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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Virginia Tech’s men’s track team is ranked fifth in the nation in the 2011 preseason poll, released on Thursday, Jan. 6 by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Hokies jumped 14 spots up from last season’s final rankings, where they were 19th in the country. Among the top ten teams, this is the second-highest jump from last season’s final poll to this season’s preseason poll, only behind Stanford, which jumped from 47th to 9th. Since 2008, this is Tech’s highest ranking in any poll, last cracking the top ten in the sixth poll last season, where the Hokies were ranked eighth. The top men’s team in the preseason rankings is Florida and the top women’s team is Oregon.

Despite the lofty honor, Tech Director of Track & Field Dave Cianelli is keeping a level head.

“It’s nice to be considered among the best teams in the nation,” he said. “I don’t put much stock in preseason rankings. I am interested in the actual meet results at the NCAA Championships. We will see how we perform at that time.”

The men’s team returns six of its seven ACC Champions from last season as well as nine of their 10 NCAA Championship participants. The Hokies’ four All-Americans from 2010 will also be back in the fray this season, as Yavgeniy Olhovsky (pole vault), Alexander Ziegler (throws), Jared Jodon (pole vault) and Will Mulherin (distance) look to make Virginia Tech a force to be reckoned with in the ACC and nationally.

The Hokies begin 2011 hosting the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday and Saturday, January 14th and 15th.

For updates on Virginia Tech track & field, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_Track).