GREENSBORO, N.C. – After a successful weekend at the Elon Invitational, the UNCG men's cross country team jumped into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I Regional Cross Country Rankings, the organization announced on Monday.

The Spartans check into the weekly ranking at No. 13 in the Southeast Region, which ties a school record for the highest ranking in program history. The only other two Southern Conference schools in this week's rankings are Davidson (No. 9) and Appalachian State (No. 14).

"I'm happy for the guys that they have been recognized as one of the better teams in the region," said coach Linh Nguyen. "They worked extremely hard this summer to set themselves up for a good season. I think Saturday went a long way towards setting the tone for the season and we hope build on what we've already done."

This past weekend, UNCG turned in another stellar performance as the men's team took the top four spots at the Elon Invitational. Paul Chelimo came away with top individual honors as he shattered the previous school record by 40 seconds. Paul Katam, Joey Thompson and Abraham Kemboi followed behind in second, third and fourth, respectively.

As a team, the Spartans ran away with the team title over Charlotte and Elon.

The Spartans will return to competition on Sept. 30 at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa.

AGATE

USTFCCCA Division I Southeast Region rankings:
Rank    School                         Location           Conference       Last Week
1          NC State           Raleigh, N.C.     ACC                 1
2          Virginia             Charlottesville, Va.        ACC     3
3          Eastern Kentucky          Richmond, Ky. Ohio Valley       5
4          North Carolina   Chapel Hill, N.C.            ACC     4
5          Louisville          Louisville, Ky.   Big East           2
6          Virginia Tech     Blacksburg, Va.            ACC     8
7          William and Mary           Williamsburg, Va.          Colonial            6
8          Duke                Durham, N.C.    ACC                 7        
9          Davidson          Davidson, N.C.             Southern           NR
10         George Mason Fairfax, Va.       Colonial            10
11         Wake Forest     Winston-Salem, N.C.     ACC     9
12         Richmond         Richmond, Va. Atlantic 10         13
13         UNCG   Greensboro, N.C.         Southern          NR
14         Appalachian State         Boone, N.C.      Southern           12
15         Norfolk State    Norfolk, Va.      MEAC               14

- UNCG -