XU's Bruins, streaking Salwan named GCAC Players of Week

NEW ORLEANS — For the third consecutive week, Xavier University of Louisiana's Karan Salwan is the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week in men's tennis. Xavier completed a sweep of the awards when Sha'Nel Bruins was selected for the women.
    
The GCAC announced Tuesday the awards, which were for performances Feb. 8-14.
    
Salwan, a junior from New Delhi, India, and a graduate of Modern School, won in doubles and singles Sunday in the Gold Rush's first-ever victory against NCAA Division I Nicholls State, 6-1 at Thibodaux, La. Salwan teamed with Kyle Montrel for a 6-3 decision against Max Sinn and Evan Karatzas that clinched the doubles point, then Salwan gave Xavier a 3-0 lead in the dual with his 6-4, 6-3 victory against Kieran Cronin.
    
Bruins, a junior from Colfax, La., and a graduate of Grant High School, won 6-1, 6-0 Saturday on the road in singles against LSU-Alexandria's Paula Gordilla. The GCAC honor is Bruins' first this season and the second of her career.
    
Both XU teams will compete next in the Green and Gray Invitational at Lawrenceville, Ga. The Rush and Nuggets will play SCAD Savannah (all times Eastern) at 3 p.m. Friday, Georgia Gwinnett at 3 p.m. Saturday and Cumberland at 10 a.m. Sunday. The next XU home dual will start at 3 p.m. Feb. 25 for the men against Troy of NCAA DI.
    
Xavier's men are 3-2 and ranked fourth in the NAIA coaches poll, and the women are 1-2 and tied for 13th.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Xavier men win, women lose against SCAD Savannah

LAWRENCEVILLE, Georgia — Xavier University of Louisiana's men defeated SCAD Savannah 6-0 Friday, and the women lost 6-1 to the same school on opening day of the Green and Gray Tennis Invitational.
    
Karan Salwan and Tushar Mandlekar won in doubles and singles for the Gold Rush (4-2), ranked fourth in the NAIA. It was Xavier's fourth consecutive dual-match victory. Adam Albrecht clinched the dual with his 6-3, 6-2 victory against Kenta Naka.
    
Salwan and Kyle Montrel defeated Daiki Naka and Kenta Naka 8-2. Salwan gave the Rush a 4-0 lead when he defeated Daiki Naka 6-3, 6-1. Mandlekar and Manav Chakma beat Yulin Liu and Josh Tewes-McCoy 9-8 (7-1), then Mandlekar defeated Tewes-McCoy 6-2, 6-1.
    
The Rush led in all three unfinished matches.

Results:  Men   •   Women
     
The Gold Nuggets (1-3), ranked 13th, lost their third in a row. They took their only lead when Dasia Harris and Sha'Nel Bruins won 8-3 against Daniella Arcila and Anastasia Castro at the third doubles flight. Camille Gbaguidi, the ITA's second-ranked NAIA singles player, clinched by beating Charlene Goreau 6-2, 6-3. That was one of two Nuggets losses against nationally ranked singles opponents.

"The guys got the job done pretty quickly," XU coach Alan Green said. "That was good so we can prepare for tomorrow. The girls had another tough day, but I was proud of them for playing hard against the No. 4 team in the NAIA. If we can continue to play hard we will give ourselves a chance to win these matches."
    
SCAD Savannah's men are 1-3, and its women are 5-1 with a five-dual win streak.
    
Both XU teams will play Georgia Gwinnett — whose men are No. 1 in the NAIA and whose women are No. 2 — at 3 p.m. EST Saturday. The men's dual will be streamed live and free of charge at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ggc. The event will conclude Sunday.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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from THE EDITOR: FAMU to Face UCONN

TALLAHASSEE, Florida --FAMU Softball will play 5 games in 3 days at the Florida Atlantic University “Strike-Out” Cancer Tournament. FAMU will be looking for more consistency in their hitting and pitching after going 3-2 in last week’s appearance at the Sand Dollar Classic in Daphne, Alabama. Third baseman and backup pitcher Amber Fullwood is 0-1 after a loss to Jackson State last weekend. Sophomore pitcher Veronica Burse is 1-1 after last week’s tournament. Junior right hander Kenya Pereira is 2-0 picking up two wins in two complete outings. Leading hitters for the Rattlers are MEAC Player of the Week Toni Anderson, Jessica Nathan, Kieffe Myrick, Alexis Day, Nache Watson, Tashay Irving, and Amber Fullwood.

