Wake Forest Athletics
From the Quad
2/4/2020 9:41:00 AM | General
February 4, 2020
Good afternoon, Deacon Nation!
A stifling defensive performance by the Deacons Saturday night in a 56-44 win over Clemson in Joel Coliseum was a great way to wrap up an impactful few days in Winston Salem — let's jump right into a recap!
NBA All-Star Kyle Korver Shares Important Message with Student-Athletes & Campus Community
Last Wednesday, Wake Forest had the honor of welcoming 17-year NBA veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver to campus as part of the University's Voices of Our Time series. Korver garnered national recognition and initiated a larger conversation around systemic racism and being a true ally to others in a personal essay in The Players' Tribune last April. Prior to the main event in Wait Chapel, expertly moderated by Dean Jonathan Walton, Kyle led an impactful discussion with a group of student & student-athlete leaders in the Sutton Sports Performance Center. He encouraged his audience to identify their blind spots, use their privilege for good, and stand up for what's right. He also spoke to the importance of being intentional and choosing joy. Part of providing a World-Class Student-Athlete Experience is creating opportunities to learn from and be inspired by others and be exposed to new perspectives. We are grateful to Kyle for sharing his insights and experiences.
Honoring the Women who Integrated Wake Forest Residence Halls
Friday night I attended a very special program as Wake Forest celebrated five legends, Beth Norbrey Hopkins, Deborah Graves McFarlane, Awilda Gilliam Neal, Linda Holiday and Camille Russell Love. The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the integration of WFU's female residence halls continued Saturday morning and we were honored to recognize them during Saturday night's men's basketball game. You can read more about the conversation here.
Five Deacon Greats Inducted Into Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame
The fact that Wake Forest is truly a special place, was emphasized on Saturday by the five new inductees of the 46th class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. The 2020 honorees were record-setting pitcher John Hendricks, Wake Forest and Olympic field hockey standout Michelle Kasold, soccer All-Americans Michael Parkhurst and Marcus Tracy, and our Heritage inductee, the late Freddie Summers, whose friend Steve Bowden, also a former Deacon football player, spoke on behalf of the Summers family. As the first African-American starting quarterback in both the ACC and in major college football in the South, Freddie was not just a great player, but also changed the paradigm for others to follow!
Also honored was John Foster ('78) who received the Dr. Gene Hooks Achievement Award for his many years of dedicated service to the football program.
As I sat with my predecessors, Dr. Hooks and Ron Wellman, for lunch and heard each inductee share stories, reminisce, and thank their teammates, coaches and loved ones, it reminded me how blessed we are to be part of the Wake Forest family and play a role in developing champions on and off the field. Congratulations to our newest inductees and thank you for being such outstanding representatives of Demon Deacon Nation.
Deacs Prepare for Future at Annual Student-Athlete Career Night
Ashley Wechter and our Student-Athlete Development staff, in partnership with the University's Office of Personal and Career Development, work tirelessly to ensure that Wake Forest student-athletes are well-equipped to pursue their career goals. Last night, nearly every student-athlete attended the fifth annual Student-Athlete Career Night. The night began with two unique dinners. The Deacs Go Professional dinner brought roughly 40 juniors and seniors who are seeking internships and career opportunities together with employers who are actively hiring. Meanwhile, the rest of the student-athletes attended a dinner during which they had the opportunity to hear from Marcus Sanderlin of the OPCD who discussed how valuable skills they learn on the field will translate to the working world. Afterwards, student-athletes had the opportunity to network with dozens of potential employers and graduate schools. Another highlight of the event was having former student-athletes like Jordan Banks, Michael Dimock, Karlee Spirit, Sarah Thornhill, Emily Adamson, Jake Mueller, Kaitlin Kroll, and Kip Byrum come back to share their experiences and advice with the next generation of Deacon graduates.
World Series Champion Joe Girardi will Speak Friday to Sold Out Crowd
On Friday, Wake Forest baseball will welcome Joe Girardi as the featured speaker for its fourth First Pitch Dinner. Not only will Joe be speaking to a sold-out crowd at the event, which benefits the Demon Deacon baseball program, but he will also be spending some time with our baseball team earlier that day. It will be an incredible opportunity for them to learn from a true savant of the game — yet another example of the World Class Student-Athlete Experience offered here at Wake. The baseball team opens its season with Seton Hall on February 14 at David F. Couch Ballpark.
More Success for Tennis & Track
On the competitive front, both Demon Deacon tennis teams are off to a great start. After defeating UCF in a thriller last Friday, No. 7 men's tennis is 5-0 and will face its first road test at No. 5 Baylor on Thursday. The women's team picked up its third consecutive victory on Sunday, defeating William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Meanwhile, Wake's indoor track teams placed first in five events on Sunday at the Mondo Collegiate Invitational held at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. .
If you haven't already signed up for Deacon Sports Xtra, I encourage you to subscribe here. DSX provides inside stories and perspectives about Wake a Forest student-athletes you won't find anywhere else. It's FREE, so share with your friends and neighbors too!
Keep sending your feedback to wfuad@wfu.edu, and thank you for supporting Wake Forest student-athletes!
