Alabama State 4x100-meter relay caps off weekend with spot in NCAAs

TAMPA, Florida -- This time last week, Alabama State head track and field coach Ritchie Beenewas calculating whether the women's 4x100-meter relay team would get a spot into the East Preliminary Round given their region ranking.

Alabama State was in the mid-80s after their best time of the season, and even after the duplicate teams were taken out they were still outside the top 24 at 25^th overall. However, when the declaration lists came out this week, they found themselves in the meet in the last spot available and didn't rest there.
 
The group went out in heat three knowing the time they needed to hit in order to make the NCAAs in Eugene in June. The top three teams from each heat, plus the next three times qualified for the national championship meet, and after the first two heats were complete Alabama State took their spot in lane eight of heat three.



"I think my heart stopped three times during that relay," Beene said. "They stayed the course and were able to accomplish their goal and qualify for the next round."
 
The Lady Hornets not only qualified for nationals, but they did so by finishing in the top three of their heat with a time of 44.72 seconds to grab the 11th spot overall of the 12 teams qualifying the national championship. The team finished just 0.30 seconds behind eventual heat winner LSU (42.42 seconds) and ahead of Northwestern State (44.74 seconds). They were able to finish ahead of the likes of Duke, Penn State, Miami, Purdue and North Carolina A&T in their heat.
 
Shamaria Lovett, who qualified for the NCAAs Friday in the 400-meter hurdles, led the relay team across the line running the anchor. She and her teammates will participate in the NCAA national championship event beginning June 6 in Eugene.

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Matthews places 17th in triple jump at NAIA nationals

GULF SHORES, Alabama — Brandon Matthews ended Xavier University of Louisiana's 2017-18 competition year with a 17th-place finish in the men's triple jump Saturday at the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Matthews, a freshman, produced one legal jump in the preliminaries: 14.08 meters/46 feet, 2 1/2 inches. Nine of the 31 jumpers qualified for finals; the No. 9 mark in prelims was 14.59 meters/47 feet, 10 1/2 inches. The champion was Lindsey Wilson's Goabaone Mosheleketi, the only jumper to reach 49 feet. Mosheleketi jumped 15.57 meters/51 feet, 1 inch on his final attempt and won for the second straight year.
     
Of the five freshmen in the event, Matthews ranked second.
     

The Gold Rush tied for 50th place out of 115 schools in team scoring. The XULA men collected all four of their points Friday when another freshman, Edward Angel, placed fifth in the high jump and earned All-America. Angel scored the Gold Rush's first points at outdoor nationals since 2004.
     
The Gold Nuggets, meanwhile, did not score a point at outdoor nationals for the first time in five seasons. Their season ended Friday.
     
The team champions were Wiley's men with 92 points and SUNO's women with 64. It was SUNO's first NAIA outdoor women's team title since 1997 and the first-ever NAIA title for the Wiley men.
     
The first teams to compete for XULA in 2018-19 will be volleyball and cross country in late August. The first day of classes for the fall semester will be Aug. 20.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Riggs, Williams 14th at nationals in preliminaries

GULF SHORES, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana sophomore Justyce Riggsfinished 14th in the women's 100-meter dash Friday, the second day of the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
     
Riggs, competing less than 70 miles from her hometown of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., posted a time in the preliminaries of 12.11 seconds. She missed qualifying for the final by seven-hundredths of a second.
     
The Gold Nuggets had three of the 32 sprinters in the 100. Alexis Milton was 25th in 12.32, and Martina Latting was 31st in 12.69.
     
In the Gold Nuggets' other events at nationals:
     •  Ariane Williams was 14th out of 19 runners in the 400 preliminaries in 57.72. The eighth and final qualifying time for the final was 56.31. Williams was a finalist and All-America in this event a year ago.
     •  The 1,600-relay team of Janelle Jones, Williams, Ry-Anne Riley and Clarke Allen was 12th out of 23 in the preliminaties in 3:50.41. The eighth and final qualifying time for the final was 3:48.18.
     •  Alysia Terry was 21st out of 25 in the triple jump in 10.77 meters/35 feet, 4 inches. The ninth and final qualifying mark was 11.40 meters/37 feet, 5 inches.
     
There will be no Gold Nuggets competing in Saturday's finals.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Gold Nuggets edged out in 400 relay preliminaries

GULF SHORES, Alabama — Xavier University of Louisiana missed the final of the women's 400-meter relay by 18 hundredths of a second Thursday in the NAIA National Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
     
The Gold Nuggets' team of Martina Latting, Alexis Milton, Justyce Riggs and Ry-Anne Riley had the ninth-fastest time, 47.21 seconds, out of 27 teams. The top eight teams advanced to Saturday's final, with Southern Oregon in eighth place at 47.03.
     