Click here to access Tournament Central and follow the games.

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Grambling reinstates athletic director search

GRAMBLING, Louisiana -- Grambling's search for a new athletic director is back on.

Less than a week after suspending the search due to budgets issues at the school, Grambling president Willie Larkin has decided to resume the search for the university's first permanent athletic director since 2014.

In a letter obtained by The News-Star dated Thursday, Feb. 18, Larkin wrote to the Grambling family that he has heard the "resounding sentiments and enthusiasm" regarding the search.

"I stand in agreement with you that we are much better served if we indeed continue the search for a permanent director of athletics," Larkin wrote.

Larkin added Grambling will move forward with "high expectations of hiring the best candidate to lead and advance our athletic program."

The news comes after Larkin announced in a letter last weekend that Grambling would suspend its search due to the "uncertainty around the University’s budget."

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6 in-state meets on 2016 schedule for Rush, Nuggets

NEW ORLEANS — Nine meets, six in Louisiana, are on the 2016 Xavier University of Louisiana track and field schedule for men and women, coach Joseph Moses announced Friday.
    
The Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets will open the outdoor season in their home city March 4 in the Tulane Invitational at Tad Gormley Stadium. They'll return to Gormley April 23 as co-host with SUNO of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships.
    
Xavier also will compete in Louisiana at the McNeese Cowboy Relays March 12 in Lake Charles, the Louisiana Classics March 25-26 at Lafayette, the Leon Johnson NSU Invitational April 16 at Natchitoches and the Southeastern Invitational April 23 at Hammond.
    
Student-athletes who meet qualifying standards will be eligible to compete at the season-ending NAIA National Championships May 26-28 at Gulf shores, Ala.
    
Xavier' will attempt to win the GCAC women's team championship for the fourth consecutive year and the sixth time in seven seasons.

Schedules:  Men   •   Women

2016 Xavier University of Louisiana
Outdoor Track and Field Schedule

March 4 (Fri.):  Tulane Invitational at Tad Gormley Stadium, New Orleans, La.
March 12 (Sat.):  McNeese Cowboy Relays at McNeese Cameron Communications Track and Field Complex, Lake Charles, La.
March 18-19 (Fri.-Sat.):  Rhodes Invitational at Memphis, Tenn.
March 25-26 (Fri.-Sat.):  Louisiana Classics at Cajuns Track/Soccer Facility, Lafayette, La.
April 9 (Sat.):  Leon Johnson NSU Invitational at Walter P. Ledet Track Complex, Natchitoches, La.
April 16 (Sat.):  Southeastern Invitational at Southeastern Track Complex, Hammond, La.
April 23 (Sat.):  Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Championships at Tad Gormley Stadium, New Orleans, La.
May 13-14 (Fri.-Sat.):  HBCU National Classic at Louis Crews Stadium, Huntsville, Ala.
May 26-28 (Thu.-Sat.):  NAIA Outdoor Championships at Mickey Miller Blackwell Stadium, Gulf Shores, Ala.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
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Culver column: Overton builds while addressing fan concerns

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Florida A&M Athletic Director Milton Overton Jr. got some truly invaluable information by just asking some fans what they wanted.

He’s gained a lot of popularity since his Aug. 3 start date. He’s got a plan for FAMU’s athletic department, and really, he’s just fulfilling the wants of the fans after the reading the results of a survey he released.

Fans want value when they go see the Rattlers. Seeing a team – it doesn’t matter which team – is great, but fans leave the comfort of their homes because they want an experience. Overton took a look at the results of his fan survey and started crafting his budget from there.

Wednesday, during a meeting of the 220 Quarterback Club at New Times Country Buffet on Monroe Street, Overton announced yet another improvement designed to make sure fans are having a good time. Saturday, the department will debut the “Courtside Club” in the Al Lawson Center.

It’ll be an experience similar to the north end zone seating in Bragg Memorial Stadium. For $40, fans will have access to a buffet, among other things, and will have a pretty good view of FAMU’s men’s and women’s basketball games against arch-rival Bethune-Cookman – one ticket gets you access to both games.

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Norfolk State-Lehigh Baseball Series Pushed Back

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Due to wet field conditions at Marty L. Miller Field, the Norfolk State baseball team's 2016 season-opening series has been pushed back a day this weekend.

