From the Quad
10/17/2020 12:28:00 PM | General
It's Almost (Finally!) Game Time Demon Deacon Nation!
It's a beautiful football Saturday at Truist Field as the Deacons kickoff against Virginia at 4 p.m. on ACC Network. Fireworks again graced the sky above Reynolda Campus last night at the conclusion of our virtual Pep Rally and we are looking forward to welcoming a "sell-out" crowd of around 2,200 to today's game including students, players' families, and a few members of Deacon Nation. I am proud of how Deacon Nation continues to adhere to our COVID gameday guidelines.
Also producing fireworks Friday afternoon was our men's cross country team, defeating Tobacco Road foes NC State and and North Carolina in a tri-meet, while on Thursday night Wake Forest women's soccer upset #14 Notre Dame in South Bend with a late goal by Shayla Smart providing the final margin. The Deacon Weekend continues tomorrow with a noon field hockey tilt in Kentner Stadium versus Syracuse, while men's soccer, who has now been ranked in the top 10 for 50 straight weeks, hosts the No. 3-ranked Tar Heels at 6 p.m. in Spry Stadium. Both of those games will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
It was a very full news week so let's jump right to the updates here in From the Quad, No. 34!
Forever Grateful for Wake Forest University's Transformational Leader, Dr. Nathan Hatch
Let's start with a huge Demon Deacon thank you to Wake Forest President Dr. Nathan Hatch who announced Tuesday he will retire on June 30, 2021.
Dr. Hatch's transformational tenure as President of Wake Forest University has left an indelible mark on Demon Deacon student-athletes, the Atlantic Coast Conference, and college athletics in general. His leadership as chair of the NCAA Division I Board of Directors resulted in the most significant expansion of benefits for student-athletes in years; his deep relationship skills helped the ACC emerge from the expansion era in its strongest-ever position, and he played a key role in bringing Notre Dame to the conference in 2012. President Hatch's expectation of excellence for all areas of Wake Forest University has manifested itself competitively with two NCAA Championships (2007 Men's Soccer, 2018 Men's Tennis) and a combined 26 ACC Regular Season and Tournament Championships. All that happened while the Demon Deacons have achieved superlative academic and graduation success.
To use a sports metaphor, I like to say that President Hatch is truly sprinting, not coasting, as he approaches the "finish line." His courage and perseverance in facing the pandemic has been inspirational to all of us as we pass the halfway point in an academic semester that skeptics thought might not even get started. His engagement and calm encouragement in early August was a huge behind-the-scenes factor in the ACC decision to continue the path towards a responsible resumption of competition this fall.
And, last week's announcement of the merger between Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist Health, including Wake Forest School of Medicine reflects another visionary accomplishment under President Hatch's leadership, this one, in his words, "creating the future of medical education."
Mary Lawrence and I are forever grateful to President Hatch for bringing us home to Winston-Salem and entrusting me with the responsibility of being the sixth athletics director in Wake Forest history on March 4, 2019. We will continue to count on President Hatch for his vision and wisdom, and look forward to continuing our friendship with him and Julie as they enjoy their much-deserved retirement.
Saluting Steve Shutt
Also announcing his retirement this week was our own Steve Shutt, a 40 year media relations verteran. We thank Steve for his service to Wake Forest and look forward to seeing him often at future Demon Deacon contests.
Hoops is Here! Williamson Eligibility Waiver Granted
In preparation for the season openers on November 25, both our men's and women's basketball teams officially began practice on Wednesday this week. At the beginning of the men's practice Coach Forbes shared with the team the news that Winston-Salem native Daivien Williamson's immediate eligibility transfer waiver has been approved!
#DeacsDecide: Student-Athletes Taking Action!
Wake Forest student-athletes continue to impress with their actions as 99% of our 400-plus student-athletes across all 18 varsity programs are registered to vote in either North Carolina or their home state! Demon Deacon student-athletes understand their responsibility as tomorrow's leaders. For many this is their first opportunity to vote, our most fundamental civic duty.
As our staff is working on early voting options for all student-athletes, we are also assisting our international student-athletes to be able to vote in their home countries' future elections. This initiative and engagement outside of the classroom and playing fields is another testament to Wake Forest's goal of providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience.
I would like to thank our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee leaders and Associate AD Ashley Wechter for their leadership on this important initiative.
STRIDE -- Amplifying Student-Athletes Brands Through Education & Strategic Partners
Speaking of World Class Student-Athlete Experience...in anticipation of new NCAA Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) legislation in January, our staff announced the creation of "STRIDE" earlier this week, a University initiative that will educate and empower Demon Deacon student-athletes to capitalize on their NIL and build and amplify their personal brands.
"STRIDE" will provide a comprehensive program for student-athletes focusing on two key components: education and personal brand management. Education will be delivered through University faculty, staff and industry professionals.
Skip Prosser Literacy Program: READ Challenge
The Skip Prosser Literacy Program READ Challenge continues to be an amazing example of collaboration and the Pro Humanitate spirit we all enjoy as being a part of the Wake Forest community. Coordination between Wake Forest's Department of Education, Wake Forest Athletics, the Wake Forest Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, WFU Office of Civic and Community Engagement, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools, and BookmarksNC make this program incredibly successful and rewarding to participating students.
Since 2009, Wake Forest Athletics has teamed up with schools in Forsyth County to encourage reading among 4th grade students. The Demon Deacons encourage students to read independently, which includes both in-class and out-of-class independent reading time. Reading may include the use of books, eBooks, newspapers, magazines, comics, and other forms of text.
To learn more about the history of the Skip Prosser Literacy Program, see "Reading: The Legacy of Skip Prosser."
Last Notes
Congratulations to soccer alumnae Aubrey Bledsoe who has been called into the United States Women's National Team training camp! This is an incredible honor considering it is the USWNT's first event in seven months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As we continue our intensive testing regimen, which includes as many as three weekly PCR tests of all student-athletes, coaches and staff, I am both grateful and proud to report that we have a very healthy athletics program, thanks to the vigilance and caution of all members of the athletics and university community. Let's keep wearing masks and following our social distance and other COVID-19 guidelines!
Remember to send your questions and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu. And as always, thank you for your loyal support of Wake Forest student-athletes!
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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