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BLACKSBURG – The Virginia Tech cross country teams left Thursday for Louisville, Kentucky to compete in Saturday’s NCAA Pre-National meet held at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville.

The meet is a preview of the upcoming NCAA Cross Country National Championship held in Louisville on Nov. 21. It provides a look at a handful of squads hoping to compete for top-four podium honors the weekend before Thanksgiving. It also will feature a number of individuals hoping to earn All-America honors this season.

The meet consists of six races – two seeded races to start the meet, followed by two unseeded races and two open races. The prestigious meet will feature top competition from around the nation in all six races.

The men's seeded race features 11 teams in the latest national coaches poll and four teams receiving votes. Three of the 11 teams are ranked in the top 10 of the latest poll, including top-ranked Colorado along with third-ranked Oregon and 10^th-ranked Georgetown.

The women's seeded race features eight teams in the latest national coaches poll and five teams receiving votes in the poll. Five of the eight teams are ranked in the top 10 of the latest poll, including second-ranked Colorado, along with fourth-ranked Oregon, fifth-ranked Michigan, seventh-ranked Georgetown and eighth-ranked Stanford.

The Hokies’ top seven men’s and women’s runners will be competing in the two seeded races. The rest of the squads will be competing in the two open races.

The Tech men’s team, led by Thomas Curtin, continues to receive votes in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) national poll. Curtin finished second at the Princeton Inter-Regional Invitational in Princeton, New Jersey, two weeks ago, leading the Hokies to a fourth-place finish as a team.

Hanna Green, who has been the Hokies’ top finisher in the past two meets, leads the women’s team. She finished second at the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational and 21^st at the Princeton Inter-Regional Invitational.

The NCAA Pre-National meet begins at 9:30 a.m. with the men’s seeded race, and the women’s seeded race follows at 10:15. Results for each race can be found at www.pttiming.com and on the official website of Louisville athletics at www.gocards.com.

For updates on Virginia Tech cross country, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_Track