NEW ORLEANS - Saturday at Tad Gormley Stadium, the Gold Rush left little question as to which team was the best in the Red River Athletics Conference with a dominant Day 2 performance in the RRAC Championships and a comfortable conference title. 

XULA, which has won two of the last three RRAC crowns, outscored its closest competition by more than 100 points in the team competition. Xavier finished with 274 points while second-place Our Lady of the Lake scored 166.

All told, the men collected 14 medals on Saturday - 6 gold, 4 silver, and 4 bronze. 

Freshman sensation Karri Noel, who has qualified for the national meet in multiple events, was named male meet MVP after scoring 32 points over five events. Noel earned a medal in every event in which he competed, including 3 gold, a silver, and a bronze. 

The Gold Rush capped the meet with a master class in the 4X400 relay, as the team of Noel, Jaheene Bell, Tremanie Hamilton, and D'Kirian Allen punched their ticket to the NAIA National Championships by torching the NAIA "A" qualification standard with a run of 3:11.57. This time was not only a second-and-a-half below the "A" standard, but also the fifth-best time in the NAIA this season and 14th best among all HBCUs. 

Xavier went gold-bronze in the 400-meter hurdles with Bell taking first place in a blazing time of 51.21, the second-fastest run in the NAIA this season and third-best among all HBCU athletes, and a full second under the "A" national qualifying standard. Jayden Hunter (56.06) placed third.

The Gold Rush also went gold-bronze in the 200 with Noel, already a national qualifier and conference champion in the 400, placing first in 21.47 and Allen third in 21.61. 
The Gold Rush got the silver and bronze in the 100. Noel won silver with a 10.72, and Andrew Gillips took bronze with a 10.73. 

In the longest race of the day, Benjamin Ford claimed a silver medal with a run of 17:04.07

In the field events, premier thrower Mansur Ali claimed a gold in the hammer with a 51.20-meter effort. Oluwatele Jegede won silver with a best throw of 39.51 meters. 

Ali and Jegede also went 1-2 in the shot put, with Ali securing gold with a 14.91-meter throw, and Jegede taking silver with a 12.84. 

XULA swept the medals in the high jump with Kameron Loyd clearing 6-foot-5½ for gold, Ovane Williams taking silver with a 6-foot-3½ clearance, and Joshua Aviles earning a bronze with a 5-foot-11½ clearance. Loyd was a double-medalist, having earned a bronze in the long jump with a 6.96-meter effort. 

The full meet results are available on the AthleticLive website. 

XULA will next host its Last Chance Meet on Friday, May 8, in Tad Gormley, with the NAIA National Championships to follow on May 20 and 21.