 to play.  Ingram tied the game one more time with a long jumper, 68-68, with just over three minutes left in the game.  Lewis made the front end of a pair of free throws for the lone second-half lead for Stillman, 69-68, with 2:30 left in the game.  The game ended with Benedict using a 14-9 run fueled by Benedict converting 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

Lewis scored a team-high 17 points ahead of 14 from Ingram, 13 each from Cannon and Madison, with Maurice Crenshaw adding 12 from the bench.  Both Ingram and Madison pulled in a game-high nine rebounds.  Stillman shot 41.9 percent from the floor and 65.5 percent - 19-for-29 - from the free throw line.

The Tigers end the 2014-2015 campaign with a 17-10 overall record, including 13-6 in SIAC action and 11-1 at home.

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Nuggets, Tougaloo in GCAC 1st-round matchup at DU

NEW ORLEANS — For the sixth time in seven years, the women's basketball teams of Xavier University of Louisiana and Tougaloo will meet in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament.

The GCAC announced pairings Wednesday. The second-seeded Gold Nuggets (16-14) and the seventh-seeded Lady Bulldogs (4-22) will meet at 5 p.m. Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall in the opening round.

The XU-Tougaloo winner will advance to the semifinals against third-seeded Dillard or sixth-seeded Edward Waters at noon Saturday at Xavier's Convocation Center. The championship game will start at 3 p.m. Sunday at Xavier.

Dillard will play host to all four Friday women's games.

The Gold Nuggets have won 10 consecutive postseason games against Tougaloo, are 2-0 against the Lady Bulldogs this season and have won 22 of the last 23 meetings overall. But Tougaloo has something Xavier doesn't: a victory this season at Dillard.

The Lady Bulldogs shot 51 percent from the floor and made 25-of-32 free throws last week in a 79-57 rout which spoiled Dillard's Senior Day festivities. Nearly four weeks earlier, the Gold Nuggets scored their fewest points ever against Dillard in a 53-42 defeat.

Xavier gained a season split with Dillard by winning 60-57 at home Saturday, but the Nuggets are 9-10 since a season-best five-game winning streak from late November and the first half of December.

"It's been a wild year. I can't lie about that," said 16th-year head coach Bo Browder, whose Nuggets have won four of the past five GCAC tourneys. "We've been searching for consistency and hope we can make a nice run in the tournament. But we know we'll have to play extremely well for 40 minutes at a time. I know we're capable of doing that."

Xavier's largest winning margin of the season was 67-38 at Tougaloo on Feb. 16. The Gold Nuggets won 69-58 at home Jan. 12 against Tougaloo.

"It's March," Browder said. "Lots of upsets happen this time of year. No one had better be taking anyone lightly. Tougaloo played great at Dillard last week. That definitely got our attention."

As a No. 6 seed a year ago, Tougaloo rallied in the second half to upset third-seeded SUNO 81-74 in the quarterfinals at Dillard. Xavier won 60-47 at Dillard in the 2014 quarterfinals, then beat Tougaloo 84-73 in the semifinals and Talladega 66-59 in the final. XU junior guard Whitney Gathright, the team's leading scorer this season with 13.1 points per game, was the 2014 GCAC Tournament MVP.

The tournament winner will receive the GCAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Independence Events Center in Independence, Mo. Xavier qualified for the national tournament 18 times in the past 20 seasons, including 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.

The tournament schedule:

Quarterfinals (First Round) — Friday, March 6 at Dillard's Dent Hall
#4 Talladega vs. #5 Philander Smith, noon
#3 Dillard vs. #6 Edward Waters, 2 p.m.
#2 Xavier vs. #7 Tougaloo, 5 p.m.
#1 SUNO vs. #8 Voorhees, 7 p.m.

Semifinals — Saturday, March 7 at Xavier's Convocation Center
Xavier-Tougaloo winner vs. Dillard-Edward Waters winner, noon
SUNO-Voorhees winner vs. Talladega-Philander Smith winner, 5 p.m.

Championship — Sunday, March 8 at Xavier's Convocation Center
Semifinal winners, 3 p.m.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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XU's Mandlekar, Bruins earn GCAC's weekly awards

Tushar Mandlekar, top, and Sha'Nel Bruins are GCAC Players of the Week for Feb. 23-March 1.

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana sophomores Tushar Mandlekar and Sha'Nel Bruins are Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Players of the Week in tennis for Feb. 23-March 1.
     
