Men's Track out strong in RRAC Outdoor Championships

NEW ORLEANS - The Xavier men's track team positioned itself to win a conference title Friday, taking a 30-point lead in the team competition on Day 1 of the RRAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Tad Gormley Stadium.

XULA earned 107 points on the day, 28 more than second-place Our Lady of the Lake (79), and 39 ahead of third-place Texas A&M Texarkana (68).

Although projections are only informed predictions based on season performances, the data points to Xavier eventually claiming a conference title. The Gold Rush are projected to finish with 264 points, OLLO with 183, and TAMUT with 179.

Individual accolades were numerous for XULA athletes on Day 1, as the team finished with eight medals from the Friday events, three gold, two silver, and three bronze.

In the first event of the day, national meet qualifier Mansur Ali got the Gold Rush started in style with a gold-medal-winning throw of 46.49 meters in the discus. XULA took three of the top four spots in the discus, with Oluwatele Jegede (39.58) taking bronze and Pete Gandah (38.45) finishing fourth.

Tremanie Hamilton claimed gold in the javelin with a best effort of 41.01 meters, and the Gold Rush got two medals in the triple jump, a silver from Kameron Loyd (14.42) and a bronze from Ovane Williams (13.99)

On the track, XULA was equally efficient.

Xavier claimed three of the top five places in the 400, a strength for the team all season long.

True freshman Karri Noel took the gold with a 47.18 run, which was well below the NAIA "B" national meet qualification standard and just two-hundredths of a second off the "A" standard. Noel's time also stood as the 11th-best effort in the NAIA this season and 14th best among HBCU athletes.

Jaheene Bell, already a national qualifier in the 400-meter hurdles, claimed bronze in the event with a 47.37, which was also under the "B" qualification standard of 47.57.

Xavier also medaled in both Friday relays. The 4X800 relay team of Caydon Carpenter, Collin Wright Jr., Kamal Webb, and Benjamin Ford took silver with a run of 8:14.92, and the 4X100 relay team of Hamilton, Noel, Bell, and Andrew Gillips won bronze with a 41.19 effort.

The RRAC meet concludes Saturday, with the first event beginning at 10 a.m.

Gallery: (4-24-2026) 2026 RRAC Outdoor Championships Day 1

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Players Mentioned

Caydon Carpenter: 6' 1"; Senior; 3L

Pete Gandah: Freshman

Collin Wright: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1L

Mansur Ali: 6' 6"; Sophomore; 1L

Kamal Webb: Freshman

Karri Noel: Freshman

Ovane Williams: 6' 6"; Junior; 2L

Jaheene Bell: 5' 10"; Junior; 2L

Kameron Loyd: 5' 10"; Sophomore; 1L

Tremanie Hamilton: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Caydon Carpenter
: 6' 1"; Senior; 3L

Pete Gandah
: Freshman

Collin Wright
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; 1L

Mansur Ali
: 6' 6"; Sophomore; 1L

Kamal Webb
: Freshman

Karri Noel
: Freshman

Ovane Williams
: 6' 6"; Junior; 2L

Jaheene Bell
: 5' 10"; Junior; 2L

Kameron Loyd
: 5' 10"; Sophomore; 1L

Tremanie Hamilton
: Freshman