From the Quad
2/11/2022 1:32:00 PM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
Every Friday is a #WFFriday, but on this beautiful afternoon Demon Deacons everywhere are wearing Old Gold & Black with extra pride as we conclude an exciting and record-breaking week! With that, we are getting ready for a big men's and women's basketball weekend inside Joel Coliseum.
Let's start with our No. 5 ranked women's golf team that dominated the UCF Challenge, recording the second-lowest 54-hole team score relative to par in NCAA history! Freshman Carolina Chacarra shot a Wake Forest program record 62 in her final round and finished with a 19 under 54-hole score, the lowest relative to par in program history and tied an NCAA record. The Deacs won the event by 14 strokes, including a 12-under score from junior Rachel Kuehn.
Then on Wednesday, men's basketball captured its second road win in five days downing NC State in Raleigh on the heels of a gritty win last weekend at FSU. Coach Steve Forbes has led the Deacs to 20 wins this season for the first time since the 2009-10 season and Wake Forest has earned 10 ACC victories for the first time since 2008-09.
And, Wake Forest has now exceeded double-digit victories in football and the 20-win mark in men's basketball in the same academic year for the first time in our history!
Alondes Williams continues to rate as a Player of the Year candidate and the Deacs are in the hunt for a top-four seed in the ACC Tournament, so grab a friend and come to LJVM Coliseum tomorrow afternoon as Wake Forest takes on Miami at 3 p.m. If you can't get to Winston-Salem, the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South and its affiliates around the country.
Additionally on Saturday, we are paying tribute to our 1962 Final Four team and celebrating the 60th anniversary of that unforgettable run as told in this Deacon Sports Xtra feature including comments from Billy Packer and several teammates reliving that incredible season.
Sunday features three Pro Deacs in the Super Bowl, but first join me in Joel Coliseum as our women's basketball team looks to secure its 10th home win of the season on Sunday at 4 p.m. as Virginia comes to town. Coach Jen Hoover and her staff are navigating a tough ACC schedule with sophomore guard Jewel Spear continuing to lead the conference in scoring at 19.4 ppg.
Before we get to more updates, I want to join with our entire University leadership in expressing appreciation for the resilience and adaptability of our students and entire community last week amidst the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire. As President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D. shared, it was an unprecedented and unsettling four days for thousands of students, faculty, staff and northeast Winston-Salem residents that we navigated together. Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of all members of our community and the University's actions throughout the week followed available facts, careful deliberation and the best recommendations of experts.
We were proud to host a First Responders Appreciation Night at LJVM Coliseum last Thursday for our women's basketball game against UNC and our staff offered complimentary tickets for last Wednesday's aforementioned Pitt game to families and individuals who were relocated to the evacuation center at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Onward!
McCreary Football Complex Groundbreaking on Saturday
More history is coming tomorrow as Wake Forest will host a 1 p.m. ceremonial groundbreaking of the $38 million McCreary Football Complex on campus prior to tipoff of Saturday's 3:00p.m. men's basketball game against Miami.
Following the $20 million challenge gift announced last fall from Bob ('61) and Michele McCreary, Deacon Club members have responded generously to reach the $38 million total project goal that includes all design, construction, and a long term maintenance reserve. This facility being fully donor funded means that no long term debt will be needed, in keeping with our commitment to fiscal responsibility.
The McCreary Football Complex includes:
The 4th Quarter Drive continues in our quest to continuously elevate the Demon Deacons World Class Student-Athlete Experience! A big THANK YOU is due all Deacon Club members who continue to invest in Wake Forest student-athletes.
Continuing to Celebrate 50 Years of Women's Athletics at Wake Forest
As part of our yearlong celebration of 50 Years of Intercollegiate Women's Athletics at Wake Forest, presented by Blue Cross NC, Athletics will host the Celebrate Excellence Weekend on April 1-3, 2022.