Mandlekar, from Bhilai, India, and a graduate of Deepak Nagar, was 3-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles to help the XU men extend their win streak to five dual matches. Xavier beat NCAA Division I's Alcorn State and, against Tougaloo, extended its regular-season win streak against GCAC opponents to 48 dual matches.
     
Bruins, from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, was 4-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles during the Gold Nuggets' 3-1 week which included a victory against Alcorn State. In the final completed match against Alcorn, Bruins clinched the dual with a 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (14-12) victory against Aakanksha Punj. Bruins rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the third-set super-tiebreaker.
     
This is the first GCAC Player of the Week award of Bruins' career. The award is the third of Mandlekar's career and his first this season. Bruins is 8-3 in singles and 6-4 in doubles during the spring semester, and Mandlekar is 6-1 in singles and 6-1 in doubles.
     
Both XU teams will play Martin Methodist in opening round of the AUM Invitational at noon Friday at Lagoon Park Tennis Center in Montgomery, Ala. The Gold Rush are ranked sixth in the NAIA, and the Gold Nuggets are seventh.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
https://twitter.com/xulagold
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Howard Football Announces 2015 Schedule

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Howard University announced its 2015 football schedule, which includes three first-time opponents on the non-conference schedule and Homecoming in early October.

The Bison will open the season at perennial FCS power and first-time foe Appalachian State on September 5 in Boone, NC. The following week, the Bison will travel to Boston, MA to take on Boston College for the first time on September 12.

Howard will open Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play when it takes on rival Hampton University in the AT&T Nation's Football Classic on September 18 at RFK Stadium. That game will be played "under the lights" on a Friday night.

MEAC play will continue for the Bison when they travel to East Rutherford, NJ to take on Morgan State in the New York Urban League Classic on September 26.

Howard will host Homecoming the following week when the Bison square off against Norfolk State on October 3 in Greene Stadium.


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Following a bye week, Howard travels to Orangeburg, SC to face South Carolina State on October 17 and Greensboro, NC the following week to face the Aggies of North Carolina A&T on October 24.

Howard will play its second of three home games when it hosts Savannah State on October 31. That will be followed by a road trip to New York on November 7 to take on Stony Brook – the final first-time opponent on the schedule.

The Bison will then play its home finale on November 14 against the Eagles of North Carolina Central. The Bison will close out the 2015 season on the road against Delaware State on November 21.


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Listed below is the full schedule:

DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME
9/5/15 Appalachian State Boone, NC TBA
9/12/15 Boston College Boston, MA TBA
9/18/15 ^ # Hampton Washington, DC RFK Stadium
9/26/15 $ # Morgan State East Rutherford, NJ 4:00 PM
10/3/15 @ # Norfolk State Washington, DC 1:00 PM
10/10/15 BYE
10/17/15 # South Carolina State Orangeburg, SC TBA
10/24/15 # North Carolina A&T Greensboro, NC TBA
10/31/15 # Savannah State Washington, DC 1:00 PM
11/7/15 Stony Brook Stony Brook, NY TBA
11/14/15 # North Carolina Central Washington, DC 1:00 PM
11/21/15 # Delaware State Dover, DE TBA

# Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Game^ AT&T Nation's Football Classic
$ New York Urban League Classic
@ Howard Homecoming
BOLD: Home Game

Check back to www.HUBison.com in the Fall for updates on tickets, Homecoming and more!


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Albany State, Tuskegee cheerleaders ejected from SIAC tourney after brawl

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Members of the Albany State University and Tuskegee University cheerleading and dance teams were sent home Tuesday night following a fight that occurred between the two squads at halftime during their schools’ opening-round game at the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament.

The SIAC office issued a statement Wednesday morning: “The obligation to observe basic principles of sportsmanship and fair play extends to all participants at the SIAC basketball tournament. As a consequence of the incident on Tuesday, the cheerleading and dance teams from both Albany State University and Tuskegee University will not be permitted to participate in our tournament for the remainder of the week.”

ASU Athletic Director Richard Williams said Wednesday that an investigation into the behavior of the university’s cheerleading squad was under way.

“At Albany State University, we take pride in demonstrating exemplary sportsmanship, leadership and good character,” Williams said. “We expect our student athletes and representatives to conduct themselves accordingly; anything less is unacceptable.

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