The Spartans will not play Saturday, but will host Lehigh for a three-game series starting on Sunday. The teams will play a doubleheader starting at noon, then will complete their series with a single contest starting at 11 a.m. on Monday.

Live stats and video will be available for all three games at www.nsuspartans.com.
The Lehigh baseball team kicks off the 2016 season this weekend with a three-game series at defending MEAC North champs Norfolk State. A doubleheader will be played at 12 p.m. Sunday with a single game to follow Monday at 11 a.m. The series was originally scheduled for Saturday-Sunday, but had to be moved back one day due to wet field conditions at Norfolk State's Marty L. Miller Field.

The Mountain Hawks have made back-to-back Patriot League Championship appearances including the program's second-ever league crown and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2015. Lehigh finished the 2015 season with a 25-31 overall record and 12-8 mark in Patriot League play. The Mountain Hawks earned the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament before taking down No. 3 Holy Cross in the semifinals and top-seeded Navy in the championship series to earn the league title and trip to NCAA Regionals. Lehigh was predicted to finish third in this year's Patriot League preseason poll and the Mountain Hawks will look to Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year senior Mike Garzillo and fellow preseason All-League member junior Jacen Nalesnik to lead the way.

Senior captains Garzillo, Mackey Price, Kevin Long and Kevin Boswick, along with the rest of the upperclassmen, will be depended upon to help guide a freshman class of 10. The Mountain Hawks graduated nine talented seniors, but return several experienced players for the 2016 campaign.

Garzillo returns as Lehigh's offensive leader after earning All-America laurels and being drafted by the New York Yankees a season ago. The second baseman hit .359 with 54 RBI a season ago. Long is expected to get the start on the mound in game one at Norfolk State, while Boswick will toe the rubber for game two. Long finished last season with a team-best five wins, while Boswick will be transitioning into a starting role after serving as Lehigh's closer a season ago. Junior Matt Kozemchak will take the mound for game three. Kozemchak missed a majority of last season with an injury, but went 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA as a freshman.

Norfolk State is coming off one of its most successful seasons in program history as the Spartans went 27-16 overall and 19-5 in conference play to earn the team's first-ever MEAC North championship. The team set school Division I records for overall and conference victories in a season. The Spartans were picked to repeat as MEAC Northern Division champs this season in the conference's preseason poll, while senior pitcher Matt Outman was tabbed as the preseason Pitcher of the Year. NSU welcomes back 18 letterwinners from last year's team.

In addition to Outman's Preseason Pitcher of the Year honor, four other Spartans earned spots on the preseason All-MEAC teams. Sophomore catcher Ismael Herrera, junior infielder Roger Hall and outfielders Denathan Dukes and Angel Rosario were all voted to the preseason All-MEAC second team. Dukes returns as the team's offensive leader after batting .357 a season ago, while Rosario followed with a .338 batting average.

Outman is projected to get the game-one start for the Spartans Saturday. The senior led the MEAC in wins (8) and strikeouts (85) a season ago. Freshman Chase Anderson will get the starting nod in game two, while junior Devin Hemmerich will handle game three.

Following this weekend's three-game series, the Mountain Hawks will return to action on March 2 at Coppin State before traveling to Marshall for a three-game set March 5-6.

Like Lehigh baseball on Facebook and follow on Twitter for exclusive updates throughout the season.

Probable pitching matchups vs. Norfolk State:
Game 1: RHP Kevin Long vs. LHP Matt Outman
Game 2: RHP Kevin Boswick vs. RHP Chase Anderson
Game 3: LHP Matt Kozemchak vs. LHP Devin Hemmerich

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS
LEHIGH UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

NSU Spartan Football Adds Faison as Co-Defensive Coordinator

NORFOLK, Virginia -- Norfolk State University football coach Latrell Scott announced Friday the hiring of Andrew Faison as the Spartans' new co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach.

Faison joins the NSU staff after two seasons as associate head coach and linebackers coach at Delaware State.

"We are very pleased to have coach Faison join the NSU football family," Scott said. "He is a long and trusted football confidant of mine. His hard work, expertise and energy will do wonders for our defense as we try to take the next step."

Prior to his time at DSU, Faison spent 11 seasons as head coach at Virginia State (2002-12), where he compiled a 58-52 overall record. VSU posted five winning seasons under Faison's leadership. His best season came in 2010, when he led the Trojans to an 8-3 overall record, the CIAA Northern Division title and a berth in the conference championship game. Four VSU players earned first-team All-CIAA honors in 2010, including the league's Special Teams Player of the Year, Justin Parker. Faison garnered CIAA Coach of the Year honors that season, as well.

