Results

     NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana freshman Samuel Abdellatif dethroned the two-time men's individual champion in convincing fashion and led the Gold Rush to a narrow victory in the team standings at the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships at NOLA's City Park.
     Abdellatif ran 8,000 meters at NOLA's City Park in 29 minutes, 9 seconds to win by slightly more than two minutes.
     Solomon Stevens of Edward Waters, the last freshman to win the GCAC men's title before Saturday (2017) and a repeat champion last year, posted a time of 31:09.5 to earn second place.
     The Gold Rush produced five top-10 individuals and scored 30 points to win the team title for the second straight year and the 12th time in 13 attempts. Edward Waters was second with 37 points, and Philander Smith was third with 66.
     The team title earned XULA the GCAC's automatic bid to the NAIA National Championships meet Nov. 22 at Vancouver, Wash.
     The top 10 finishers received All-GCAC honors. Joining Abdellatif with that distinction were teammates Ghassan Alansi (fifth place, 32:55.0), Jordan Ashmore (seventh, 33:24.7), Ahmad Wilson (eighth, 33:28.8) and Devin Macklin-Jackson (ninth, 33:29.8). Ashmore, a sophomore, won his second All-GCAC award in as many years. Wilson and Macklin-Jackson, like Abdellatif, are freshmen.
     The XULA men's five All-GCAC runners are their most in one year since five in 2013.
     XULA's other finisher was Langston Scott, 16th in 36:00.3.
     Yhann Plummer, in his second season at XULA, was chosen by his peers as men's Coach of the Year for the first time. He repeated as women's Coach of the Year.
     Abdellatif is the third GCAC freshman in the last 19 years to win the men's title and XULA's first freshman titlist since Kwame Jackson in 2011. Jackson is the only man to win three GCAC individual titles.