From the Quad
7/30/2020 11:44:00 AM | General
Good afternoon Demon Deacon Nation:
Amidst the very difficult circumstances facing our nation as COVID-19 continues to take lives, disrupt families and heighten anxiety, President Hatch and his fellow Atlantic Coast Conference presidents and chancellors took a courageous step forward yesterday by unanimously approving a framework for the resumption of ACC sports this fall.
Our release yesterday covers the full announcement from ACC Commissioner John Swofford and includes details about fall sports plans and most importantly league-wide health and safety guidelines for competition this fall. I encourage you to read through these protocols which were developed to meet or surpass recent recommendations from the NCAA Sports Science Institute.
Since March, our student-athletes have told me almost every day how badly they want to be back on campus to work on their academic studies and compete with their teammates. We now have about 165 student-athletes who have returned to Winston-Salem and are engaged in the sport they love under the careful supervision of our dedicated sports medicine and strength and conditioning staff. The maturity and commitment of our student-athletes in following our isolation, quarantine and testing procedures and all other protocols, including wearing masks, inspires all of us to continue to work towards the resumption of competition.
The mental and physical health and safety of our student-athletes is our foremost priority, and Wake Forest Athletics is fully supportive of the league's decision requiring all opponents to commit to meeting the ACC-standard COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Wake Forest Athletics has been superbly represented in various ACC discussions by Medical Director Dr. Chris Miles, Coach Dave Clawson, Deputy AD Lindsey Babcock, Senior Women's Administrator Barbara Walker, Sr. Associate AD Murphy Grant, and student-athletes including Caroline Kuhn (volleyball), Cydney Delley (track & field), Cole McNally (men's soccer), Lyndon Wood (women's soccer), DJ Taylor (football), Olivia Summiel (women's basketball), Gina Conti (women's basketball), Jahcobi Neath (men's basketball), Isaiah Mucius (men's basketball), Sage Surratt (football), Luke Masterson (football) and many others.
Despite yesterday's positive news, uncertainties and unanswered questions remain. Ultimately, we operate under the health and safety guidelines and regulations of Winston-Salem, Forsyth County and the state of North Carolina.
We already know that this year is going to be different than any other we have ever experienced. When I wrote about our phased activity resumption plan in June, I explained that the policies, procedures and protocols were all developed with the goal of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 among student-athletes, coaches and staff who have voluntarily returned to campus. Adaptability, flexibility, empathy and resilience will be paramount for all members of Deacon Nation. I'm operating with these three principles in mind:
Football Schedule to Be Finalized
Now that the 10+1 football model has been approved, we'll be working to finalize the projected schedule. I am in communication with my AD colleagues at Appalachian State, ODU and Villanova, and we should be able to determine our permitted non-conference opponent soon. I expect we'll have some shuffling of our future schedules as a result. Meanwhile, Coach Clawson's squad will immediately have a chance to defend our 2019 Big Four Championship as we head to the Triangle for three big games!
Wake Forest Athletics staff, coaches and University leadership are working together to determine ways to safely host events this fall. Chaired by Associate AD for Athletic Event & Facility Operations, Ellie Shannon, our CAN Committee is striving to provide clarity and transparency to student-athletes, student-athletes' parents & family, and all constituents regarding how events (with and without Deacon Nation in the stands) can be held as safely as possible.
Last week Ellie invited Forsyth County Public Health Officials over to Truist Field for a walk-through and review of the plans put in place to host a football game this fall. With the well-being of the Wake Forest community as our top priority, it's important that we are prepared for "worst case" scenarios and adapt where needed, but it is equally important to prepare for "best case" scenarios and capitalize on opportunities.
The Deacon Club and athletics ticket office are working hard to finalize allocation options for various capacity configurations at Truist Field as well as the Duke's Mayo Classic vs. Notre Dame game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Competition Update for Winter & Spring Sports
The ACC announced on Wednesday that fall competition for spring championship sports including golf and tennis have been canceled. This is a tough blow for our four elite teams, but these student-athletes may continue to compete and play tournaments unattached while they practice and study in Winston-Salem.
