WILMINGTON, North Carolina - The UNCW cross country teams make their third appearance of the new season early Saturday when the Seahawks head up to Williamsburg, Va., to compete in the 54^th Annual William & Mary Invitational.

The men, who start at 9:45 a.m., will run the same 8K course at Eastern State Hospital that will stage the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association Cross Country Championships on Oct. 27. The women are covering a 5K at 10:45 a.m.

The men's and women's teams each finished second in their first two races of the season - the Coastal Carolina Invitational (Sept. 1) and Seahawk Invitational (Sept. 7).

The Seahawks are the lone team outside Virginia in the race. They will be joined by host William & Mary, Christopher Newport, George Mason, Hampton, Richmond, Virginia State and VCU.

"Our main objective is to get a good feel for the course," said Layne Schwier, UNCW's assistant cross country/track and field coach. "We'll be taking a lot of mental and actual notes to help us prepare for return trip to the CAA's in six weeks. Familiarity with a course is always beneficial.

"Our women are looking to keep the front four running strong and find a fifth runner to close the gap. The men are in the same situation because they have a solid four forming, but still need a fifth man to step up. We had strong workouts on both sides this week, thanks to the drop in humidity and temperature. Hopefully, that translates into a lot of confidence for the weekend."

The race was a high-school only meet that attracted thousands of runners in its first 52 years of existence before the Tribe added a college race last year.

Following Saturday's race, the Seahawks take next weekend off before racing in the UNC Charlotte Invitational on Friday, Sept. 28