From 1995 to 2002, Faison was defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Winston-Salem State University. During Faison's tenure at Winston-Salem, the Rams captured two CIAA championships, three conference Southern Division titles, two Pioneer Bowl appearances (pitting the CIAA champion vs. SIAC champion) and one Pioneer Bowl championship.

In 1987 and '88, Faison was defensive coordinator and recruiting coordinator at Virginia State. The Trojans captured the CIAA North title in each of those years.

Faison was a star defensive back at Virginia State. He set a team record with 28 tackles vs. South Carolina State in 1980. That season, he was a team captain and was selected as the Trojans' Defensive MVP.

He was inducted into the Virginia State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Faison holds two degrees from Virginia State. He earned a bachelor's in administration criminal justice in 1981 and a master's in guidance and counseling in 1986.

He and wife Sheryl have two children: a son, Andrew, who played linebacker at Virginia State; and a daughter, Brittany.  

Scott also announced the following staff changes on Friday: safeties coach Christian Parker will now coach cornerbacks, defensive line coach Keith Braxton adds the assistant head coach role to his duties, and running backs coach Montario Hardesty will now also serve as special teams coordinator.

Matt Michalec, Asst. AD/Communications
COURTESY NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

Not a great start: Grambling thumps Southern 15-0 to open MLB Urban Invitational

NEW ORLEANS -- The most runs Southern gave up in a single game last season was 14.

It took just five innings into this season for the Jaguars to give up that many.

Making it worse, it came against rival Grambling.

The Jaguars dropped a season opener they would like to forget Friday night, falling 15-0 in seven innings to the Tigers on the first day of the three-day MLB Urban Youth Invitational at Wesley Barrow Stadium.

Southern coach Roger Cador, in his 32nd season, said his team was playing without four starters but wouldn’t elaborate on why they were out. He said they will return next week.

“I’m never too concerned about Game 1, especially when you’re playing short-handed,” Cador said. “The fact that we were short without four of our key players could have deflated our kids. It happened so quick. We played a lot of young freshmen. And we got here late. But we don’t want to make any excuses.”

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JSU Tiger Baseball grab 8-5 win over UT-Martin in season opener

JACKSON, Mississippi – The Jackson State baseball team grabbed an 8-5 win over the University of Tennessee-Martin in their season opener at home.

Jesus Santana, sophomore third baseman and Southwestern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year, led the Tigers offensively with three at-bats, two runs, two hits, and two RBIs.

Bryce Brown, Sam Campbell, and Tony Holton took control of the defensive effort on the field with four putouts each.

Miguel Yrigoyen pitched for 6 innings allowing five hits, two runs (one earned) with seven strikeouts to claim the JSU win on the mound.

Calvin “CJ” Newsome scored the first run for JSU after taking first base off an error by the short stop. Carlos Diaz advanced Newsome to second with a bunted single and Newsome eventually made the run home on a sacrifice fly by Lamar Briggs.

In the bottom of the second, Briggs blasted a triple right center Newsome, Brown, and Santana landed a single each to record four hits for the Tigers. Tony Holton, Cornelius Copeland, Newsome, Santana, and Brown made the home in the inning to tally five runs advancing the JSU lead to 6-0.

Yrigoyen began to tire by the seventh inning leaving room for the Skyhawks to record two runs in the top of the second. The Tigers answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own to regain their six-point lead, making the score 8-2 going into the top of the eight.

Neither team scored in the eight but in the top of the ninth, UT-Martin put up a forceful effort against the JSU defense rallying to put an additional three runs on the board. But the Skyhawk effort was not enough and the Tigers were able to claim the win.

Jackson State and UT-Martin return to the field tomorrow, Saturday, Feb. 20 for game two and three of the four-game series. The first pitched is schedule for 3 p.m. at Robert “Bob” Braddy Field located on the campus of Jackson State University.

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Alcorn State, Bethune-Cookman expected in MEAC-SWAC Challenge

ORLANDO, Florida -- The MEAC-SWAC Challenge is one-sided in favor of the MEAC, but one of the SWAC's top programs may have the chance to decrease the conference's deficit this year.

