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ALMA MATER
In the Mississippi Valley,
In the Crescent Bend
Stands our loved and noble Xavier,
Far her praises send.
Refrain:
Wave her colors bear them onward
Gold and white so true
Hail to thee, all hail, dear Xavier
Hail, all hail, X.U.!
Xavier, ever be our guide
And lead us on the way,
Through life's journey, onward, upward
To the eternal day. (Refrain)
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2011 Xavier University of Louisiana Women's Cross Country Preview
Defending-champion Nuggets seek more improvement
See also:
Schedule
Roster
Quick Facts
Women's Cross Country Home Page
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Three returning All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference runners
and a stellar recruiting class could make 2011 another memorable season for
Xavier University of Louisiana women's cross country.
"I like where we're headed," seventh-year coach Joseph
Moses said after the first two weeks of August workouts. "We have some talented
newcomers who are pushing our veterans to run faster. This will be a much improved
team over last year."
Senior Anna D'Souza will attempt to join Ebony Harding
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About the Gold Nuggets
• Head Coach: Joseph Moses (LSU 1994), seventh season; 154-278 at Xavier
• 2010 Overall Record: 22-27
• 2010 GCAC Finish: 1st place out of 4 schools
• Letterwomen: 3 returning, 5 lost
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(2006-09) and Amani Harlee (2002-04, 2006) as the only
Gold Nuggets to be All-GCAC four times. If D'Souza finishes in the top 10 at the conference
championships — she placed third last year, ninth in 2009 and fifth in
2008 — she'll earn that distinction.
Another senior, Ashley Taylor, will try to become the
eighth Nugget to be All-GCAC three or more times. She placed seventh last year
and eighth as a freshman. The other returning All-GCAC letterwinner is Donyé
Coleman, fifth at the GCAC meet and the league's fastest freshman in 2010.
The Nuggets' four freshmen — Catherine Fakler,
Zahri Jackson, Darian Towns and Hali Yarmush — all have run faster than
20 minutes for 5,000 meters or three miles at least once in high school. That's
notable because only one runner, Harding, has bettered 20 minutes for a 5K at
Xavier. Harding did it three times, including a school-record 19:26 her senior year.
Jackson, who graduated from high school a year early
and whose best 5K time is 18:45, was so fast during the Nuggets' preseason
practice runs that Moses moved her to the men's team — for workouts only, of course.
"Zahri could shatter a lot of records at Xavier,"
Moses said. "Anna has said she feels like she's moving faster because the
freshmen are pushing her. So that's good for everybody."
Both Jackson and Fakler were members of state-championship
teams in high school.
Another newcomer is sophomore Paige Rochelle, who also
plays basketall for Xavier.
Although winning a sixth consecutive GCAC team championship
is a high priority, there's more than a trophy, pride or a streak at stake. For the
third time in four years, the GCAC champion will receive an automatic berth to the
NAIA National Championships in November. The Gold Nuggets earned those spots in 2008
and 2009, but the GCAC did not qualify for a berth last season because of an
insufficient number of schools sponsoring the sport.
That's not the case this season, however. Xavier, Dillard,
SUNO, Tougaloo and second-year members Edward Waters and Fisk are competing,
giving the GCAC the requisite six women's teams and six men's teams to guarantee bids
for both team champions.
"It was tough to stay home and miss nationals last season
after qualifying two years in a row," Moses said. "We are grateful for the chance to
compete for the automatic bid again. We plan to make the most of the opportunity."
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