John Hayes
Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC
John Hayes Puts Cross Country in Good Place to Compete for ACC Title
11/1/2019 8:56:00 AM | Cross Country, Les Johns
Nearly 15 years ago, John Hayes and his wife Stacey began searching for the perfect destination to complete his storied track and field coaching career. He was seeking superior academics, a great location and an opportunity to rebuild a proud program.
When the Wake Forest job opened up in 2016 he quickly applied.
"If they offer this, I'm absolutely accepting it," Hayes told his wife after interviewing for the position. "It's great academically, has a beautiful campus and is a wonderful place to live. It's been fantastic."
In his third year on the job last season, Wake Forest finished in the top-five in the ACC Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2001.
"I wanted to be somebody to rebuild a program," Hayes said. "This program was great in the 80s and 90s. We're going to get back there shortly."
He'll be leading the Deacs to the 2019 ACC Cross Country Championships Friday morning at Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Virginia, hosted by Virginia Tech. The men's 8K is set to begin at 10:01 a.m, with the women's 6K starting an hour later.
There are five ACC women's cross country teams ranked in the USTFCCCA top 30. North Carolina State leads the pack at No. 6, while the hosting Hokies come in at No. 22.
"I think everyone is really excited," Wake Forest senior Samantha Halvorsen said. "We have a fairly young team. I think it's going to be a good race for the team."
The Deacs finished 23rd out of the 36 teams that participated in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Wisconsin in mid-October. Hayes said nearly two-thirds of that field will make it to the NCAA Championships later this year.
"We'd hoped to do better than that," he said. "We beat a few ranked teams. I feel like if we make the proper adjustments, the women can do well."
According to Hayes, the middle of the field is wide open. The women's team has finished fifth, sixth and fourth in the three years since Hayes has taken over the program.
"We feel like we're ready to start challenging in the coming years, to be in the top three in the conference," he said.
There are six ACC men's teams in the USTFCCCA Top 30, led by Notre Dame at No. 20.
"Everyone is really excited at the moment," Wake Forest sophomore Zach Facioni said. "The whole team is really fit. We're probably the fittest that the program has seen in a long time. We're hoping to do really well, if everyone can run to their abilities.
The Deacs finished 29th out of 33 teams in the 8K Nuttycombe Invitational earlier this month.
"For some it was their first collegiate race, which probably wasn't the best idea in hindsight," Hayes said. "On that particular day, it wasn't the right move. We didn't have enough experience for that to be our first meet."
Though Hayes believes his team was a bit shell-shocked running against the depth and quality of the competition they faced in Wisconsin, he feels they have prepared well as they enter their next test.
"We're excited from watching their workouts that this is the most fit we've ever been since I've been here," Hayes said. "They're young, which is the issue, but also the good part. The future looks very bright.
"I think they've grown (from Wisconsin). With our workouts, it is easy to quantify how fit you are, and they know they're very fit. They know it was just an overwhelming experience for them."
The young men's team faced adversity and circumstances that they weren't used to seeing before.
"In high school, they were all leading the pack," Hayes said. "There was nobody around them when they finished their races. Here they are running as fast as they ever did in high school, but now there's 200 people around them. It becomes frustrating to pass people. It's overwhelming. The went out too hard and went backward fast.
"Their training has been consistent and strong. They are quite prepared to run for the conference championship."
Both squads will use five runners, and it's that final participant that makes all the difference, Hayes said.
"They have to be in the top 30-40 for us to make the top three-or-four in the conference," he said. "If our fifth man is 50-60, then we're in trouble, but I don't expect that to be the case.
"It's going to be muddy and cold. It's going to be what cross country is."
Following the ACC Championships will be the Southeast Regional in mid-November, then potentially the NCAA Championships a week later. That will conclude the first of three seasons for the team. Indoor track and field competition starts Dec. 8, then outdoor track and field begins on March 20.
"These are great kids and really good athletes," Hayes said. "I'm just really proud of them and how far this program has come in three years. I don't think there's another Power 5 program that has come as far as we have in the last three years and it's all because of these great kids.