The annual season-opening showcase between the two historically black conferences in the FCS - scheduled for Sept. 4 at the Florida Citrus Bowl in Orlando - is expected to be a highly attractive matchup between two-time defending SWAC champion Alcorn State and MEAC power Bethune-Cookman.


WATCH IN 1080p HD, WIDE SCREEN

MEAC schools hold a 9-2 lead in the all-time series. South Carolina State's 35-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in last year's game was the MEAC's fifth straight victory.

Alcorn State is coming off a 9-4 season and has a new coach in Fred McNair. Bethune-Cookman went 9-2 last year in its first season under Terry Sims.

This would be Alcorn State's first appearance in the MEAC-SWAC, although the Braves played in last year's inaugural, season-ending Celebration Bowl between the champions of the two conferences. They lost to North Carolina State 41-34.

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Gold Nuggets tied for 13th after dropping two places

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana fell two places Tuesday and is tied for 13th in the NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll.
     
The poll is the second of the season. The Gold Nuggets (1-2) share their position with Lewis-Clark State. The ranking is Xavier's lowest since Jan. 29, 2013, when it was 13th.
     
Xavier is in the top 25 for the 32nd consecutive time and the 77th time in the last 87 polls. The Gold Nuggets are among the top 15 for the 29th straight time.
     
Defending champion Auburn Montgomery received 13-of-14 first-place votes and remained No. 1.
     
Next for the Gold Nuggets will be three ranked opponents in the Green and Gray Invitational at Lawrenceville Ga. — 3 p.m. EST Friday against No. 4 SCAD Savannah, 3 p.m. EST Saturday against No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett and 10 a.m. EST Sunday against No. 12 Cumberland. The Gold Nuggets' next home dual will start at noon March 5 at XU Tennis Center against No. 22 LSU-Alexandria.


NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses — records through Feb. 14)

Rank Team Record Points Last
1 Auburn Montgomery (13) 2-0 374 1
2 Georgia Gwinnett (1) 1-0 362 2
3 Lindsey Wilson 1-0 348 3
4 SCAD Savannah 3-1 340 4
5 Cardinal Stritch 2-1 324 5
6 William Carey 2-3 315 6
7 Brenau 3-1 303 7
8 Keiser 0-1 283 8
9 Arizona Christian 4-0 280 10
10 Westmont 1-2 266 9
11 Northwestern Ohio 3-2 248 12
12 Cumberland 1-1 223 14
13-tie Xavier 1-2 222 11
13-tie Lewis-Clark State 2-6 222 13
15 Olivet Nazarene 1-2 206 15
16 Indiana Wesleyan 15-0 205 16
17 Davenport 2-3 179 17
18 McPherson 0-0 151 18
19 Southeastern (Fla.) 1-1 149 19
20 Coastal Georgia 0-1 137 20
21 SCAD Atlanta 2-1 129 21
22 LSU-Alexandria 3-3 116 NR
23 Evangel 1-4 109 22
24 Marian (Ind.) 9-2 99 23
25 Campbellsville 0-0 85 24

Dropped from rankings: Ottawa
Others receiving votes: Ottawa 68, Reinhardt 50, Middle Georgia 49, St. Thomas (Fla.) 43, Southwestern (Kan.) 14, Missouri Valley 13, Georgetown (Ky.) 11, San Diego Christian 7, Huntington 5, William Woods 4, Aquinas 3, Milligan 3, Morningside 3, Warner 3


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Wolf Pack leads wire-to-wire, defeats Nuggets 67-57

 Whitney Gathright enjoyed her gifts from senior night.

NEW ORLEANS — Reserve guard Zoie Miller scored 13 points Wednesday to lead NAIA No. 25 Loyola to a 67-57 women's basketball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana at The Den.
     
Di'Mond Jackson and Kylah Jones scored 11 points apiece, and Megan Worry had 10 for the Wolf Pack (18-6), which led wire-to-wire against the Gold Nuggets (17-10) for the second consecutive meeting. Adrianne Sloboh grabbed 13 rebounds.
     
Whitney Gathright scored 24 points — she made four 3-pointers to tie her career high — andDonyeah Mayfield had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Xavier. Alesha Smith and Trana Hopkins scored eight points apiece.
     
Loyola scored the first five points and led 22-14 when Miller ended the first quarter with a 3-pointer. The Wolf Pack led 40-26 at halftime and never by less than six points thereafter.
     