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Good afternoon, Deacon Nation!
A stifling defensive performance by the Deacons Saturday night in a 56-44 win over Clemson in Joel Coliseum was a great way to wrap up an impactful few days in Winston Salem — let's jump right into a recap!
NBA All-Star Kyle Korver Shares Important Message with Student-Athletes & Campus Community Last Wednesday, Wake Forest had the honor of welcoming 17-year NBA veteran sharpshooter Kyle Korver to campus as part of the University's Voices of Our Time series. Korver garnered national recognition and initiated a larger conversation around systemic racism and being a true ally to others in a personal essay in The Players' Tribune last April. Prior to the main event in Wait Chapel, expertly moderated by Dean Jonathan Walton, Kyle led an impactful discussion with a group of student & student-athlete leaders in the Sutton Sports Performance Center. He encouraged his audience to identify their blind spots, use their privilege for good, and stand up for what's right. He also spoke to the importance of being intentional and choosing joy. Part of providing a World-Class Student-Athlete Experience is creating opportunities to learn from and be inspired by others and be exposed to new perspectives. We are grateful to Kyle for sharing his insights and experiences.
Honoring the Women who Integrated Wake Forest Residence HallsFriday night I attended a very special program as Wake Forest celebrated five legends, Beth Norbrey Hopkins, Deborah Graves McFarlane, Awilda Gilliam Neal, Linda Holiday and Camille Russell Love. The commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the integration of WFU's female residence halls continued Saturday morning and we were honored to recognize them during Saturday night's men's basketball game. You can read more about the conversation here.
Five Deacon Greats Inducted Into Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame
The fact that Wake Forest is truly a special place, was emphasized on Saturday by the five new inductees of the 46th class of the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame. The 2020 honorees were record-setting pitcher John Hendricks, Wake Forest and Olympic field hockey standout Michelle Kasold, soccer All-Americans Michael Parkhurst and Marcus Tracy, and our Heritage inductee, the late Freddie Summers, whose friend Steve Bowden, also a former Deacon football player, spoke on behalf of the Summers family. As the first African-American starting quarterback in both the ACC and in major college football in the South, Freddie was not just a great player, but also changed the paradigm for others to follow!
Also honored was John Foster ('78) who received the Dr. Gene Hooks Achievement Award for his many years of dedicated service to the football program.
As I sat with my predecessors, Dr. Hooks and Ron Wellman, for lunch and heard each inductee share stories, reminisce, and thank their teammates, coaches and loved ones, it reminded me how blessed we are to be part of the Wake Forest family and play a role in developing champions on and off the field. Congratulations to our newest inductees and thank you for being such outstanding representatives of Demon Deacon Nation.
Deacs Prepare for Future at Annual Student-Athlete Career NightAshley Wechter and our Student-Athlete Development staff, in partnership with the University's Office of Personal and Career Development, work tirelessly to ensure that Wake Forest student-athletes are well-equipped to pursue their career goals. Last night, nearly every student-athlete attended the fifth annual Student-Athlete Career Night. The night began with two unique dinners. The Deacs Go Professional dinner brought roughly 40 juniors and seniors who are seeking internships and career opportunities together with employers who are actively hiring. Meanwhile, the rest of the student-athletes attended a dinner during which they had the opportunity to hear from Marcus Sanderlin of the OPCD who discussed how valuable skills they learn on the field will translate to the working world. Afterwards, student-athletes had the opportunity to network with dozens of potential employers and graduate schools. Another highlight of the event was having former student-athletes like Jordan Banks, Michael Dimock, Karlee Spirit, Sarah Thornhill, Emily Adamson, Jake Mueller, Kaitlin Kroll, and Kip Byrum come back to share their experiences and advice with the next generation of Deacon graduates.
World Series Champion Joe Girardi will Speak Friday to Sold Out Crowd
On Friday, Wake Forest baseball will welcome Joe Girardi as the featured speaker for its fourth First Pitch Dinner. Not only will Joe be speaking to a sold-out crowd at the event, which benefits the Demon Deacon baseball program, but he will also be spending some time with our baseball team earlier that day. It will be an incredible opportunity for them to learn from a true savant of the game — yet another example of the World Class Student-Athlete Experience offered here at Wake. The baseball team opens its season with Seton Hall on February 14 at David F. Couch Ballpark.
More Success for Tennis & Track
On the competitive front, both Demon Deacon tennis teams are off to a great start. After defeating UCF in a thriller last Friday, No. 7 men's tennis is 5-0 and will face its first road test at No. 5 Baylor on Thursday. The women's team picked up its third consecutive victory on Sunday, defeating William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. Meanwhile, Wake's indoor track teams placed first in five events on Sunday at the Mondo Collegiate Invitational held at the JDL Fast Track in Winston-Salem. .
If you haven't already signed up for Deacon Sports Xtra, I encourage you to subscribe here. DSX provides inside stories and perspectives about Wake a Forest student-athletes you won't find anywhere else. It's FREE, so share with your friends and neighbors too!
Keep sending your feedback to wfuad@wfu.edu, and thank you for supporting Wake Forest student-athletes!
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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