NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana produced a school-record-tying three NAIA Scholar Teams during the 2019-20 academic year, including repeat honorees men's tennis and women's tennis.
        XULA's women's cross country team also achieved that distinction.
        The honors were announced Tuesday during NAIA National Awards Day. Teams qualified by compiling a minimum 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale as defined by the institution. The team GPA includes all eligible varsity student-athletes.
        "Congratulations to our tennis and cross country student-athletes for their resiliency and hard work during unprecedented times," said Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs / Director of Athletics & Recreation Jason Horn, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic that sidelined U.S. college teams during the second half of the 2020 spring semester. "These teams faced challenges and showed they are just as competitive off the field and the court as they are on it. They finished strongly and reap the rewards today with these NAIA Scholar Team honors."
        XULA produced three NAIA Scholar Teams a year ago, when women's basketball joined the tennis programs in the elite academic group.
     This is the sixth time in seven years that XULA produced an NAIA Scholar Team.