NEW ORLEANS, La. – Fresh off competing against Division I and II institutions at the Jim Boulanger Invitational at the University of New Hampshire, the Plymouth State University outdoor track & field teams remained among the top 25 in the regional rankings as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its second Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI) of the season this week.
 
The men rank No. 19 in the Northeast Region with 85.97 points, while the women sit at No. 23 with 59.36 points.
 
Junior Elijah Thomas (Stoughton, Mass.) impressed in the 110-meter hurdles, topping four Division I athletes and win the event in 15.74 seconds – a mark that ranks 18th in the region. In the hammer throw, senior Bryce Harmon (Barrington, N.H.) recorded a throw of 42.48 meters to place sixth and rank 21st in the Northeast. Classmate Joel Newman (Natick, Mass.) added a fourth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.77 meters to also rank 21st regionally.
 
For the women, sophomore Ani Flynn (Plymouth, N.H.) excelled in the high jump, clearing 1.52 meters to place second. She finished ahead of several Division I and II competitors with a mark that ranks 16th in the region. Freshman Lisi Palmer (Brunswick, Maine) also posted a pair of regionally-ranked marks, placing sixth in the 400 meters in 1:01.86 (22nd in the region) and finishing fourth in the high jump (1.47 meters) to rank 28th.
 
The TFRI is a complex mathematical system used as the benchmark to rank collegiate track and field teams since 2008.
 
The Panthers head to the Ed Daniels Classic at Southern New Hampshire University on Saturday.