Nearly 70 Xavierites qualify for AD's Honor Roll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana honored approximately 70 students Saturday who qualified for its second Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
    
Intercollegiate athletes and members of Xavier's spirit groups qualified for the AD's Honor Roll by passing 12 or more hours with a minimum 3.0 grade-point average during the spring 2015 semester or the fall 2015 semester. Honorees were recognized during the Xavier-Dillard basketball Crosstown Classic at the Convocation Center.
    
Five teams/groups had eight or more representatives on the AD's Honor Roll, led by women's cross country/track and field with 15 student athletes and women's volleyball with 11.
    
The following are members of the AD's Honor Roll for their 2015 academic achievements:

     Men's Basketball
     Elex Carter
     Wesley Pluviose-Philip
     Jarvis Thibodeaux

     Men's Cross Country/Track and Field
     Langston Adams
     Keairez Coleman
     Emmanuel Detiege
     Ethan Gipson
     Brent Kitto
     Erwin Simmons
     Ammiel Williams
     Darrick Williams

     Men's Tennis
     Adam Albrecht
     Jeremiah Capdeville
     Manav Chakma
     Kevin Chaouat
     Vincenzo Ciccone
     Tushar Mandlekar
     Karan Salwan
     Nikita Soifer

     Women's Basketball
     Mikayla Bates
     Emoni Harvey
     Alesha Smith

     Women's Cross Country/Track and Field
     Clarke Allen
     Carlie Calais
     Drew Chatters
     Terri Cunningham
     Catherine Fakler
     Dorian Hill
     Chelsea James
     Janelle Jones
     Katelyn McMorris
     Alexis Milton
     Brianna Pace
     Kayla Quincy
     Devinn Rolland
     Chelsea Simpson
     Maliya Vaughan

     Women's Tennis
     Sha'Nel Bruins
     Simone-Alyse Ewell
     Brandi Nelson
     Jana van der Walt

     Women's Volleyball
     Jada Broussard
     Ralitsa Hadzhistoyanova
     Claudia Haywood
     Jodi Hill
     Kayla Jones
     Franziska Pirkl
     Taylor Reuther
     Kaelan Temple
     Simone White
     CeCe Williams
     Aliyah Wilson

     Gold Star Dancers
     Mizani Ball
     Kyla Baron
     Sarah Hale
     Kendra Jenkins
     Shalani Taylor

     Golden Girls Pom Squad
     Kayla Beamon
     Dominique Cameron
     Destane Garrett
     Tiffany Hogan
     Theresa Hudson
     Alethia Love
     Bianca Moore
     Candice Moses
     Angela Washington

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Gold Rush heat up to beat DU in Crosstown Classic

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana rallied Saturday for a 69-61 men's basketball victory against NAIA No. 21 Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at XU's Convocation Center.
       
 The Gold Rush (17-8, 4-4 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) trailed 10-0 after five minutes and 16-4 after eight but shot 63.2 percent from the floor in the final 31 1/2 minutes. Morris Wright, scoreless for the first 12 minutes, finished with a game-high 20 points for Xavier. RJ Daniels had 13 points, a season-high nine rebounds and a career-high-tying two blocks, and Gary Smith scored 10.
    
Demetric Austin had 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Bleu Devils (14-8, 5-2), and Montrey Thomas scored 15.
    
Dillard led the first 29 minutes, including 32-28 at halftime. Daniels' basket with 9:16 remaining put Xavier ahead to stay, 47-45. Xavier extended its lead in the final four minutes by making its final three 3-point attempts — the first by Smith, the final two by Wright.
    
Xavier finished the game at 50 percent from the floor and limited the Bleu Devils to 34.3 percent. Dillard grabbed 21 offensive rebounds and outrebounded the Gold Rush 41-31. Xavier blocked a season-high seven shots, three by freshman Kevin Murph.
    
Xavier clinched a 16th consecutive winning season, which extended a school record. It's Xavier 25th consecutive non-losing season.
    
Attendance was 1,768, the fifth-largest for an XU men's basketball game in the four-year history of the Convocation Center. Both XU basketball teams played at home on the Saturday before Mardi Gras for the first time since 2005. The GCAC's tentative 2017 schedule has Xavier out of town on the Saturday before Mardi Gras.
    
Xavier will play host to NAIA No. 18 William Carey in a non-conference game at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center.

BOX SCORE


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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JCSU Blows By Fayetteville State, 97-78; Tie for Southern Division Lead

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  –  The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team shot 50.8% from the field, including 53.3% from long range and had three players in double figures and routed visiting Fayetteville State 97-78 on Saturday afternoon in Brayboy Gym.  The win coupled with a Winston-Salem State loss at St. Augustine's pulls JCSU back into a tie for first place in the CIAA Southern Division.

The Golden Bulls improve to 11-10 overall, 6-6 in CIAA play and 4-2 in the Southern Division while FSU drops to 10-12 overall, 4-8 in league play and 2-4 in divisional play.

Senior Stedmon Lemon (Lithonia, Ga.) finished with 24 points and nine rebounds while Diondre Pratt (Morven, N.C.) had 23 points on an 8-of-14 shooting effort including a perfect 3-of-3 from long range and 4-of-4 from the line.  Alandre Davis (Florence, S.C.) continued his solid play, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the year.

Fayetteville State got 19 points behind Michael Tyson and 10 from Isaiah Vinson in the loss.

The first half saw the two division rivals battle through eight lead changes, with Fayetteville State holding their largest lead at the 15:38 mark at 11-7.  The lead would go back-and-forth through the first half, with JCSU taking a 47-46 lead into the halftime break.

