2019 Women's Cross Country Roster

NAIA
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
Cindy Potter
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
Yamlak Tsega / XULA Athletics
NAIA

Maliya Vaughan

  • Height 5-3
  • Class Senior
  • High School West Campus
  • Hometown Elk Grove, Calif.
  • Major Psychology / Pre-Medical

Biography

Honors
•  XULA Dean's List twice
•  Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholars honorable mention (2016-17)
•  XULA Sister Grace Mary Flickinger Honor Roll three times (2015, 2016, 2019)
•  All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference four times in cross country (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
•  Most valuable track performer at 2019 GCAC Championships
•  All-GCAC four times in track and field (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019)
•  GCAC Track Athlete of the Week twice
•  GCAC Runner of the Week in cross country
•  Louisiana Newcomer of the Year in cross country (2016)
•  All-Louisiana cross country honorable mention (2016)

Briefly
•  Fifth year at XULA
•  Former walk-on who has starred with the Gold Nuggets
•  Member of seven GCAC championship teams: four in cross country (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), three in track and field (2017, 2018, 2019)
•  In four GCAC Championships in track and field she produced 19 top-4 finishes, including three victories
•  In four GCAC Championships in cross country she never finished lower than second individually
•  Competed in four NAIA national meets in cross country

2019 Cross Country (Senior)
•  GCAC individual runner-up for the second straight year and the third time in four seasons
•  Helped XULA repeat as GCAC team champion and earn an automatic bid to NAIA nationals
•  Her season-best time for 5,000 meters was 21 minutes, 30.8 seconds at the GCAC Championships

2019 Track and Field (Senior)
•  Named most valuable track performer of GCAC Championships after scoring 35 1/2 points, including victories in the 1,500, 3,000 steeplechase and 3,200 relay
•  Was XULA's leading scorer at the GCAC Championships for the second consecutive year
•  Also finished second at the GCAC meet in the 10,000 and fourth in the 5,000
•  Posted her best XULA track time, 21:20.29, in the 5,000 at the Southern Miss Invitational (March 30, 2019)
•  Produced seven total top-10 finishes during this season

2018 Cross Country (Junior)
•  GCAC individual runner-up and helped XULA repeat as women's team champion
•  XULA's fastest finisher at NAIA national (322nd place, 21:51) for the third consecutive year
•  Her best 5,000 time was in the season opener: 21:21.63 (11th place) at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival (Sept. 15, 2018)

2018 Track and Field (Junior)
•  Led XULA in scoring with 32 points at the GCAC Championships and helped the Gold Nuggets repeat as team champion
•  GCAC champion in the 3,000 steeplechase . . . Second place in the 800 and 3,200 relay, third place in the 1,500 and 5,000
•  Produced her best XULA time in the 800 — 2:25.69 in the Rice Victor Lopez Classic (March 24, 2018)

2017 Cross Country (Sophomore)
•  GCAC individual champion — 5,000-meter time of 20:43.50 — and helped Gold Nuggets win team title
•  Finished 311th at NAIA National Championships with 5K time of 21:24 and was XULA's fastest finisher for the second consecutive year
•  Sixth fastest 4,000-meter time in XULA history — 17:07.58 at Mississippi College Opener

2017 Track and Field (Sophomore)
•  Gold Nuggets' No. 2 scorer — 24 points — at the GCAC Championships, where XULA won the team title
•  GCAC runner-up in the 1,500 and helped XULA finish second in the 3,200 relay . . . Third place in 3,000 steeplechase, fourth in the 800 and 5,000

2016 Cross Country (Freshman)
•  GCAC individual runner-up (5K time 20:41.09) and helped Gold Nuggets win team title
•  268th at NAIA National Championships and XULA's fastest finisher . . . Ran 5K in 20:06.05
•  13th fastest 5K time in XULA history — 19:17.7 at Allstate Sugar Bowl Festival

2016 Track and Field (Freshman)
•  Scored in four events at GCAC Championships . . . second in 1,500 (5:18.03) and 3,200 relay, third in 5,000 (22:46.07) and fourth in 3,000 steeplechase (13:08.73) . . . Also 10th in 800 (2:36.98)

High School
•  Competed in a variety of events
•  Best times of 14.22 in the 100, 28.54 in the 200, 1:05.08 in the 400, 2:29.54 in the 800, 59.04 in the 300 hurdles and 4.36 meters/14 feet, 4 inches in the long jump . . . Website Athletic.net said her 800 time was program's fastest of a 7-year period (2011-17)

Historical Player Information

  • 2016Sophomore

    5'3" 115 lbs
  • 2017Junior

    5'3" 115 lbs
  • 2018Senior

    5'3" 115 lbs
  • 2019Senior

    5'3" 115 lbs