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NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Charlene Goreau has been named the NAIA Region IV (South) Rookie of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Goreau, a freshman from Toulouse, France, and a graduate of Raymond Naves School, had a tough act to follow: replace two-time All-American Nour Abbes, who transferred from Xavier to the University of Washington, at No. 1 singles. But Goreau sparkled, winning 15-of-20 decisions, including 10 in a row, and earning a No. 18 national ranking. Goreau has four singles victories vs. NCAA Division I players, two against nationally ranked NAIA opponents and two against regionally ranked NAIA players. Goreau is a three-time Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Player of the Week and has led the Gold Nuggets to a No. 16 national team ranking. The Gold Nuggets (8-13) have concluded their regular season and are not scheduled to play in a conference or unaffiliated group tournament. They'll learn May 9 if they qualified for the NAIA National Championship at Mobile, Ala. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — For the first time in the history of the Xavier University of Louisiana men's program, the Gold Rush have earned three Intercollegiate Tennis Association/NAIA Region IV (South) awards in one season. Xavier's honorees are: • Alan Green, Coach of the Year. • Loic Didavi, Assistant Coach of the Year. • Kyle Montrel, Senior Player of the Year. This is Green's third ITA men's regional award in the last five seasons. His Gold Rush are 13-6 this season with a school-record five victories against NCAA Division I opponents. Xavier's No. 3 national ranking is its highest ever. Didavi, in his second season as an XU assistant, was the ITA/NAIA National and Regional Senior Player of the Year for Xavier in 2012-13. "Loic has been instrumental in player development, and he has been a good mentor for our new players this season," Green said. "His overall input in our success has been crucial." Montrel, a three-time ITA/NAIA All-American, is ranked 10th nationally in singles and 19th in doubles. Last season he received the ITA/NAIA Region IV Arthur Ashe Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship. Montrel is from Atlanta and a graduate of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. The Gold Rush will compete next Friday (May 6) in an NAIA unaffiliated group qualifying tournament at Lawrenceville, Ga. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana has posted online its job description for head men's basketball coach.
The job description, in a PDF format, is available here. Applicants can apply for the job online by creating a profile at the XU Human Resources web page. Link to XU staff openings. Recommendations for the position may be sent to XU Director of Athletics and Recreation Jason Horn by email (jhorn1@xula.edu) or phone (504-520-7329). Xavier seeks to replace Dannton Jackson, recently hired as an assistant coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Xavier was 21-12 in 2015-16 and qualified for the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship for a school-record sixth consecutive time. The Gold Rush were runner-up in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament each of the past two seasons. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director XULAgold.com XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA twitter.com/xulagold www.facebook.com/xulagold
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – Redshirt freshman quarterback Akevious Williams manufactured a last-minute scoring drive to help Maroon to a 20-17 come-from-behind victory over Gold in the sixth annual Maroon and Gold Spring Showcase at Municipal Stadium on Saturday, April 30.
The 16-yard touchdown from Williams to Jaymonte McLeod with 44 seconds remaining capped off an 80-yard march that allowed the Madison, Florida native to rebound from two early interceptions and end both the game and spring practice on a positive note.
From the start of spring practices, a friendly rivalry between quarterbacks Williams and redshirt sophomore Larry Brihm, Jr. has developed with a good-natured talk between the two Sunshine State products.
“I’m going to until I can’t talk anymore,” said Williams, who finished 11 of 18 for 147 yards, including a 6-yard score to Karim Bryant in the second quarter. “All I heard was Gold was going to do this, and Gold was going to do that. Now I have bragging rights.”
Williams, who might have had the better luck of draw when the Wildcats’ loaded receiving corps was dispersed among the two teams, set the tone on the final drive with a 50-yard strike to Jawill Davis. A 14-yarder to Jaime Wilson followed, then McLeod bounced off a Gold defender and found the right side of the end zone for the score.
“When I went back, I didn’t think I was going to hit Jawill [Davis]”, Williams said. “Then I saw he had 1-on-1 coverage and I just took my chances. Once he caught it, I knew it was going to be a big play.
“Finishing the game like that is a big confidence booster,” Williams added. “But I know it’s about getting better each and every drive.”
Brihm, the only returning quarterback with game experience from the 2015 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title season, completed 14 of 28 passes for 167 yards for the Gold team in a consistent effort.
The Gold squad scored on all three red zone possessions, the first two off a turnover and short punt, then a solid 80-yard match in which Brihm connected with Ja-Quan Lumas for 35 yards and Courtney Lowery for 22.
“He [Williams] pushes me every day, I push him,” said Brihm, whose touchdown pass was a tipped 5-yarder to Kendon Davis in the first quarter. “I feel like he’s going to be good and I’m going to be good for the upcoming season.”
A slow start from both teams’ offense gave early attention to the defense, most notably Diquan Richardson, who registered the two picks of Williams for the Gold.
Richardson’s coming off a solid season – he was the fourth leading tackler. But with the secondary needing to replace two starters, he’s trying to elevate himself as a playmaker.
“I’ve had some goals, and today was about showing my work,” Richardson said. “My line got pressure on the quarterback, so I’m grateful for my teammates.”
Other game highlights include the following:
- Uriel Hernandez handled kicking duties for both teams and went 3-3 on field goals and 4-4 on PATs
- Wilson had 88 yards on three catches
- Romary Corneille had an interception that set up the first Gold touchdown.
- Taivion Butler had two sacks
Other than the slow start, head coach Terry Sims, recently completing his first year at the helm in Daytona Beach, liked what he saw.