"We've made great progress. We're not where we want to be. We want to make the national meet and have our teams in the top-15 in the country. We believe we can get there in the next few years."
When the Wake Forest job opened up in 2016 he quickly applied.
"If they offer this, I'm absolutely accepting it," Hayes told his wife after interviewing for the position. "It's great academically, has a beautiful campus and is a wonderful place to live. It's been fantastic."
In his third year on the job last season, Wake Forest finished in the top-five in the ACC Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2001.
"I wanted to be somebody to rebuild a program," Hayes said. "This program was great in the 80s and 90s. We're going to get back there shortly."
He'll be leading the Deacs to the 2019 ACC Cross Country Championships Friday morning at Buford Meredith Cross Country Course in Blacksburg, Virginia, hosted by Virginia Tech. The men's 8K is set to begin at 10:01 a.m, with the women's 6K starting an hour later.
There are five ACC women's cross country teams ranked in the USTFCCCA top 30. North Carolina State leads the pack at No. 6, while the hosting Hokies come in at No. 22.
"I think everyone is really excited," Wake Forest senior Samantha Halvorsen said. "We have a fairly young team. I think it's going to be a good race for the team."
The Deacs finished 23rd out of the 36 teams that participated in the Nuttycombe Invitational in Wisconsin in mid-October. Hayes said nearly two-thirds of that field will make it to the NCAA Championships later this year.
"We'd hoped to do better than that," he said. "We beat a few ranked teams. I feel like if we make the proper adjustments, the women can do well."
According to Hayes, the middle of the field is wide open. The women's team has finished fifth, sixth and fourth in the three years since Hayes has taken over the program.
"We feel like we're ready to start challenging in the coming years, to be in the top three in the conference," he said.
There are six ACC men's teams in the USTFCCCA Top 30, led by Notre Dame at No. 20.
"Everyone is really excited at the moment," Wake Forest sophomore Zach Facioni said. "The whole team is really fit. We're probably the fittest that the program has seen in a long time. We're hoping to do really well, if everyone can run to their abilities.
The Deacs finished 29th out of 33 teams in the 8K Nuttycombe Invitational earlier this month.
"For some it was their first collegiate race, which probably wasn't the best idea in hindsight," Hayes said. "On that particular day, it wasn't the right move. We didn't have enough experience for that to be our first meet."
Though Hayes believes his team was a bit shell-shocked running against the depth and quality of the competition they faced in Wisconsin, he feels they have prepared well as they enter their next test.
"We're excited from watching their workouts that this is the most fit we've ever been since I've been here," Hayes said. "They're young, which is the issue, but also the good part. The future looks very bright.
"I think they've grown (from Wisconsin). With our workouts, it is easy to quantify how fit you are, and they know they're very fit. They know it was just an overwhelming experience for them."
The young men's team faced adversity and circumstances that they weren't used to seeing before.
"In high school, they were all leading the pack," Hayes said. "There was nobody around them when they finished their races. Here they are running as fast as they ever did in high school, but now there's 200 people around them. It becomes frustrating to pass people. It's overwhelming. The went out too hard and went backward fast.
"Their training has been consistent and strong. They are quite prepared to run for the conference championship."
Both squads will use five runners, and it's that final participant that makes all the difference, Hayes said.
"They have to be in the top 30-40 for us to make the top three-or-four in the conference," he said. "If our fifth man is 50-60, then we're in trouble, but I don't expect that to be the case.
"It's going to be muddy and cold. It's going to be what cross country is."
Following the ACC Championships will be the Southeast Regional in mid-November, then potentially the NCAA Championships a week later. That will conclude the first of three seasons for the team. Indoor track and field competition starts Dec. 8, then outdoor track and field begins on March 20.
"These are great kids and really good athletes," Hayes said. "I'm just really proud of them and how far this program has come in three years. I don't think there's another Power 5 program that has come as far as we have in the last three years and it's all because of these great kids.
"We've made great progress. We're not where we want to be. We want to make the national meet and have our teams in the top-15 in the country. We believe we can get there in the next few years."
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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