Women's golf student-athletes Rachel Kuehn, Emilia Migliaccio, Vanessa Knecht, Julia McLaughlin, and Letizia Bagnoli did just that two weeks ago at the North-South Women's Golf Amateur, with Rachel winning that prestigious title. Rachel's hot hand continued with another victory yesterday at the Ladies Amateur Championship!
Emilia, Vanessa, Rachel and Swing Liu will be among the 132-player field in the U.S. Women's Amateur, which begins on Aug. 3. If they advance to Match Play on Aug. 5-9, you can watch them compete on the Golf Channel!
On the men's side, rising senior Parker Gillam and incoming freshman Michael Brennan are currently competing at the Western Amateur Championship. Follow along with live scoring here throughout the week!
Additionally, I want to wish special congratulations to Coach Jerry Haas and his son Kyle who won the Father-Son Championship at Pinehurst on July 18 for the third-straight year!
Wake Forest University Planning
Led by Vice-President Mark Petersen, Wake Forest University continues to pump out excellent communication and social media updates on the upcoming semester. President Hatch's letter earlier this month described the combination of innovative course delivery and a unique fall academic calendar that was developed for the fall semester.
Additionally, President Hatch and our University leadership announced Wednesday that undergraduate students will be required to be tested for COVID-19 and quarantine before accessing campus. Additional protocols and items were included in that announcement that will lead to a successful fall semester on campus.
All University communications can be found at OurWayForward.wfu.edu.
Deacon Club Closes FY2020 Strong
Thank you to the incredibly loyal and generous Deacon Club contributors who had collectively invested $22.95 million into creating a world-class student-athlete experience when our 2020 fiscal year concluded June 30. These gifts fund not only the opportunity to receive an education from Wake Forest, but also provides resources for athletics competition success.
#ProDeacs Back In Action
There are many #ProDeacs competing in the WNBA, NBA, NWSL, MLS, PGA Tour and reporting to NFL training camps this week! Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby and Chicago Sky forward Cheyenne Parker squared off in their season opener last Sunday. I encourage you to read this powerful article on Dearica, featured in Essence Magazine, about the challenges of parenting from the "bubble."
Meanwhile, the 22-team NBA restart to the season in Orlando is scheduled to begin tonight with three former Wake Forest men's basketball players set to compete. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, Washington Wizards guard Ish Smith and Portland Trailblazers forward Jaylen Hoard are all still vying for an NBA Championship. Not to be overlooked, recent Wake Forest graduate Brandon Childress signed with G.S. Iraklis B.C. a week ago!
The National Women's Soccer League is underway with five former Deacons (Aubrey Bledsoe, Bayley Feist -- Washington Spirit; Katie Stengel -- Houston Dash; Mariah Lee, Madison Hammond -- OL Reign) participating. Wake Forest is also well-represented in the MLS with eight former Deacs (Alistair Johnston -- Nashville SC; Joey DeZart -- Orlando City FC; Omir Fernandez -- New York Red Bulls; Mark McKenzie -- Philadelphia Union; Luis Argudo -- Inter Miami FC, Jacori Hayes -- Minnesota United FC, Chris Duvall -- Portland Timbers, Ike Opara -- Minnesota United FC) competing. We are also extremely proud of our Deacs in the United Soccer League, like recent graduate Bruno Lapa, who was recently named Man of the Match for his latest match with Birmingham Legion FC.
On the golf course Webb Simpson currently sits in second place in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings and recorded a win in the tour's second event back after the onset of the pandemic at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. Additionally, recent graduate Will Zalatoris ('18) captured his first professional win with the Korn Ferry Tour tournament championship in Colorado back in June.
What's Next?
While my focus in today's message has been on pandemic-related issues, I want to mention a special thanks to our SAAC leaders who, together with our Athletics staff, continue to proactively work on initiatives to address the social injustice issues in our country and racism in our community. I am heartened by how we (student-athletes, Athletics staff, University leadership) are facing our nation's current challenges. We are committed to continuing this work, and I am excited about an upcoming announcement regarding a voter registration initiative.
