NEW ORLEANS — High rankings by Xavier University of Louisiana's Mbali Langa and McKenna Wheatley earned them spots on the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association NAIA All-America women's team.
        The ITA awards this honor to the top 20 singles players and top 10 doubles teams at the end of the season. Langa ranked 10th in singles, and Langa and Wheatley were fifth in doubles.
        Langa, a senior from Johannesburg, South Africa, was 15-11 in singles and 26-6 in doubles during the 2023-24 season. She teamed with Wheatley to win three fall doubles championships, including HBCU nationals and the ITA NAIA Gulf regional.
        Wheatley, a sophomore from Madison, Miss., and a graduate of St. Andrew's Episcopal School, led XULA with 48 victories for the second consecutive year, Wheatley was 20-5 in singles and 28-6 in doubles.
        Four Gold Nuggets were in the ITA's final NAIA singles rankings. Kyra Akinnibi was 28th, Wheatley was 31st, and Amira Bergaoui was 48th.
        The Gold Nuggets were 23-6, set a program record for season victories, reached the NAIA national semifinals in May and finished second at ITA NAIA indoor nationals in February. Langa, Wheatley and Bergaoui return for 2024-25 — Langa earned an extra season because of an NAIA pandemic exemption — and Akinnibi will join the coaching staff as a graduate assistant.

photos of Mbali Langa and McKenna Wheatley by Yamlak Tsega