Two Jones free throws at 6:50 of the third quarter gave Loyola its largest lead, 47-28.
     
Gathright, a senior point guard, scored her most points since mid-November and reached 20 points for the 13th time in her career. Her two free throws at 3:47 of the third quarter made her the second Gold Nugget to make 400 in a career. Gathright finished the game 10-of-12 from the line and with 406 made in her career, trailing Antasha Jones (1993-97) with 415.
     
Gathright needs 16 points to become the ninth Gold Nugget to reach 1,300 in a career.
     
Mayfield made a pair of 3-pointers in the final four minutes, the second one at the buzzer to make her the first Gold Nugget with 25 made 3's and 30 blocked shots in the same season. The double-double was Mayfield's fifth of the season and her ninth in two years.
     
Loyola outshot the Gold Nuggets 40 to 27.5 percent from the floor. Xavier tied a season high by making eight 3-pointers, and the Nuggets shot better from behind the arc (34.8 percent) than they did from inside it (21.4). Xavier, which outrebounded its previous four opponents, lost the boards 43-34.
     
Xavier lost for the third straight time against a ranked team in NAIA Division I and is 4-4 this season against those teams. Xavier trailed Loyola by 10 points in this week's coaches poll and was 26th overall.
     
It was Xavier's first double-digit loss of the season against an NAIA opponent.
     
The Gold Nuggets will finish the regular season with three consecutive Gulf Coast Athletic Conference road games: 3 p.m. EST Saturday at Edward Waters, 5 p.m. Monday at Tougaloo and 3 p.m. Feb. 27 at Dillard. Xavier and Edward Waters are tied for second place in the GCAC. The GCAC Tournament will be March 4-6 in New Orleans, with opening-round games for the women at SUNO and the men at Dillard. For the third straight year, all semifinals and finals for women and men will be played at Xavier's Convocation Center.

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Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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VUU Lady Panthers Ranked #1 in Atlantic Region

RICHMOND, Virginia -- The Virginia Union University women's basketball team has been ranked #1 in the Atlantic Region by the NCAA, it was announced on Wednesday, February 17.

This marks the first time the women's team has been ranked #1 in the region by the NCAA. The top eight teams in each of the eight regions at the end of the season advance to the NCAA Tournament.

The Lady Panthers are 20-2 overall and 18-2 against Atlantic Region teams, and face Elizabeth City State University at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, February 17, in Elizabeth City, N.C.

Rank	School	Overall DII Record	In-Region Record
1	Virginia Union	20-2	18-2
2	West Chester	18-5	18-5
3	West Liberty	21-3	21-3
4	California (Pennsylvania)	18-5	18-5
5	Wheeling Jesuit	21-3	21-3
6	Shaw	21-5	21-5
7	Chowan	18-6	18-5
8	Indiana (Pennsylvania)	18-6	18-6
9	Gannon	16-7	16-6
10	Shippensburg	18-6	18-6

 

COURTESY VIRGINIA UNION UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

SUNO Knights win 77-72 at Xavier, get season split

NEW ORLEANS -- Dominique Suggs scored a career-high 27 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead SUNO to a 77-72 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference men's basketball victory Monday against Xavier University of Louisiana.

The Knights (7-14, 2-8) snapped a six-game losing streak.

Suggs made his first six attempts from behind the arc. He scored 16 second-half points.

Andre Funches scored 12 points for SUNO, Ezekiel Brown had 11 points and 10 assists, and Joe Brown had 10 points, 10 rebounds and three blocked shots.

Gary Smith made five 3-pointers and scored a career-best 24 points for the Gold Rush (17-10, 4-5). Morris Wright scored 18. Smith, Wright, Jarvis Thibodeaux (five points, three assists, two steals) and RJ Daniels (did not play) were honored in a pregame senior-night ceremony.

Both teams held double-digit leads. SUNO led 32-19 at 7:06 of the first half after Junaid Olusesi's 3-pointer, and Xavier led 52-40 after Chris Ward's basket with 14:45 remaining. Xavier led 46-40 at halftime after shooting  71.4 percent from the floor, then shot 21.1 percent in the second half.

For the game, SUNO outshot Xavier 51.1 to 47.5 percent from the floor. The Knights made 15-of-27 3-pointers -- 6-of-7 in the first 10 minutes -- and the Gold Rush sank 9-of-16.
Wright, 3-of-3 on first-half 3-pointers, moved into ninth place on Xavier's career point list with 1,442.