As always, keep wearing masks and send your thoughts, questions and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Amidst the very difficult circumstances facing our nation as COVID-19 continues to take lives, disrupt families and heighten anxiety, President Hatch and his fellow Atlantic Coast Conference presidents and chancellors took a courageous step forward yesterday by unanimously approving a framework for the resumption of ACC sports this fall.
Our release yesterday covers the full announcement from ACC Commissioner John Swofford and includes details about fall sports plans and most importantly league-wide health and safety guidelines for competition this fall. I encourage you to read through these protocols which were developed to meet or surpass recent recommendations from the NCAA Sports Science Institute.
Since March, our student-athletes have told me almost every day how badly they want to be back on campus to work on their academic studies and compete with their teammates. We now have about 165 student-athletes who have returned to Winston-Salem and are engaged in the sport they love under the careful supervision of our dedicated sports medicine and strength and conditioning staff. The maturity and commitment of our student-athletes in following our isolation, quarantine and testing procedures and all other protocols, including wearing masks, inspires all of us to continue to work towards the resumption of competition.
The mental and physical health and safety of our student-athletes is our foremost priority, and Wake Forest Athletics is fully supportive of the league's decision requiring all opponents to commit to meeting the ACC-standard COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Wake Forest Athletics has been superbly represented in various ACC discussions by Medical Director Dr. Chris Miles, Coach Dave Clawson, Deputy AD Lindsey Babcock, Senior Women's Administrator Barbara Walker, Sr. Associate AD Murphy Grant, and student-athletes including Caroline Kuhn (volleyball), Cydney Delley (track & field), Cole McNally (men's soccer), Lyndon Wood (women's soccer), DJ Taylor (football), Olivia Summiel (women's basketball), Gina Conti (women's basketball), Jahcobi Neath (men's basketball), Isaiah Mucius (men's basketball), Sage Surratt (football), Luke Masterson (football) and many others.
Despite yesterday's positive news, uncertainties and unanswered questions remain. Ultimately, we operate under the health and safety guidelines and regulations of Winston-Salem, Forsyth County and the state of North Carolina.
We already know that this year is going to be different than any other we have ever experienced. When I wrote about our phased activity resumption plan in June, I explained that the policies, procedures and protocols were all developed with the goal of minimizing the spread of COVID-19 among student-athletes, coaches and staff who have voluntarily returned to campus. Adaptability, flexibility, empathy and resilience will be paramount for all members of Deacon Nation. I'm operating with these three principles in mind:
- Be as safe as possible.
- Provide our student-athletes with opportunities for competition.
- Sustain our enterprise.
Football Schedule to Be Finalized
Now that the 10+1 football model has been approved, we'll be working to finalize the projected schedule. I am in communication with my AD colleagues at Appalachian State, ODU and Villanova, and we should be able to determine our permitted non-conference opponent soon. I expect we'll have some shuffling of our future schedules as a result. Meanwhile, Coach Clawson's squad will immediately have a chance to defend our 2019 Big Four Championship as we head to the Triangle for three big games!
Wake Forest Athletics staff, coaches and University leadership are working together to determine ways to safely host events this fall. Chaired by Associate AD for Athletic Event & Facility Operations, Ellie Shannon, our CAN Committee is striving to provide clarity and transparency to student-athletes, student-athletes' parents & family, and all constituents regarding how events (with and without Deacon Nation in the stands) can be held as safely as possible.
Last week Ellie invited Forsyth County Public Health Officials over to Truist Field for a walk-through and review of the plans put in place to host a football game this fall. With the well-being of the Wake Forest community as our top priority, it's important that we are prepared for "worst case" scenarios and adapt where needed, but it is equally important to prepare for "best case" scenarios and capitalize on opportunities.
The Deacon Club and athletics ticket office are working hard to finalize allocation options for various capacity configurations at Truist Field as well as the Duke's Mayo Classic vs. Notre Dame game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Competition Update for Winter & Spring Sports
The ACC announced on Wednesday that fall competition for spring championship sports including golf and tennis have been canceled. This is a tough blow for our four elite teams, but these student-athletes may continue to compete and play tournaments unattached while they practice and study in Winston-Salem.