Friday, April 1 will feature an exclusive networking event for current female student-athletes and Wake Forest women's alumni and supporters, hosted by ESPNW. On Saturday, April 2, those same groups will be invited to join a celebration event honoring the history, present, and future of Wake Forest Women's Athletics. The weekend will culminate with an event at our home women's tennis match at Jim Leighton Courts on Sunday, April 3.
Click here to register for more information or to participate in any of these events.
As three-time NCAA Championship Coach Jen Averill said, this time will be a reflection of the incredible network of women within our Wake Forest community. We are grateful to all the foundational efforts and support that helps us provide a World Class Student-Athlete Experience for current and future Demon Deacons, as well as their impact on communities around the world.
Here's a powerful video of many of our female student-athletes sharing what the opportunity to compete in intercollegiate athletics means to them. Additionally, I encourage you to read this special Deacon Sports Xtra on how former director of athletics Dr. Gene Hooks, Marge Crisp and Dot Casey helped start our female varsity teams a half-century ago.
Finally, the ACC, Big Ten, and the Pac-12 Alliance are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX through a multi-pronged campaign entitled, "Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX TogetHER."
Wake Forest Celebrates Black History Month
February is Black History Month and we have been sharing content across all of our platforms, including this unifying video of Wake Forest student-athletes reading excerpts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' speech. Check out how Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn ('17, '19) is using his passion and life experience to impact student-athletes and the message Bill Hayes, who coached the Deacs running backs from 1973-75 and was the first Black assistant football coach in Wake Forest and ACC history, shared with our team last fall.
In addition to excellent Black History Month content in the Deacon Sports Xtra (subscribe here), on GoDeacs.com and via all team social media accounts, go to Wake Forest Intercultural Center's website for more Black History Month activities and stories.
Spring Sports News & Notes
We are less than two weeks away from our first championship event of the spring as the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championship begins on Feb. 24 in Blacksburg, Va. Our student-athletes have recorded multiple personal-best and school record performances thus far this season, including at the Camel City Classic and Queens February Multi & Track Meet here in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest's No. 6 men's tennis team grabbed a top-10 win as the Deacs defeated No. 7 Georgia inside the Indoor Tennis Center last Sunday! Relive the match-clinching point here from our talented creative services staff. Additionally, on the women's side, Coach Jeff Wyshner's team captured a pair of home wins last weekend, including a victory over SEC foe South Carolina!
Meanwhile, Coach Jerry Haas and our No. 14 men's golf squad had a good first tournament a few weeks ago, while sophomore Michael Brennan and junior Alex Fitzpatrick were named to the 2022 Ben Hogan Award Watch List earlier this week.
Finally, we are just one week away from the start of college baseball season! Deacon Nation and college baseball fans across the state of North Carolina have the opportunity to select from expanded options, including new reserved chairback seating, premium options, and general admission tickets to catch all 34 home contests inside David F. Couch Ballpark.
Wake Forest returns 21 players including 2021 freshman All-Americans Brock Wilken and Eric Adler. Visit GoDeacs.com/tickets and make plans to be at the Couch now!
Pro Soccer News for Deacs
Join me in congratulating men's soccer alumni Kyle Holcomb and Holland Rula for being selected in the recent MLS SuperDraft, marking 16 total selections since Coach Bobby Muuss arrived seven years ago! Additionally, we are proud of Nico Benalcazar for signing a homegrown contract with New York City FC as he is the ninth alum to sign a homegrown deal since 2017, which is the most in the country. Some exciting news has also happened for our women's soccer players as Kaitlyn Parks was named an All-American and Wake Forest has now had six alums drafted into the NWSL over the past three years.
From the Quad Big 3
Here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
As always, wear your Old Gold & Black today for #WFFriday and continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
Every Friday is a #WFFriday, but on this beautiful afternoon Demon Deacons everywhere are wearing Old Gold & Black with extra pride as we conclude an exciting and record-breaking week! With that, we are getting ready for a big men's and women's basketball weekend inside Joel Coliseum.
