Cross country teams receive votes in national polls
August 20, 2008

     NEW ORLEANS — Back-to-back Gulf Coast Athletic Conference championships have boosted the national profile of the Xavier University of Louisiana men's and women's cross country teams.
     Both the Gold Nuggets and Gold Rush received votes in the NAIA top-25 polls for the first time in five years.
     Xavier's women collected a school-record 14 points in the 2008 preseason poll released Tuesday and are 32nd among the 44 schools receiving votes. Xavier's men received one point and tied for 40th out of 45 schools in their NAIA poll.
     "We are grateful for any national recognition," said Joseph Moses, in his fourth season as coach of the Rush and Nuggets. "Our runners have had success the last two years and have been working hard all summer. I hope these points in the polls will keep them challenged and focused."
     Neither Xavier cross country team has cracked a top 25, and this is the first time since the poll of Sept. 26, 2003, that either squad received votes. Both Xavier teams received votes in two of the first three 2003 polls, and the Nuggets received votes in every 2002 poll en route to GCAC and NAIA Region XIII championships.
     The NAIA announced conference ratings Monday, and both Xavier teams were No. 1 in the GCAC. Conference and national ratings will resume the week of Sept. 8.
     Xavier returns seven All-GCAC runners: Joe Drexler-Dreis, Bryan Khan, David Salmon and Darren Wallace on the men's team and Ashley Broden, Ebony Harding and Stacey Windon on the women's.
     Xavier's men and women will open their seasons Aug. 29 in the Tulane Green Wave Invitational at City Park in New Orleans. The women's two-mile race will start at 6 p.m., followed by the men's 5,000-meter race at 6:30.