SUNO coach Dale Valdery beat Xavier, his alma mater, for the fifth time in 20 tries. Valdery won a then-XU-record 238 games as coach of the Gold Rush from 1990-2002. This is his eighth season at SUNO. Xavier leads the series 71-30, including a victory at SUNO two weeks ago.

It was the third home loss in four games for Xavier, which will close the regular season with three straight on the road. Next will be a 5 p.m. EST Saturday GCAC game against Edward Waters in Jacksonville, Fla.

Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Chowan Shoots Past Bowie State 70-61

BOWIE, Maryland -- What a difference 72 hours makes as the Chowan University Hawks handed Bowie State University a 70-61 setback on Tuesday evening in the A.C. Jordan Arena. The loss sets the Bulldogs overall mark at 15-11, 8-6 in the CIAA and 4-4 in the Northern Division.

Senior Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) paced Bowie State with 13 points in the setback.  Junior Tai Marshall (Atlantic City, N.J.) and senior Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md.) each grabbed seven boards in the loss.

Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) and Kortez Smith (Waldorf, Md.) both tallied 19 points in the win for the Hawks.  Jeremy Smith (Kenansville, N.C.) added 11 points while Josh Mellette (Sanford, N.C.) hauled in a team-high six rebounds.

The Hawks and Bulldogs exchanged baskets at the start of the first half before Kortez Smith's three-pointer at the 16:59 mark gave Chowan a 7-4 lead.  Bowie State remained within striking distance before Haskins' three-pointer with 12:32 on the clock pushed the Hawks ahead 20-14.

The Bulldogs fought back to knot the score 22-22 by the 8:15 mark on a Michael Briscoe (Waldorf, Md.) layup, but Warren Powers (Finksburg, Md.) hit two free throws to spark a 19-7 run for Chowan, propelling the Hawks to a 41-29 lead heading into halftime.

The Hawks continued to build on the momentum in the second half, maintaining a double-digit lead until the 11:38 mark.  Chowan held a 54-44 advantage with 8:43 left in the game  before a 9-2 run by Bowie State cut the Hawks' lead to three points (56-53).  A three-pointer by Kortez Smith shifted the momentum back in favor of Chowan.

Livingston's free throw with 1:40 on the clock left the Hawks clinging to a 64-61 lead but Haskins answered with a three-pointer for Chowan to push the Hawks ahead 67-61.  Two made free throw by Carlos Arroyo (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) and one by Jeremy Smith allowed Chowan to secure the 70-61 win.

Chowan (18-7, 10-4 CIAA, 4-4 North) shot 53-6 percent from the field in the first half (15-for-28), which included 4-for-8 behind the 3-point line. On the other side of the stat sheet, Bowie State shot 34.5 percent (10-for-29) from the field in the first 20 minutes and 9-of-10 free throws.

Bowie State continued to struggle from the field in the second half, going 11-for-32 and finished the contest 1-for 13 behind the arc. The Bulldogs were able to control the glass, out-rebounding the Hawks 42-28.

The Bulldogs will have little time to regroup as Bowie State welcomes divisional leading Virginia State University to the A.C. Jordan Arena on Wednesday (2/17) night at 7:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

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Bryan Henry: Good to see David Ross at FAMU

TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- Game week is finally here! In a few days, Florida A&M will be playing the Thundering Herd of Marshall in a weekend series at Moore-Kittles Field.

I have that feeling that opening day has crept up on me a little bit. It seems as if Feb. 19 all of a sudden just appeared and I still of a lot to do to get ready. A lot of it is just organizational things like preparing all of the charts we keep, making sure game balls are rubbed up, and going over last year’s three games with Marshall to develop a scouting report for this year.

All of these things will not take long to finish and I will be ready to go by Friday’s opener. We have had not one but two sick children at the house last week and the start of this week so that has slowed my pace a little. They are feeling better just in time for opening weekend, so we are all set at the Henry house.

While I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off, the players are chomping at the bit to get cranked up. For the second consecutive year we have been lucky enough to have a major-league baseball player speak to the team before the start of the season.

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Specks sparks Jackson State in win at PVAMU

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -- For much of this season, guards Raeford Worsham, Chace Franklin and Paris Collins have received most of the attention for Jackson State.

It's usually one of those three that have big performances that lead the Tigers to victory.

A new face stepped into the equation on Monday night, though.