“There was a lot of enthusiasm, and a lot of guys trying to make plays,” Sims said. “That fourth quarter was Wildcats football.”
The official Bethune-Cookman football schedule is now available at BCUathletics.com.
The 2016 B-CU Football schedule includes five (5) home games at Municipal Stadium, including the MEAC/SWAC Challenge. The Wildcats welcome Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent Alcorn State for the annual event presented by ESPN. The date is set for Sunday, Sept. 4, with a time to be determined later. The schedule also includes home games against Tennessee State (Sept. 17), North Carolina Central (Oct. 1), North Carolina A&T (Oct. 15) and Delaware State (Oct. 29). The regular season concludes November 19, with the Florida Blue Florida Classic.
LORMAN, Mississippi – Alabama State defeated Alcorn St. 16-1 in seven innings in a game to earn their 30th win of the season.
The contest, which started at 11 a.m., was delayed just before noon due to lightning, which preceded the rain. The Hornets led 6-0 in the bottom of the second and, after the game was called and scheduled to resume at 11 a.m. Sunday, the weather cleared and the game resumed after about a 5 ½-hour delay.
Tyler Howe (8-2) pitched six innings, allowed four hits, one unearned run, walked none and struck out seven as the Hornets (30-14) reached the 30-win mark for the fourth straight season and improved to 20-0 in SWAC play. Howe threw 80 pitches, 62 for strikes in the victory, as the teams will play the final game of the series Sunday at 11 a.m.
Every Hornet position starter had at least one hit in the 14-hit attack. Carlos Ocasio scored four times and drove in two, Yamil Pagan scored three runs, and Chris Biocic and Ray Hernandez each drove in three runs as the Hornets won their seventh straight game.
Alabama State took advantage of being hit by pitch seven times, four in the five-run third that broke the game open. The only hit in the inning was an Oscar Prioleau single to right. Pagan and Ocasio were each hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home runs in the inning.
The Hornets scored in the first as Dillon Cooper was hit by pitch with the bases loaded, scoring Pagan. After an RBI on a fielder's choice by Chris Biocic, an RBI single by Hernandez scored Ocasio for a 3-0 lead.
Pagan led off the second with a double to left center, and advanced to third on a groundout. Ocasio then singled to right field, scoring Pagan. Cooper then doubled to left field, as Ocasio moved to third. That set the table for Biocic, who's two-run single to right cleared the bases for a 6-0 lead.
That was more than enough for Howe who, following the weather delay, pitched out of a two-on, one out situation against the Braves (14-27, 9-12). In his last three starts, Howe has allowed eight singles, one unearned run and struck out 23 batters.
COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
DENVER, Colorado -- Winston Hill, a former New York Jets offensive lineman who made eight All-Pro teams and protected the blindside of quarterback Joe Namath during the team’s only Super Bowl victory, in 1969, died on earlier this week in Denver. He was 74.
His death was announced by the Jets. His sister Sharon Hill Cranford said the cause was heart failure.
Hill joined the Jets in 1963, the first year they played under that name. (The previous name was the Titans.) In his rookie year, he began a streak of 195 consecutive games played, including 174 consecutive starts. Both streaks remain Jets records.
Playing left tackle, right tackle and center, Hill was responsible for keeping Namath’s jersey clean from attacking defenders. He was part of a line that helped Matt Snell run for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Jets’ underdog win over Baltimore in Super Bowl III, still remembered for Namath’s brash guarantee of victory.
Baltimore drafted Hill in the 11th round in 1963 out of Texas Southern University, where he was an all-American, but he was released by the Colts before ever playing for them and signed with the Jets. After 14 seasons with the Jets, Hill played his final one in 1977 with the Los Angeles Rams.
“Winston is a very analytical person, always searching for a better method of doing things,” Wimp Hewgley, the Jets’ offensive coach, said in 1971. “He’s always asking if he’s doing the correct thing. If not, he wants to know why. It’s the kind of thing you would expect from a rookie, not someone who has been around all these years.”
Hill was born on Oct. 23, 1941, in Joaquin, Tex., and was a high school tennis champion in Gladewater, Tex.
In addition to his sister Ms. Cranford, he is survived by his mother, Eulalia Hill Allen; his daughters, Hovlyn Hill May and Heather Hill; his son, Marc-Arthur Hill; two other sisters, Brenda Cole and Rhonda Saldivar; and three grandchildren.
After retiring in 1977, Hill opened a barbecue restaurant in Denver. In 1991, he opened another one with Ron Mitchell, naming it Winston Hill’s Ribs and Stuff, which remains open. He continued to work there, often sitting down and chatting with customers, until health problems emerged in recent years, Mitchell said.
Hill was a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and often discussed the power of meditation and prayer. Heather Hill said he had coached and mentored young football players at the Joe Namath Football Camp for 44 years.
ORANGEBURG, South Carolina -- South Carolina State senior defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, a native of Salisbury, N.C., who played at North Rowan High School, was drafted 89th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the National Football League Draft on Friday evening.
Hargrave was the anchor of South Carolina State’s top-ranked Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference defensive unit the past two seasons. He is the MEAC’s two-time Defensive Player of the Year and a two-time first-team FCS All-American.
Hargrave played in the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl, before impressing scouts in his NFL Combine workout and interview sessions.
After the 2015 season, Hargrave was awarded his second consecutive SBN/Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year award at the BCF Hall of Fame and Sheridan Broadcasting Network College Football Awards Ceremony in Atlanta.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound lineman collected 43 solo tackles, 16 assisted tackles and 13.5 sacks in an 11-game senior season.
