NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana announced Monday the hiring of Jasmine Pulliam as assistant coach for men's and women's cross country and track and field.
     XU head coach Joseph Moses said Pulliam's primary duties will include coaching middle-distance and distance runners and coordinating day-to-day recruiting.
     "I'm very excited to have Jasmine on staff. She is a great addition," Moses said. "She is a smart young lady. She is very energetic and has great knowledge of cross country and track and field."
     Pulliam, 23, was a standout distance runner at Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky. She was a six-time individual champion in the NAIA's Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. She was the KIAC cross country champion in 2011 and won KIAC outdoor track titles in 2011 (1,500-meter run), 2013 (1,500 and 5,000) and 2013 (3,000 steeplechase and 5,000).
     Pulliam led Brescia to KIAC women's cross country team championships in 2011, 2012 and 2013. She received her bachelor's degree from Brescia in 2014.
     "Jasmine Pulliam is an outstanding young woman who will be an excellent addition to the staff at Xavier," said Brian Skortz, Brescia's director of athletics.
     Pulliam is enrolled in XU's graduate school. She is a native of Louisville, Ky., and a 2010 graduate of Louisville's Butler Traditional High School.
     Xavier's cross country teams will begin the 2015 season Friday in the Big Easy Opener at City Park in New Orleans. The women's 2-mile race will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the men's 5,000-meter race at 6.