From the Quad
4/21/2021 12:21:00 PM | General
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation,
It has been a jammed packed few weeks since I've written to you From the Quad, between 57 total competitive events for our Demon Deacon programs, multiple senior day ceremonies (women's tennis, men's tennis, volleyball), a special virtual Easter Wait Chapel service, Ivana Raca ('21) being selected by the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA Draft and welcomed to LA by basketball legend Magic Johnson, and upcoming postseason competition preparations for our field hockey, soccer, tennis, golf and track & field programs!
Monday was a special day on Reynolda campus as newly minted Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner, Dr. Jim Phillips spent the day on campus visiting with staff, coaches and student-athletes. Dr. Phillips has hit the ground running in Greensboro and is quickly assessing the strengths and opportunities to take the ACC to even greater heights.
It's hard to believe that Wake Forest's 2021 Commencement undergraduate ceremonies inside Truist Field are just 25 days away! The class of 2021 has shown tremendous perseverance to overcome the challenges of COVID and it is fitting to celebrate this Deacon victory together.
The 79 student-athletes earning their degrees this spring or summer are joining 28 December graduates. This graduating class has collectively worn the Old Gold and Black in nearly 1,500 athletic contests, have won nine ACC Championships and one NCAA Championship during their Demon Deacon careers! This class has also excelled academically and in the community with 164 Academic ACC honor roll accolades and six ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. Pro Humanitate at its finest!
With plenty of news to cover, let's jump right to the updates here in From the Quad, No. 46!
Postseason Play is Here!
Spring postseason action officially kicked off last week with our No. 3-ranked women's golf team at the ACC Championship in Greensboro last week. Sophomore Rachel Kuehn led the Deacs at the event as she placed third and registered a five-under score of 211 for stroke play.
Lots of Deacons are heading down to Georgia this week as first serve of the ACC women's tennis tournament is Thursday for our No. 31 Demon Deacons, while our No. 10 men's tennis team starts their postseason on Friday in Rome. Wake Forest's No. 5 men's golf program tees off Friday morning.
Finally this week, Coach Jen Averill and our field hockey program, currently tied for 11th in the national polls, will compete in the ACC's NCAA Tournament Automatic Qualifier on Friday at 1 p.m. at North Carolina. Meanwhile, the Deacons track & field program continues its postseason preparations after our latest school-record breaking performances last weekend in Charlottesville.
And for the 10th-straight season, Wake Forest men's soccer program will compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the Deacons postseason opener against Coastal Carolina on Sunday, May 2 at 8 p.m. at Spry Stadium. Wake Forest enters this year's tournament as the No. 5 seed at 11-2-2 on the season. The Demon Deacons have extended the country's longest United Soccer Coaches poll top-25 streak to 85-straight weeks while also remaining in the top-10 for the last 65 installments. Wake Forest's incredible spring after six of its players turned professional after the fall season is testament to the deep program Coach Bobby Muuss has built.
Augusta National = DEACTOWN
Wake Forest's own Will Zalatoris finished second in his rookie Masters on April 11! Our University, the Arnold Palmer Scholarship and Coach Jerry Haas' tutelage of Zalatoris were referenced constantly throughout the tournament broadcast, and especially during the final round on Sunday, which boasted 13.3 million viewers on CBS! Meanwhile, Webb Simpson added another strong Deacon performance as he finished 12th.
Of course a week earlier, Emilia Migliaccio set the 2021 tone for Wake Forest at Augusta National, as the senior and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President entered the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur four strokes off the lead and forced a playoff to finish second in front of close to one million viewers on NBC.
Even former Masters Champion Bubba Watson was in awe of Emilia's performance at the event! It was extra special for her at the event as her mother, Ulrika, became the first mom to ever caddie for her child at Augusta National. Four Demon Deacons competed in the 84 player ANWA - which in just its second iteration has become among the most prestigious amatuer women's tournaments in the world.
Forever Grateful for Demon Deacon Legend, Randolph Childress
Following 10 years as a member of the Wake Forest Athletics staff, including the past nine as a basketball assistant, Wake Forest legend Randolph Childress is stepping away from the coaching staff. In addition to being one of the greatest players in program history, Randolph is a valued member of our community who will always have a home at Wake Forest. As Coach Steve Forbes says, Randolph "will always be a welcome presence in the Shah Basketball Complex, Joel Coliseum and wherever the Deacon flag flies!"
Transfer Portal & Wake Forest
The NCAA introduced the transfer portal on Oct. 15, 2018, providing a more transparent and student-athlete friendly path to explore options. While some student-athletes have elected to leave Wake Forest, dozens have transferred into our university community and found competitive and academic success.
Among those who have flourished at Wake Forest is Jack Crane, who is set to earn his master's in sustainability this spring after being a graduate transfer from Washington State a year ago. During his one season at Wake Forest, he finished with 36 touchbacks and helped the Demon Deacon kickoff return defense finish nearly 40 spots higher in the national rankings than during the 2019 season.
