COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Among the dozens and dozens of teams that will be competing Saturday at the 13th Annual Greater Louisville Cross Country Classic will be Tennessee Tech and seven other Ohio Valley Conference opponents. The field will also bring many of the top-ranked teams throughout the region, providing coach Wayne Angel's Golden Eagles with a hefty challenge. A total of 125 colleges and universities will compete, with 24 men's teams and 27 women's teams ranked nationally on various levels.

"The expectation this week is to concentrate on the things that we can control," said Angel. "The Louisville Classic is the best competition that we haved faced to date. There will be many teams from the power conferences in attendance. I want to see some of our young men and women take another step in their progression as athletes. It's going to be a valuable learning experience."

OVC teams expected to run Saturday with the Golden Eagles include Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, and UT Martin.

The meet is hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission, and is held at E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park in Louisville. The men will run an 8K circuit, with three races beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT. Three women's 5K races will begin at 10:15 a.m. Men's and women's races will alternate, with the final even being a women's run at 1:45 p.m.

The Tech men are in the "Blue" Division, which is scheduled for a 9:45 a.m. CT starting gun. The Golden Eagle women will be in the "Silver" Division with a 12:45 p.m. CT start time.
 
The event is broken into six different races because the field of teams is so large.

This event is popular for so many teams because E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park has been the site of the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championshios, five NAIA National Cross Country Championships, the 2007 and 2011 Big East Conference Championships, and five NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships.

"I want them to enjoy it and focus on moving in the right direction," Angel added about his runners. "Progression is the key. It is a process, they must trust their fitness and strength as a team. It will be a great opportunity to begin the building process of Cross Country relevancy at Tennessee Tech University.

THE FIELD A total of 125 colleges and universities will compete. A total of 24 men's teams and 27 women's teams that are currently ranked in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Div- I Regional & National, NCAA Div. II National and NCAA Div. III National Cross Country Polls this season.

THE WEATHER Conditions are expected to be much cooler in Louisville on Saturday morning than they were earlier in the week. The forecasted high for Saturday is 55 degrees with a low of 39.

MEN'S BLUE - Radford University; Hillsdale College; West Alabama University; University of Tennessee- Chattanooga; Indiana University of Pennsylvania; University of Southern Indiana- B; Roberts Wesleyan College; Bethel College; Marshall University; Centre College; Georgia Regents University; University of South Florida; Lewis University; University of Tampa; University of Indianapolis; Belmont University; Edinboro University; Tennessee Tech University; Bellarmine University; Trevecca Nazarene University; Emmanuel College; University of Missouri- B; Indiana Unv./Purdue Unv. @ Indy; Campbell University; Lee University; University of Alabama- Huntsville; University of Kentucky; Berea College; Marian University; University of Montevallo; Mercer University; California Baptist University; Queens University of Charlotte; Indiana Tech University; Wheeling Jesuit University; Liberty University; Robert Morris College (Ill); Bentley University; University of The Cumberlands; King University; Hope College; Wilmington (Del); Winona State University; Rhodes College; Shorter University.

WOMEN'S SILVER - Lipscomb University; Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College; Lindsey Wilson College; Georgia College; Alderson Broaddus University; McKendree University; Freed-Hardeman University; Spalding University; Lincoln Memorial University; Indiana Unv./Purdue Unv. @ Ft. Wayne; Hope College / William Carey University; Lindenwood University Belleville; Clayton State University; Rhodes College; Greenville College; Bryan College / Midway College; West Liberty University; Tennessee Wesleyan / Southern Indiana Univ.; Life University; Georgia Regents University; Lawrence Tech University; Cumberland University; Chicago State University; Marshall University; Franklin College; Nova Southeastern University; University of Alabama- Huntsville; Campbellsville University; Kentucky State University; Adrian College; Brescia University; Oakland City University; Tennessee Tech University; Lewis University; Calumet College of St Joseph ; St. Catharine College; Georgetown College; Danville Area Community College; Tusculum College; Berea College; Webster University; Carson Newman University; Vincennes University; Asbury University; Wilmington University; Winona State University; Lenoir-Rhyne University; University of Indianapolis; Bethel College; Kaskaskia College; Indiana Wesleyan University; University of Evansville- B; Robert Morris University; University of Montevallo.

Complete Tech results will be posted on TTUsports.com when they become available.