NEW ORLEANS -- The Trine men's cross country team is ranked 10th in the Great Lakes Region by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Thunder are appearing in the regional rankings for the first time on record since 2007 and are ranked for the first time under head coach Zach Raber. The USTFCCCA rankings attempt to rank projected finish at the NCAA Division III Regional Championship meets. The rankings weigh the performance of returning runners along with current-season results. This is the organization's first regular-season rankings release of the 2016 season.

Trine has gotten its season off to a strong start, winning Manchester University's Hokum Karem for the third-straight year and placing fourth in Indiana Wesleyan's Twilight Invitational. The success in the Twilight meet came in a field made up of mostly NAIA competitors.

Senior Adam Schaaf (Greentown, Ind. / Eastern) earned MIAA Runner of the Week honors for his sixth-place finish at the Indiana Wesleyan meet. His 8K time of 26:37.4 was the best by a NCAA Division III competitor in the race. Schaaf was an All-MIAA First Team performer in 2014.

The team showcased its depth in the IWU meet, with the top nine times by Division III runners being turned in by the Thunder. Jonathan Phillips (Royal Center, Ind. / Pioneer), Kody Snyder (Burnettsville, Ind. / Twin Lakes), Cody Verhey (Martinsville, Ind. / Martinsville) and Lewis Duke (Greentown, Ind. / Eastern) rounded out Trine's scoring runners in the event.

The Thunder will take its first step towards competing for a conference title Saturday, Sep. 24 when the team compete in the MIAA Jamboree hosted by Alma. The Jamboree counts one-third towards the final MIAA standings. Follow THIS LINK for more information on the race.