Carolyn Campana, who transferred in from Vanderbilt prior to the 2019-20 academic year has also seen much success as a Demon Deacon. The Hillsborough, Calif. native has had an outstanding competitive career thus far and is ranked No. 15 in singles in the country with a 9-5 record this season. Academically, Carolyn is excelling as a business and enterprise management major.
Our coaching staffs are doing an outstanding job navigating the difficult terrain. Coach Forbes detailed his plan for navigating the portal and building our program when he co-hosted Packer & Durham two weeks ago. In the meantime, our Deacs have been "getting right" in the weight room with Mike Starke!
Deacon Club Accelerating to Historic Finish for Year
Despite the unique times, Deacon fans have been seizing the opportunity to invest in targeted initiatives that are enhancing the student-athlete experience in unprecedented ways. With less than 100 days left in the fiscal year, Deacon Club cash giving is in range of a record breaking year! I am inspired to see so many donors making strategic investments to create competitive advantages for Wake Forest student-athletes and coaches. The International Leadership Circle, which launched last fall during the pandemic to recognize the loyal support of current annual donors and a new generation of leaders, has grown to almost 200 total members! If you would like to be a part of this "team behind our teams," please visit our Deacon Club website today!
Deacons Earn Local, State and National Acclaim Through Recent Announcements
Wake Forest University recently announced its 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. "Building the Dream" award winners and three students were named Goldwater Scholars.
Meanwhile, Governor Roy Cooper has inducted President Nathan Hatch into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor for state of North Carolina service and achievement.
Additionally, Wake Forest recently announced the establishment of the Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence Award. This Angelou Award will honor world-renowned artists who reflect Dr. Angelou's passion for creating, performing and teaching. The award will celebrate exceptional artists for combining achievement in the arts and a commitment to improving the human condition in the spirit of the University's motto, Pro Humanitate. The award winners will visit Wake Forest to educate and engage students, as well as collaborate with faculty.
This is another example of how we are providing a World Class Experience for ALL Wake Forest students!
From the Quad Big 3
As we we close today's edition of From the Quad, here are today's Big 3 ways to help:
Thanks for your support, please continue to wear your mask, get vaccinated and as always, send me your comments, ideas, and questions at wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
It has been a jammed packed few weeks since I've written to you From the Quad, between 57 total competitive events for our Demon Deacon programs, multiple senior day ceremonies (women's tennis, men's tennis, volleyball), a special virtual Easter Wait Chapel service, Ivana Raca ('21) being selected by the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA Draft and welcomed to LA by basketball legend Magic Johnson, and upcoming postseason competition preparations for our field hockey, soccer, tennis, golf and track & field programs!
Monday was a special day on Reynolda campus as newly minted Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner, Dr. Jim Phillips spent the day on campus visiting with staff, coaches and student-athletes. Dr. Phillips has hit the ground running in Greensboro and is quickly assessing the strengths and opportunities to take the ACC to even greater heights.
It's hard to believe that Wake Forest's 2021 Commencement undergraduate ceremonies inside Truist Field are just 25 days away! The class of 2021 has shown tremendous perseverance to overcome the challenges of COVID and it is fitting to celebrate this Deacon victory together.
The 79 student-athletes earning their degrees this spring or summer are joining 28 December graduates. This graduating class has collectively worn the Old Gold and Black in nearly 1,500 athletic contests, have won nine ACC Championships and one NCAA Championship during their Demon Deacon careers! This class has also excelled academically and in the community with 164 Academic ACC honor roll accolades and six ACC Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. Pro Humanitate at its finest!
With plenty of news to cover, let's jump right to the updates here in From the Quad, No. 46!
Postseason Play is Here!
Spring postseason action officially kicked off last week with our No. 3-ranked women's golf team at the ACC Championship in Greensboro last week. Sophomore Rachel Kuehn led the Deacs at the event as she placed third and registered a five-under score of 211 for stroke play.
Lots of Deacons are heading down to Georgia this week as first serve of the ACC women's tennis tournament is Thursday for our No. 31 Demon Deacons, while our No. 10 men's tennis team starts their postseason on Friday in Rome. Wake Forest's No. 5 men's golf program tees off Friday morning.
Finally this week, Coach Jen Averill and our field hockey program, currently tied for 11th in the national polls, will compete in the ACC's NCAA Tournament Automatic Qualifier on Friday at 1 p.m. at North Carolina. Meanwhile, the Deacons track & field program continues its postseason preparations after our latest school-record breaking performances last weekend in Charlottesville.
And for the 10th-straight season, Wake Forest men's soccer program will compete in the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship. Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. for the Deacons postseason opener against Coastal Carolina on Sunday, May 2 at 8 p.m. at Spry Stadium. Wake Forest enters this year's tournament as the No. 5 seed at 11-2-2 on the season. The Demon Deacons have extended the country's longest United Soccer Coaches poll top-25 streak to 85-straight weeks while also remaining in the top-10 for the last 65 installments. Wake Forest's incredible spring after six of its players turned professional after the fall season is testament to the deep program Coach Bobby Muuss has built.