XULA, which entered as the No. 5 overall seed, competed in the third relay heat and finished second behind Wiley, the top qualifer at 46.00 and the 2017 national runner-up.
     
Riley finished 15th out of 31 in the long jump with a best mark of 5.57 meters/18 feet, 3 1/4 inches. Riley missed by 4 1/2 inches the final, won by Wiley's Taishia Pryce in 6.25 meters/20 feet, 6 1/4 inches. Riley was 22nd at nationals a year ago.
     
In the women's 200 preliminaries, Riggs was 21st in 25.01, and Riley was 25th in 25.11. Thirty competed, and the top eight advanced to Saturday's final. Defending champion Argyana Bolton of SUNO led all qualifiers in 23.57. Natali Engle of Friends was last to advance at 24.47.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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Alcorn State Braves Round Out Coaching Staff With Hiring of Chris Cash

LORMAN, Mississippi -- To complete the 2018 coaching staff, the Alcorn State University football program announced the employment of Chris Cash.
 
Cash, who played five seasons in the NFL, will be coaching the defensive backs at Alcorn with an emphasis on the safeties.
 
"I'm excited to come in and be a positive influence on the young men on the team. I want to not only win ball games, but also develop the student-athletes and help them become productive members of society," Cash said. "I live by the four C's of success: communication, being committed, consistency and confidence. If you have those four C's, you'll be able to succeed in anything you do."
 
Cash comes to Alcorn with more than 16 years of playing and coaching experience. Most recently, he spent the last two seasons as a defensive backs coach at Riverside City College in California.
 
Cash served previous stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Florida A&M, USC and Colorado. He worked with the defensive backs at each position.
 
"Coach Cash is a great addition to our staff. It's big when you can bring in a former NFL player to come in and teach our student-athletes," said Alcorn head coach Fred McNair. "Coach Cash has been either playing as, or working with defensive backs his entire career. His knowledge of the position will greatly benefit our student-athletes."
 
Cash graduated from USC in 2002 after playing for head coaches Paul Hackett and Pete Carroll. He earned Pac-10 All-Conference honors as a senior.

Cash went on to play in the NFL from 2002-06 at cornerback. He was drafted in the sixth round (175th overall) by the Detroit Lions in the 2002 NFL Draft. Cash started in 12 games and wrapped-up 100 tackles with an interception his rookie season. After three seasons with the Lions, he played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2005 and 2006.

Cash is a native of Stockton, California and played at Franklin High School. 

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Lincoln University Football Prospect Camps Announced

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pennsylvania -- Lincoln University and Head football coach Josh Dean are proud to announce the 2018 Lincoln University football Prosepct camps to be held on the main campus of Lincoln University  in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania.

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY'S MAIN CAMPUS ADDRESS IS 1570 BALTIMORE PIKE, LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA.  19352

There are two dates for the camps:

June 13, 2018        4-6 p.m.

June 19, 2018  7:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.     (Junior Day Camp)

The cost of the camp on June 13, 2018 is $40.00        The registration form and more info can be found here:     Lincoln Prospect Camp Registration Form


Registration and costs for the junior day camp can br found at http://www.juniordayfootball.com

For more information contact the Lincoln University football office at 484-365-7333.

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Hightower Of SAU Wins NCAA DII High Jump National Title

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  – Dakarai Hightower (Sr./Tacoma, WA) of Saint Augustine's University won the men's high jump national title after an outstanding effort in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Irwin Belk Track on Friday, May 25.

His victory was one of several top moments for the Falcons and Lady Falcons on the Johnson C. Smith University campus. Magaly Tshipopo (Jr./Orleans, France) earned All-America honors in the women's high jump and triple jump, and the women's 4x400-meter relay squad captured the second heat to qualify for finals. Brandon Valentine-Parris (Jr./St. Vincent) reached the men's 200 meter finals and later led the Falcons to the 4x400 relay finals.

Hightower set the tone earlier in the day. Ranked third in the regular season, Hightower made five of six jumps to outlast Myles Pringle of Ashland University. The Falcons' senior cleared 7-1¾ on his second try while Pringle missed all three attempts at the same height.

The winning leap was a season-best for Hightower, who became the fourth different Falcon in school history to win the men's outdoor high jump crown. The Falcons claimed their first men's title in the event since 2009.

With 10 points from Hightower, the Falcons climbed back in the men's team standings. They are tied for ninth heading into Saturday, the final day of the championship meet. Ashland is the second-day leader with 24 points followed by Tiffin University with 17.

Tshipopo put the Lady Falcons on the scoreboard with top five finishes in two events. She placed fifth in the triple jump with a season-best mark of 41-0½ and tied for fifth in the high jump with a height of 5-7¾. The Lady Falcons' standout managed to score despite competing in both events at the same time.

