No. 7 Wake Forest Selected to 2022 NCAA DI Men’s Cross Country Championship
11/13/2022 7:38:00 PM | Cross Country
The Demon Deacons head to the national meet for the 12th time in program history. Action will begin at 11:10 a.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 19.
INDIANAPOLIS – For the third-consecutive season, the seventh-ranked Wake Forest men's cross country team was selected to participate in the NCAA DI Cross Country Championship, as announced on NCAA.com.
The Demon Deacons will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to compete in the annual meet hosted by Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 19 at The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course. Saturday's meet can be viewed live on ESPNU and the ESPN App beginning at 11:10 a.m. ET.
The nod marks the Demon Deacons' third-consecutive and 12th all-time NCAA Championship appearance.
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in the championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Although Wake Forest won the ACC Championship this season, the Demon Deacons qualified for the NCAA Championship as an at-large bid due finishing third at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
NCAA Championship Appearances (Team)
1988 (14th), 1989 (3rd), 1990 (18th), 1992 (9th), 1993 (20th), 1995 (20th), 1996 (11th), 2000 (18th), 2001 (19th), 2021 Spring (15th), 2021 Fall (10th)
Season Highlights
The Demon Deacons will travel to Stillwater, Okla., to compete in the annual meet hosted by Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 19 at The Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course. Saturday's meet can be viewed live on ESPNU and the ESPN App beginning at 11:10 a.m. ET.
The nod marks the Demon Deacons' third-consecutive and 12th all-time NCAA Championship appearance.
Thirty-one teams were selected to participate in the championship. The top two, seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, for a total of 18 teams. Thirteen additional teams were selected at-large.
Although Wake Forest won the ACC Championship this season, the Demon Deacons qualified for the NCAA Championship as an at-large bid due finishing third at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
NCAA Championship Appearances (Team)
1988 (14th), 1989 (3rd), 1990 (18th), 1992 (9th), 1993 (20th), 1995 (20th), 1996 (11th), 2000 (18th), 2001 (19th), 2021 Spring (15th), 2021 Fall (10th)
Season Highlights
- The Wake Forest men's cross country team is currently ranked seventh nationally.
- The Demon Deacons won the ACC Cross Country Championship this season for the first time since 1994.
- This year's title marked the fifth in program history.
- Wake Forest had its best performance of the 2022 campaign as the Deacs finished 42 points ahead of second-place Syracuse to secure the league title.
- This year's title marked the fifth in program history.
- At the ACC Championships, Aaron Las Heras (third), Luke Tewalt (fourth), Thomas Vanoppen (fifth) and Zach Facioni (eighth) all garnered All-ACC honors and finished in the top eight.
- Of note, the Deacs entire top-five spread finished in the top-25 as Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos placed 24th.
- Despite coasting to a third place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional, the Demon Deacons still had four runners earn All-Region honors (Tewalt, Facioni, Las Heras and Vanoppen).
- This season, the Deacs have finished no lower than sixth in any meet and have placed no lower than third during championship season.
- The only meet in which the Demon Deacons finished outside the top three was the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 24.
- The Cowboy Jamboree featured eight of the top-10 teams nationally.
- Additionally, the Cowboy Jamboree marked the first meet of the season for each of Wake Forest's seven competitors.
- The only meet in which the Demon Deacons finished outside the top three was the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 24.
- In addition to winning the ACC Championship, the Demon Deacons placed first at the Panorama Farms XC 23 Invitational.
- Despite missing Las Heras, three Deacs finished in the top-10 in the men's 8k.
- Wake Forest was paced by two-time All-American Facioni, who finished second overall (23:11.5). Vanoppen (23:18.4) and Tewalt (23:24.7) joined Facioni in the top-10 placing fourth and ninth, respectively.
- Martinez De Pinillos (23:32.4) and Ben Mitchell (23:46.6) also had solid performances as they finished 11th and 22nd, respectively.
- The Demon Deacons had a solid showing at the Adidas XC Challenge on Sept. 16 as Rynard Swanepoel, Joe Pearl and Andrew Kivett all turned in top-30 finishes in the men's 6k.
- Wake Forest was paced by Swanepoel who finished 11th, running 18:18.1. Pearl (18:40.1) and Kivett (18:48.8) joined Swanepoel in the top-30 as they finished 24th and 27th, respectively.
Football Media Availability (9/23/25)
Tuesday, September 23
Wake Forest Football Head Coach Jake Dickert Press Conference (Week 5)
Tuesday, September 23
Coach Jake Dickert Press Conference (Sept. 22, 2025)
Monday, September 22
Football Media Availability (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18