Augusta National = DEACTOWN
Wake Forest's own Will Zalatoris finished second in his rookie Masters on April 11! Our University, the Arnold Palmer Scholarship and Coach Jerry Haas' tutelage of Zalatoris were referenced constantly throughout the tournament broadcast, and especially during the final round on Sunday, which boasted 13.3 million viewers on CBS! Meanwhile, Webb Simpson added another strong Deacon performance as he finished 12th.
Of course a week earlier, Emilia Migliaccio set the 2021 tone for Wake Forest at Augusta National, as the senior and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee President entered the final round of the Augusta National Women's Amateur four strokes off the lead and forced a playoff to finish second in front of close to one million viewers on NBC.
Even former Masters Champion Bubba Watson was in awe of Emilia's performance at the event! It was extra special for her at the event as her mother, Ulrika, became the first mom to ever caddie for her child at Augusta National. Four Demon Deacons competed in the 84 player ANWA - which in just its second iteration has become among the most prestigious amatuer women's tournaments in the world.
Forever Grateful for Demon Deacon Legend, Randolph Childress
Following 10 years as a member of the Wake Forest Athletics staff, including the past nine as a basketball assistant, Wake Forest legend Randolph Childress is stepping away from the coaching staff. In addition to being one of the greatest players in program history, Randolph is a valued member of our community who will always have a home at Wake Forest. As Coach Steve Forbes says, Randolph "will always be a welcome presence in the Shah Basketball Complex, Joel Coliseum and wherever the Deacon flag flies!"
Transfer Portal & Wake Forest
The NCAA introduced the transfer portal on Oct. 15, 2018, providing a more transparent and student-athlete friendly path to explore options. While some student-athletes have elected to leave Wake Forest, dozens have transferred into our university community and found competitive and academic success.
Among those who have flourished at Wake Forest is Jack Crane, who is set to earn his master's in sustainability this spring after being a graduate transfer from Washington State a year ago. During his one season at Wake Forest, he finished with 36 touchbacks and helped the Demon Deacon kickoff return defense finish nearly 40 spots higher in the national rankings than during the 2019 season.
Carolyn Campana, who transferred in from Vanderbilt prior to the 2019-20 academic year has also seen much success as a Demon Deacon. The Hillsborough, Calif. native has had an outstanding competitive career thus far and is ranked No. 15 in singles in the country with a 9-5 record this season. Academically, Carolyn is excelling as a business and enterprise management major.
Our coaching staffs are doing an outstanding job navigating the difficult terrain. Coach Forbes detailed his plan for navigating the portal and building our program when he co-hosted Packer & Durham two weeks ago. In the meantime, our Deacs have been "getting right" in the weight room with Mike Starke!
Deacon Club Accelerating to Historic Finish for Year
Despite the unique times, Deacon fans have been seizing the opportunity to invest in targeted initiatives that are enhancing the student-athlete experience in unprecedented ways. With less than 100 days left in the fiscal year, Deacon Club cash giving is in range of a record breaking year! I am inspired to see so many donors making strategic investments to create competitive advantages for Wake Forest student-athletes and coaches. The International Leadership Circle, which launched last fall during the pandemic to recognize the loyal support of current annual donors and a new generation of leaders, has grown to almost 200 total members! If you would like to be a part of this "team behind our teams," please visit our Deacon Club website today!
Deacons Earn Local, State and National Acclaim Through Recent Announcements
Wake Forest University recently announced its 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. "Building the Dream" award winners and three students were named Goldwater Scholars.
Meanwhile, Governor Roy Cooper has inducted President Nathan Hatch into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor for state of North Carolina service and achievement.
Additionally, Wake Forest recently announced the establishment of the Maya Angelou Artist-in-Residence Award. This Angelou Award will honor world-renowned artists who reflect Dr. Angelou's passion for creating, performing and teaching. The award will celebrate exceptional artists for combining achievement in the arts and a commitment to improving the human condition in the spirit of the University's motto, Pro Humanitate. The award winners will visit Wake Forest to educate and engage students, as well as collaborate with faculty.
This is another example of how we are providing a World Class Experience for ALL Wake Forest students!
From the Quad Big 3
As we we close today's edition of From the Quad, here are today's Big 3 ways to help:
- Attend an upcoming baseball game at Couch Ballpark.
- Read about President-Elect Susan Wente being one of five members of the Vanderbilt community that were honored recently by the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center. Dr. Wente is the recipient of the Mary Jane Werthan Award. Named in honor of the first woman to serve on Vanderbilt's Board of Trustees, this award is presented annually to an individual who has contributed significantly to the advancement of women at Vanderbilt University.
- Secure your place in DEACTOWN by buying your 2021 football season tickets. We are just over four weeks away from the priority renewal deadline on May 12!
Thanks for your support, please continue to wear your mask, get vaccinated and as always, send me your comments, ideas, and questions at wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
Football Media Availability (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18
Matt Barrie SportsCenter at Wake Forest with Demond Claiborne
Wednesday, September 10
Matt Barrie SportsCenter on Wake Forest Campus (Arnold Palmer Complex)
Wednesday, September 10
Football Media Availability (9/9/25)
Wednesday, September 10