In the second half, JCSU jumped ahead by 10 points after Lemon tipped in his own miss, making it 56-46 with 17:31 remaining.  After FSU closed to 56-50, JCSU went on a 14-3 run that gave JCSU the 72-53 lead with 10:30 left.

JCSU never let the lead get below 12 points the rest of the way as the Golden Bulls pulled away for the 97-78 win.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Gold Rush beat No. 7 Crusaders; Nuggets lose to Carey

NEW ORLEANS — Fourth-ranked Xavier University of Louisiana recorded its first men's tennis victory of the season against a top-10 NAIA opponent when it defeated seventh-ranked William Carey 8-1 Saturday.
      
Xavier's women, ranked 11th, lost 6-3 to sixth-ranked William Carey.
    
The Gold Rush (2-2) have 12 victories in the last five seasons against top-10 NAIA opponents. Carey is the highest-ranked opponent to lose to the Gold Rush since n No. 7 Cumberland two years ago.
    
Karan Salwan, Kyle Montrel, Kevin Chaouat, Manav Chakma and Adam Albrecht won in doubles and singles for the XU men. Montrel clinched the dual when he defeated Clement Fosse 6-0, 6-3.
      
In the women's dual, William Carey won the final three singles matches after the Gold Nuggets (1-1) tied the dual at 3.
    
Charlene Goreau evened the dual for the Gold Nuggets with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 victory against Sara Valero Marin at the top flight. Mathilde Rinderknech clinched for the Crusaders by beating Tess Guarino 7-6 (7-3), 6-2.
    
Goreau and Brandi Nelson teamed for a doubles victory, and Nelson defeated Alexia Rycroft 7-5, 7-5 in singles.
    
William Carey's women are 1-3, and its men are 0-2.
 
 "I was very pleased with what I saw from our men," XU coach Alan Green said. "We beat a very good Carey team. On the women's side, I thought we let one slip away. I have to do a better job coaching them on some of the little things that can make matches go either way. But I give credit to the Carey women for closing the match."
    
Xavier's women will visit LSU-Alexandria at noon next Saturday, and both XU teams will visit Nicholls State at 11 a.m. the following day.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Dillard beats Nuggets at XU for 1st time since '91

NEW ORLEANS — Shaelynn Moore scored 15 points and sparked a late third-quarter run which lifted Dillard to a 57-52 women's basketball victory against NAIA No. 24 Xavier University of Louisiana in the Crosstown Classic at XU's Convocation Center.
    
The Lady Bleu Devils (9-11, 4-3 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) defeated the Gold Nuggets (15-9, 4-4) at XU for the first time since Jan. 26, 1991. Xavier lost its second straight at home after winning its first eight home games this season. The Gold Nuggets have lost four of their last six games.
    
Xavier led 37-31 after Kiera Robinson's basket at 2:56 of the third quarter, but Dillard scored the final nine points of the period and took the lead for good, 40-37, on Moore's 3-pointer at 0:49. Moore scored five points during the run.
    
Dillard protected its lead by making 11-of-14 free throws in the final five minutes. The Lady Bleu Devils dominated at the line, making 22-of-31 overall to Xavier's 9-of-12.
    
Keona Favis scored 13 points for Dillard, and Alyssa Washington had 12 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
    
Trana Hopkins scored 20 points and Whitney Gathright 10 for Xavier, and Donyeah Mayfield had seven points and 13 rebounds.
    
Dillard outshot Xavier 34.7 to 32.8 percent from the floor. The Gold Nuggets had a 39-36 rebound advantage.
    
Xavier will play host to William Carey in a non-conference game at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center. It will be the Nuggets' annual Play 4Kay Game for cancer awareness, and fans are encouraged to wear pink.

BOX SCORE

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Former Hampton Pirates Swinton Lands Coaching Gig With San Francisco 49ers

Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
High School: Thomas Dale
PHOTO COURTESY: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Hampton, Virginia -- Former Hampton University football standout Darius Swinton II has been named Special Teams Coordinator by the San Francisco 49ers.

"Darius' appointment as special teams coach with the 49ers is a testament to what it means to be a Hampton student athlete: to succeed not only in the athletic arena, but in life in general," University President Dr. William R. Harvey said. "I have no doubt he will continue to represent Hampton University and uphold a standard of excellence in everything he does."

From 2003-06, Swinton donned the Pirate blue and white, and he was part of Hampton's back-to-back-to-back MEAC championship teams from 2004-06. He finished his collegiate career with 103 tackles, 19 pass deflections, and eight interceptions.

As a player, Swinton's NFL debut came in 2007 with the St. Louis Rams.

He has also worked with the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears. This past season, Swinton was an assistant special teams coach with the Bears. Chicago was 12th in the NFL in special teams, while San Francisco was 27th.

For more information on Hampton University football, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.

COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

S.C. State tops Coppin State, 88-83, takes first place atop MEAC standings

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- It was a bit of a surprise -- like putting a mug of hot chocolate in a microwave to warm it up, only to take it back out and have some fresh marshmallows suddenly appear around the top of the mug.

The S.C. State men’s basketball team pulled away late for an 88-83 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win against visiting Coppin State on Saturday evening, only to find out upon reaching the locker room that other MEAC results on the day had boosted the Bulldogs to atop the MEAC standings.

It was great news after a big win inside S.C. State’s Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center, warming things up with excitement for players and fans alike as chilly rain fell outside in February temperatures.

“It was a constant battle,” S.C. State head coach Murray Garvin said of Saturday’s game. “In the last five minutes we did a better job defensively, kind of locked down and made them (CSU) earn every basket.

“We had to limit them to one shot, and I felt like we did a good job of that in the first half. We made some turnovers and missed some free throws; but again, it’s a conference game and you expect 20 minutes of tough basketball every half. I’m just grateful that we came out with the victory.”

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