Guard Yettra Specks scored a career-high 23 points to lead JSU to an 80-66 road victory against Prairie View A&M at the William Nicks Building in Prairie View, Texas.

Specks scored 15 of his 23 points in the second half to help the Tigers earn a runaway win, which pushed them to 14-12 overall and 9-4 in the SWAC. Specks was 12 of 15 from the free-throw line, which should be encouraging for a JSU team that typically struggles from the charity stripe.

The Tigers were 1-5 in regular season games played in Texas under coach Wayne Brent before this triumph.

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Southern women rout Valley in tune-up for red-hot Alabama State

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The Southern women’s game against the worst team in the Southwestern Athletic Conference was a tune-up for its game against the league’s hottest team.

The Jaguars scored the first 17 points and steamrolled undermanned Mississippi Valley State 78-26 on Monday night in the F.G. Clark Activity Center. The game got out of hand even more quickly than Southern’s 99-36 win in the first meeting four weeks earlier.

Next up for the Jaguars (10-3 in the SWAC and 13-9 overall) is a Saturday visit to second-place Alabama State, which has won 10 consecutive games.

“This was a preparation game for Saturday,” said forward Cortnei Purnell, who scored a game-high 11 points. “We played a lot of different defenses. Everybody did well, everybody scored.”

Only one Jaguar — center Jadea Brundidge, who dressed out but was sick — didn’t play and all 14 who did scored. Briana Green (10 points) was the only other double-figure scorer.

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Johnson C. Smith University Women's Indoor Track & Field Claims CIAA Runner Up Finish

JCSU Women Wins Three Events, Finishes as Runner-Up at CIAA
Indoor Track and Field Championships

Winston-Salem, North Carolina -- The Johnson C. Smith women's indoor track and field team had a total of nine podium finishes and took home three CIAA event championships while finishing as the runner-up at the CIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the JDL FastTrack in Winston-Salem, N.C. on Monday afternoon.

JCSU claimed three championships on the day, with Kendra Clarke (Edmonton, Alberta) taking the crown in the 400m with a time of 54.62.  Domenique Julius-Williams (Oshawa, Ontario) brought home the 800m title with a 2:16.28 and the 4x400 relay team of Clarke, Julius-Williams,
Crystal Campbell (St. Catherine, Jamaica) and Tovea Jenkins (St. James, Jamaica) won by posting a 3:46.52.

Other notable performances by the Golden Bulls included Shamaz Quince (West Palm Beach, Fla.) taking second place in the triple jump and third place in the 60m hurdles.  Fellan Ferguson (Kingston, Jamaica) had a great weekend, as she recorded a second place finish in the 800m and a completed the mile run in third place.

Winston-Salem State took home their second-consecutive title, outdistancing the Golden Bulls by 10 points.  St. Augustine's finished in third behind JCSU with 107.33 points.

Women's Team Standings - Final1.            Winston-Salem State     120
2.            Johnson C. Smith           110
3.            St. Augustine's               107.33
4.            Virginia State                   41.33
5.            Livingstone                       21
6.            Virginia Union                  16
7.            Lincoln                              13.33
8.            Bowie State                        4

JCSU Women's Results – Day 2
60m Hurdles – Finals
3^rd           Shamaz Quince                 8.72

60m - Finals
4^th           Mayah Edwards               7.68
5^th           Trudy-Ann Richards        7.70

400m - Finals
1^st           Kendra Clarke                    54.62
2^nd          Tovea Jenkins                    55.28

800m – Finals
1^st           Domenique Julius-Williams          2:16.28
2^nd          Fellan Ferguson                            2:17.67
4^th           Tovea Jenkins                                2:24.25

200m – Finals
2^nd          Kendra Clarke                 24.93
4^th           Trudy-Ann Richards        25.20

Mile - Finals
3^rd           Fellan Ferguson                            5:24.09
5^th           Domenique Julius-Williams          5:27.84
12^th         October Campbell                         5:57.40

4x400 Relay – Finals
1^st           JCSU (Clarke, Julius-Williams, C. Campbell, Jenkins)   3:46.52

Shot Put – Finals
11^th         Reilyn Powell                     9.07m
15^th         Mayah Edwards                 8.43m
17^th         Alexus Melton                    7.85m

Triple Jump –Finals
2^nd          Shamaz Quince               11.48m
10^th         Ramoya Grandison          9.92m

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