Deacon Decade -- Men's Track & Field/Cross Country
12/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Dec. 17, 2009
Women's Track & Field/Cross Country Photo Gallery
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10. Vaughn Competes In Two Events At NCAA Championships - June 11, 2009
Junior Caroline Vaughn represented Wake Forest at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships in both hurdle events. She qualified for the 400m hurdles at the East Regionals with a gutsy performance, finishing fourth in a school-record time of 57.32. Vaughn also earned a spot in the 100m hurdle field by virtue of her 13.39 earlier in the season. At the championships, the Alpharetta, Ga., native performed admirably, advancing to the semifinals in both events.
9. Selina Sekulic Earns Cross Country All-American Honors - Nov. 22, 2004
In a season plagued by injuries, Selina Sekulic was one of the few constants for the Wake Forest Cross Country team in 2004. She led the Deacons with a 39th place finish at the NCAA Championships and was one of the top-30 American runners, earning All-America honors. She then parlayed that success onto the track where she was a participant in the 3,000m steeplechase at Junior World Championships.
8. Nikeya Green Wins 2008 USATF Indoor Title - Feb. 26, 2008
Wake Forest track star Nikeya Green won the women's 800m run at the USA Indoor Track & Field Championship at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in 2008. The Woodbridge, Va., native staged an impressive run over the final 200 meters to score a decisive win in a U.S.-leading time of 2:02.68, with 100th Millrose Games champion Christin Wurth second in 2:03.70. During her time at Wake (2000-04), Green was a three-time All-American in the 800 and still holds the school's indoor and outdoor record in the event.
7. Women's DMR Finishes 4th at 2001 NCAA Indoor Championships - March 10, 2001
The women's distance medley relay team of Jill Snyder, Carol Merritt, Nikeya Green and Sara Day finished fourth at the NCAA Indoor Championships, smashing the school-record along the way. The team advanced to the championships by setting the school-record two weeks prior with a time of 11:20.59. In the finals, the Deacon quartet crossed the line in 11:13.69, breaking their previous record by over seven seconds. The team's record still stands today.
6. Carol Merritt Has a Strong 2002 Season - 2002
At the 2002 Indoor ACC Championships, sophomore Carol Merritt won the women's 400m with a NCAA provisional qualifying and school-record breaking time of 54.82 for her first ACC Championship. She was also only two one-hundredths of a second behind the winner of the women's 200m, finishing second with another school-record breaking time of 24.28, earning All-ACC honors. She then competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships later that month and would also take fourth in the 200m that summer at the US Championships.
5. Kraus & Day Represent US at World University Games - 2001
In a rare feat, two Demon Deacons - Janelle Kraus and Sara Day - represented the United States at the 2001 World University Games in the same event. Only two collegiate athletes qualify in each event and the Deacon duo earned a spot in the 10,000m race. Day took fifth place with a career best time 33:25.45 while Kraus finished 10th at 34:25.08. The games were held that year in Beijing, China.
4. Sara Day Wins A Pair of ACC Titles - Feb. 17, 2001
Sara Day started the 2001 ACC Indoor Championships by winning the 5,000m run in an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 16:30.89. She then came back the following day and pulled-off the tough double, winning the 3,000m run and breaking the school record with another NCAA provisional qualifying time of 9:26.00. During the outdoor season, Day earned All-American honors in the 10,000m run with a runner-up finish.
3. Annie Bersagel Named NCAA Woman of the Year -- 2006
Annie Bersagel completed her tremendous Wake Forest career by being named the 2006 NCAA Women of the Year and winning the Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship. The scholarship is the highest award given to an NCAA student-athlete. Bersagel earned her third-straight All-American honors in cross country in the fall of 2005 and in all, she was a seven-time All-American in both track and cross country. She earned All-American honors in the 5,000m run indoors in both 2003 and 2005 and claimed All-American honors outdoors in the 10,000m run in the same years. She also was named an Academic All-American twice and claimed a pair of ACC Titles.
2. Michelle Sikes' Unbelievable 2007 Season - 2007
Michelle Sikes had one of the most remarkable years of any student-athlete in the country in 2007. She won the 5,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to become the first female track athlete in Wake Forest history to win an NCAA crown. Her time of 15:16.76 smashed her old school-record of 15:47.48 and also set a new NCAA meet record. Sikes earned a spot on the USA World Championship team after finishing third in the 5,000m at the USA Track & Field Championships. At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Sikes won both the 5,000m and 10,000m runs to go along with a 5,000m ACC indoor title. She also finished third in the 5,000m at the NCAA Indoor Meet. On top of all of her athletic accomplishments, perhaps her biggest feat came when she was named a 2007 Rhodes Scholar. She also took home USTFCCCA Outdoor Track & Field Scholar Athlete of the Year honors.
1. Women's XC Wins First ACC Title - Nov. 2, 2002
Paced by Sophomore Anne Bersagel's fourth place finish, the Wake Forest women's cross country team captured its first ACC Title. Senior Risa Rutland came in eighth while junior Anna Sherman punched-in at 12th as redshirt freshman Jill Miller was close behind in 15th. Danielle Coon grabbed the 22nd spot while Erin Franklin came in 26th and Nikeya Green rounded out the Deacon placers in 31st. The team would go on to finish ninth at the NCAA Championships later that season.
Players Mentioned
