PLYMOUTH, N.H. – The Plymouth State University men's cross country team held steady in the East Region as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its latest regional rankings.
 
For the first time in several weeks, there was movement among the ranked programs, as seven of the 10 changed positions. Plymouth State moved to No. 10, just behind Little East Conference (LEC) rivals Keene State (No. 8) and UMass Dartmouth (No. 9). Tufts and MIT remained in the top two spots, while Colby jumped four places to No. 3. Bates stayed at No. 4, followed by WPI, Babson and Bowdoin, which all saw minor drops from last week's rankings.
 
Plymouth State faced off against 12 nationally ranked programs, including all 10 ranked teams from the East Region, at the Connecticut College Invitational last weekend. Sophomore Noah Francis (Bethlehem, N.H.) came close to his career-best time to finish in the top 100, just ahead of senior Max Goodman (South Salem, N.Y.). The Panthers finished 29th out of 34 teams.
 
PSU heads to the LEC Championship at Keene State on Nov. 1. The men have finished in the top three at LECs every year since 2018, including top-two finishes each of the last three years.
 
The USTFCCCA Regional Cross Country Coaches' Rankings are determined subjectively by a single member coach in each respective region. The regional representative is tasked with weighing returning teams' strength with current season results in determining a rank-order of squad potential. Only USTFCCCA member programs are eligible to receive a ranking.