NEW ORLEANS — An oversaturated course at Audubon Park forced Xavier University of Louisiana to cancel its Big Easy Opener cross country meet, which had been scheduled for late Friday afternoon.
     The city avoided the catastrophic flooding that devastated much of south Louisiana earlier this month, but there was enough water on the race route Friday morning for XULA coach Joseph Moses to deem the course unrunnable.
     "The course was holding too much water," Moses said. "We could not mark the course."
     The men's and women's teams of XULA, Dillard, Loyola and SUNO were scheduled to compete.
     XULA will travel to Clinton, Miss., for the Mississippi College Season Opener at Choctaw Trails next Friday. The women's 4,000-meter race will start at 5 p.m., with the men's 5K to follow at 5:30.