NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's cross country teams will begin their 2022 season Friday in the appropriately named UNO Opener.
        The University of New Orleans is the host. Venue will be Lake Oaks Park, which is near UNO. Admission is free. Parking for teams and spectators will be in the lot at the corner of Alumni Drive and Lakeshore Drive and at 2222 Lakeshore Drive, zip 70122.
        The women's 4,000-meter race will start at 6 p.m. The men's 5,000-meter race will start at approximately 6:45 p.m. Teams from nine Louisiana schools — XULA, UNO, LSU, Louisiana-Lafayette, Nicholls, Tulane, Loyola (New Orleans), Dillard and Southeastern Louisiana — are entered.
        The Gold Nuggets' returning letterwomen are Skylah Barton, Reagan Collins, Bria Gaines, Jalyn Jenkins and Amber Parks. Newcomers are India Mastin and Janell Nixon. Barton and Gaines were All-Red River Athletic Conference last season; Jenkins was the 2020 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference individual champion.
        Unrelated Wilsons — senior Ahmad and sophomore Steven — are the Gold Rush returning lettermen. Newcomers are Dominick Baptiste, Lejaune George and Skyler Madison. Also on the team is Damoy Boyd, a returning track and field letterman who will compete for XULA in cross country for the first time.
        Steven Wilson was All-RRAC last season and qualified for NAIA nationals.
        Yhann Plummer is in his fifth season as head coach of XULA men's and women's cross country and track and field. Anthony Kidd is in his first season as assistant coach, and graduate assistant Kwame Jackson returns for his third season.
        Additional XULA meets will include Sept. 17 at Nicholls and Sept. 23 at LSU. The RRAC Championships will be Nov. 4 in the San Antonio suburb of Windcrest, Texas, and NAIA nationals will be Nov. 18 at Tallahassee, Fla.
        XULA's women placed second in the 2021 RRAC meet, and the men finished third.