NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Chico State men’s cross country team has already churned out several impressive performances during the 2009 season, and the deserved accolades continue to come – the Wildcats remain the top-ranked team in the West region, and move up a spot to No. 3 nationally in the latest poll by the U.S. Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

“We had a solid outing last week at the Willamette Invitational,” Chico State cross country head coach Gary Towne said Wednesday in explaining the move up the national rankings. “It’s always good to be thought of as part of the upper echelon of programs in the country.”

Click here for the complete USTFCCCA Men's Cross Country Top 25 national rankings.

The Wildcats were ranked fourth nationwide prior to the winning the Willamette Invitational last Saturday; it was the team’s second meet victory of the season (Chico State finished fourth and was the top Division II school in last month’s Stanford Invitational). Towne doesn’t want his team to rest of its laurels, though. “We’re worthy of the ranking, but we need to do a good job of staying consistent and staying healthy down the stretch.”

Friday the Chico State men’s and women’s cross country teams will be in the Bay Area, competing in the San Francisco State Invitational. The meet is scheduled to start at 4:00 p.m.