NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Plymouth State University men's and women's outdoor track & field teams both climbed in the regional rankings following a standout weekend at the NCAA Division III New England Regional Championship, as the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) released its sixth Track & Field Rating Index (TFRI) of the season this week.
 
The men jumped two spots to No. 17 in the region with 94.71 points, while the women climbed three places to No. 17 with 123.26 points.
 
Freshman Lisi Palmer (Brunswick, Maine) matched a program record in the high jump, clearing 1.62 meters to rank third in the region, while sophomore Amelia Lefebvre (Greenland, N.H.) notched a personal-best 3,824 points in the heptathlon to rank seventh regionally. Additionally, sophomore Mia Sweeney (Plymouth, Mass.) clocked 12:20.05 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, breaking her own program record by more than three seconds to rank 22nd in the region.
 
For the men, freshman Griffin Massahos (Londonderry, N.H.) ran a program-best 10.80 in the 100 meters to rank 11th in the region, while senior Zach Hodge (Springfield, N.H.) became just the fourth Panther to break 50 seconds in the 400 meters, crossing the line in 49.89 to rank 16th. Junior Cooper O'Neil (Millville, Mass.) also posted a regionally ranked performance at the championship, running 9:57.83 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase to rank 22nd.
 
The TFRI is a complex mathematical system used as the benchmark to rank collegiate track and field teams since 2008.
 
While the regional championship marks the end of outdoor season for most of the squad, Hodge will compete one final time at the MIT Final Qualifier on May 14.