Her 7.5 points placed the SAU women 19^th in the team standings with one day remaining. Angelo State University leads the women's standings with 24.5 points followed by Lincoln (Mo.) University with 18.

The Lady Falcons are in position to gain ground Saturday. Shannon Kalawan (So./Westmoreland, Jamaica) produced top qualifying times in the 400-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles on Thursday, and the 4x400 relay squad featuring Kalawan, Ade Hunter (Sr./Philadelphia, PA), Leah Barker (Sr./St. Michaels, Barbados) and Amanda Crawford (So./Brooklyn, NY) posted the second-fastest qualifying time Friday (3:38.40) in their Heat 2 victory.

The SAU men are prepared to make a championship run as well. Valentine-Parris advanced to Saturday's 200 finals one day after reaching the 400 finals. His time of 21.10 was seventh-fastest in the 200 prelims. Najair Jackson (So./Spanish Town, Jamaica/Javelin) and Justin Williams (So./Brooklyn, NY/Triple Jump) will also be in action on the men's side.

Both Valentine-Parris and Kalawan will compete in four events Saturday. Valentine-Parris will sprint in the 4x100 relay in addition to the 200 and 400 dashes and 4x400 relay. The 4x100 team includes Damere Gilbert (So./Sharon Hill, PA), Adrian Kimmons (Sr./Cold Water, MS) and Dontarian Evans (Jr./Gainesville, FL). The 4x400 squad, which posted the fifth-fastest time (3:09.70) in Friday's preliminaries, includes Evans, Kimmons and Shaquille Dill (Jr./Pembroke, Bermuda).

Kalawan will race in the 4x100 relay as well as the 400 dash, 400 hurdles and 4x400 relay. The trio of Hunter, Barker and Crawford also make up the 4x100 squad. Crawford will join Kalawan in the women's 400 dash.

The meet begins Saturday with the men's javelin throw at 10:30 a.m. The first running event is the men's 4x100 relay at 3:25 p.m.

Watch the championship meet each day on ncaa.com. Click HERE for live stats or go to ncaa.com or saintaugfalcons.com, SAU's official athletic website.

SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

No. 3 Nuggets match highest-ever finish in final poll

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana was No. 3 Wednesday in the NAIA women's tennis coaches postseason poll. The Gold Nuggets matched their highest ever final national ranking.
     
The XULA women also finished third in 2013 and 2014. It's the fifth time in six years that the Gold Nuggets are in the final top 10.
     
The Gold Nuggets (19-8) won 2-of-3 dual matches at the NAIA National Championships in Mobile, Ala., last week. They had a first-round bye, then defeated SCAD Savannah 6-1 in the round of 16 and LSU-Alexandria 5-0 in the quarterfinals. Georgia Gwinnett eliminated the Nuggets 5-1 in the semifinals en route to the Grizzlies' third consecutive championship.
     
Georgia Gwinnett was a unanimous No. 1. The Grizzlies swapped positions with Keiser, the No. 1 team the previous four polls.
     
XULA was 12-3 this year against NAIA teams in the postseason top 25, including three wins against No. 8 LSU-Alexandria, two wins against No. 9 William Carey and another victory against No. 5 Brenau. The Gold Nuggets also produced two victories against NCAA Division I teams (Jackson State and Southern) and won 5-3 at West Florida, the NCAA Division II national runner-up.
     
It's the first time that both XULA tennis teams finished in the national top three in the same season. The XULA men were ranked third.
     
The Gold Nuggets' active poll streaks:
     •  57 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began May 1, 2012.
     •  57 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began May 1, 2012.
     •  16 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 28, 2017.
     •  7 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began Feb. 27, 2018.
     •  6 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began March 13, 2018.
 

NAIA Women's Tennis Coaches' Top 25 Postseason Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through May 19)

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	2	Georgia Gwinnett (14)	18-2	374
2	1	Keiser (Fla.)	23-3	362
3	3	Xavier (La.)	19-8	350
4	4	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	14-3	338
5	6	Brenau (Ga.)	16-8	326
6	7	William Woods (Mo.)	18-7	310
7	8	Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)	15-7	298
8	12	LSU-Alexandria (La.)	12-7	297
9	5	William Carey (Miss.)	11-6	272
10	10	Northwestern Ohio	15-5	261
11	11	Indiana Wesleyan	34-6	248
11	9	SCAD Savannah (Ga.)	13-5	248
13	14	Middle Georgia State	12-7	229
13	13	San Diego Christian (Calif.)	12-7	229
15	15	Westmont (Calif.)	10-12	203
16	16	SCAD Atlanta (Ga.)	12-7	199
17	18	Union (Ky.)	15-6	175
18	19	Cumberlands (Ky.)	10-11	170
19	17	Arizona Christian	10-12	154
20	22	Cumberland (Tenn.)	13-11	150
21	24	Mobile (Ala.)	11-7	133
22	20	Campbellsville (Ky.)	14-9	120
23	23	Reinhardt (Ga.)	12-7	103
24	21	Loyola (La.)	12-7	100
25	25	Marian (Ind.)	17-4	75