Women's golf student-athletes Rachel Kuehn, Emilia Migliaccio, Vanessa Knecht, Julia McLaughlin, and Letizia Bagnoli did just that two weeks ago at the North-South Women's Golf Amateur, with Rachel winning that prestigious title. Rachel's hot hand continued with another victory yesterday at the Ladies Amateur Championship!
Emilia, Vanessa, Rachel and Swing Liu will be among the 132-player field in the U.S. Women's Amateur, which begins on Aug. 3. If they advance to Match Play on Aug. 5-9, you can watch them compete on the Golf Channel!
On the men's side, rising senior Parker Gillam and incoming freshman Michael Brennan are currently competing at the Western Amateur Championship. Follow along with live scoring here throughout the week!
Additionally, I want to wish special congratulations to Coach Jerry Haas and his son Kyle who won the Father-Son Championship at Pinehurst on July 18 for the third-straight year!
Wake Forest University Planning
Led by Vice-President Mark Petersen, Wake Forest University continues to pump out excellent communication and social media updates on the upcoming semester. President Hatch's letter earlier this month described the combination of innovative course delivery and a unique fall academic calendar that was developed for the fall semester.
Additionally, President Hatch and our University leadership announced Wednesday that undergraduate students will be required to be tested for COVID-19 and quarantine before accessing campus. Additional protocols and items were included in that announcement that will lead to a successful fall semester on campus.
All University communications can be found at OurWayForward.wfu.edu.
Deacon Club Closes FY2020 Strong
Thank you to the incredibly loyal and generous Deacon Club contributors who had collectively invested $22.95 million into creating a world-class student-athlete experience when our 2020 fiscal year concluded June 30. These gifts fund not only the opportunity to receive an education from Wake Forest, but also provides resources for athletics competition success.
#ProDeacs Back In Action
There are many #ProDeacs competing in the WNBA, NBA, NWSL, MLS, PGA Tour and reporting to NFL training camps this week! Las Vegas Aces forward Dearica Hamby and Chicago Sky forward Cheyenne Parker squared off in their season opener last Sunday. I encourage you to read this powerful article on Dearica, featured in Essence Magazine, about the challenges of parenting from the "bubble."
Meanwhile, the 22-team NBA restart to the season in Orlando is scheduled to begin tonight with three former Wake Forest men's basketball players set to compete. Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul, Washington Wizards guard Ish Smith and Portland Trailblazers forward Jaylen Hoard are all still vying for an NBA Championship. Not to be overlooked, recent Wake Forest graduate Brandon Childress signed with G.S. Iraklis B.C. a week ago!
The National Women's Soccer League is underway with five former Deacons (Aubrey Bledsoe, Bayley Feist -- Washington Spirit; Katie Stengel -- Houston Dash; Mariah Lee, Madison Hammond -- OL Reign) participating. Wake Forest is also well-represented in the MLS with eight former Deacs (Alistair Johnston -- Nashville SC; Joey DeZart -- Orlando City FC; Omir Fernandez -- New York Red Bulls; Mark McKenzie -- Philadelphia Union; Luis Argudo -- Inter Miami FC, Jacori Hayes -- Minnesota United FC, Chris Duvall -- Portland Timbers, Ike Opara -- Minnesota United FC) competing. We are also extremely proud of our Deacs in the United Soccer League, like recent graduate Bruno Lapa, who was recently named Man of the Match for his latest match with Birmingham Legion FC.
On the golf course Webb Simpson currently sits in second place in the PGA Tour FedEx Cup standings and recorded a win in the tour's second event back after the onset of the pandemic at the RBC Heritage in Hilton Head, S.C. Additionally, recent graduate Will Zalatoris ('18) captured his first professional win with the Korn Ferry Tour tournament championship in Colorado back in June.
What's Next?
While my focus in today's message has been on pandemic-related issues, I want to mention a special thanks to our SAAC leaders who, together with our Athletics staff, continue to proactively work on initiatives to address the social injustice issues in our country and racism in our community. I am heartened by how we (student-athletes, Athletics staff, University leadership) are facing our nation's current challenges. We are committed to continuing this work, and I am excited about an upcoming announcement regarding a voter registration initiative.
As always, keep wearing masks and send your thoughts, questions and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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