Others Receiving Votes: Southwestern (Kan.) 55; Asbury (Ky.) 45; Georgetown (Ky.) 36; Hastings (Neb.) 32; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 22; Missouri Baptist 19; St. Thomas (Fla.) 14; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 14; Martin Methodist (Tenn.) 13; Tennessee Wesleyan 9; Huntington (Ind.) 3

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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No. 3 Gold Rush in final top 10 for 8th straight year

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana climbed one place to No. 3 Wednesday in the NAIA men's tennis coaches postseason poll.
     
The Gold Rush (13-12) finished in the top 10 for the eighth consecutive year and in the top three for the third straight season. XULA was national runner-up in 2016 and 2017 and a semifinalist this year.
     
It's the Gold Rush's 13th consecutive season in the final top 25.
     
XULA extended its streak of consecutive top-25 appearances to 95. That's the longest active streak in NAIA men's tennis. The streak began April 4, 2007.
     
XULA won 2-of-3 dual matches at the NAIA National Championships in Mobile, Ala., last week. The Gold Rush had a first-round bye, then defeated Middle Georgia 5-1 in the round of 16 and William Carey 5-3 in the quarterfinals. Georgia Gwinnett eliminated the Rush 5-0 in the semifinals en route to the Grizzlies' fifth consecutive championship.
     
Georgia Gwinnett was a unanimous No. 1 for the 37th consecutive poll.
     
XULA was 4-3 this year against NAIA teams in the postseason top 25: 0-2 against Georgia Gwinnett, 2-1 against No. 4 William Carey, 1-0 against No. 11 Mobile and 1-0 against No. 13 Middle Georgia. The Gold Rush also produced four victories against NCAA Division I teams (Jackson State, Nicholls, Prairie View A&M and Troy) and two victories against teams in the final NCAA Division II top 25 (Bluefield State and Embry-Riddle [Fla.])
     
The Gold Rush active poll streaks:

     •  95 consecutive appearances in the top 25 . . . streak began April 4, 2007.
     •  86 consecutive appearances in the top 20 . . . streak began April 30, 2008.
     •  71 consecutive appearances in the top 15 . . . streak began Feb. 1, 2011.
     •  65 consecutive appearances in the top 10 . . . streak began May 3, 2011.
     •  27 consecutive appearances in the top 5 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
     •  27 consecutive appearances in the top 4 . . . streak began Jan. 26, 2016.
 

NAIA Men's Tennis Coaches' Postseason Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through May 19)

RANK	PREVIOUS	SCHOOL	RECORD	POINTS
1	1	Georgia Gwinnett (14)	27-0	374
2	2	Keiser (Fla.)	18-7	362
3	4	Xavier (La.)	13-12	350
4	5	William Carey (Miss.)	13-4	327
5	14	Reinhardt (Ga.)	19-4	321
6	3	Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)	14-1	313
7	7	William Woods (Mo.)	16-7	307
8	6	Cumberland (Tenn.)	21-4	296
9	11	Campbellsville (Ky.)	20-7	271
10	9	Cardinal Stritch (Wis.)	16-5	265
11	8	Mobile (Ala.)	19-3	261
12	10	Arizona Christian	19-8	248
13	13	Middle Georgia State	12-8	232
14	17	Union (Ky.)	14-6	208
15	16	Tennessee Wesleyan	12-5	195
15	12	Northwestern Ohio	13-6	195
17	15	Westmont (Calif.)	8-10	185
18	18	San Diego Christian (Calif.)	8-8	167
19	25	McPherson (Kan.)	15-4	164
20	20	Lawrence Tech (Mich.)	20-6	144
21	19	Asbury (Ky.)	15-2	141
22	21	Coastal Georgia	11-7	112
23	22	Indiana Wesleyan	29-11	111
24	23	Point (Ga.)	15-8	94
25	24	Cumberlands (Ky.)	8-11	83

Others Receiving Votes: Texas A&M-Texarkana 82, Bethany (Kan.) 44; Loyola (La.) 40; Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 30; Missouri Valley 25; St. Francis (Ill.) 11; Aquinas (Mich.) 10; Bluefield (Va.) 7; Hastings (Neb.) 7; Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.) 6

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
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XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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