Let's start with our No. 5 ranked women's golf team that dominated the UCF Challenge, recording the second-lowest 54-hole team score relative to par in NCAA history! Freshman Carolina Chacarra shot a Wake Forest program record 62 in her final round and finished with a 19 under 54-hole score, the lowest relative to par in program history and tied an NCAA record. The Deacs won the event by 14 strokes, including a 12-under score from junior Rachel Kuehn.
Then on Wednesday, men's basketball captured its second road win in five days downing NC State in Raleigh on the heels of a gritty win last weekend at FSU. Coach Steve Forbes has led the Deacs to 20 wins this season for the first time since the 2009-10 season and Wake Forest has earned 10 ACC victories for the first time since 2008-09.
And, Wake Forest has now exceeded double-digit victories in football and the 20-win mark in men's basketball in the same academic year for the first time in our history!
Alondes Williams continues to rate as a Player of the Year candidate and the Deacs are in the hunt for a top-four seed in the ACC Tournament, so grab a friend and come to LJVM Coliseum tomorrow afternoon as Wake Forest takes on Miami at 3 p.m. If you can't get to Winston-Salem, the game will be broadcast on Bally Sports South and its affiliates around the country.
Additionally on Saturday, we are paying tribute to our 1962 Final Four team and celebrating the 60th anniversary of that unforgettable run as told in this Deacon Sports Xtra feature including comments from Billy Packer and several teammates reliving that incredible season.
Sunday features three Pro Deacs in the Super Bowl, but first join me in Joel Coliseum as our women's basketball team looks to secure its 10th home win of the season on Sunday at 4 p.m. as Virginia comes to town. Coach Jen Hoover and her staff are navigating a tough ACC schedule with sophomore guard Jewel Spear continuing to lead the conference in scoring at 19.4 ppg.
Before we get to more updates, I want to join with our entire University leadership in expressing appreciation for the resilience and adaptability of our students and entire community last week amidst the Weaver Fertilizer Plant fire. As President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D. shared, it was an unprecedented and unsettling four days for thousands of students, faculty, staff and northeast Winston-Salem residents that we navigated together. Our top priority is always the safety and wellbeing of all members of our community and the University's actions throughout the week followed available facts, careful deliberation and the best recommendations of experts.
We were proud to host a First Responders Appreciation Night at LJVM Coliseum last Thursday for our women's basketball game against UNC and our staff offered complimentary tickets for last Wednesday's aforementioned Pitt game to families and individuals who were relocated to the evacuation center at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. Onward!
McCreary Football Complex Groundbreaking on Saturday
More history is coming tomorrow as Wake Forest will host a 1 p.m. ceremonial groundbreaking of the $38 million McCreary Football Complex on campus prior to tipoff of Saturday's 3:00p.m. men's basketball game against Miami.
Following the $20 million challenge gift announced last fall from Bob ('61) and Michele McCreary, Deacon Club members have responded generously to reach the $38 million total project goal that includes all design, construction, and a long term maintenance reserve. This facility being fully donor funded means that no long term debt will be needed, in keeping with our commitment to fiscal responsibility.
The McCreary Football Complex includes:
- Locker space for 130 student-athletes.
- Player lounge with a nutrition station, recovery and fellowship areas.
- Football athletic training/treatment space.
- Equipment center and loading dock.
- Multipurpose space seating up to 200 for team meals, meetings, functions and other activities for all Demon Deacon programs.
The 4th Quarter Drive continues in our quest to continuously elevate the Demon Deacons World Class Student-Athlete Experience! A big THANK YOU is due all Deacon Club members who continue to invest in Wake Forest student-athletes.
Continuing to Celebrate 50 Years of Women's Athletics at Wake Forest
As part of our yearlong celebration of 50 Years of Intercollegiate Women's Athletics at Wake Forest, presented by Blue Cross NC, Athletics will host the Celebrate Excellence Weekend on April 1-3, 2022.
Friday, April 1 will feature an exclusive networking event for current female student-athletes and Wake Forest women's alumni and supporters, hosted by ESPNW. On Saturday, April 2, those same groups will be invited to join a celebration event honoring the history, present, and future of Wake Forest Women's Athletics. The weekend will culminate with an event at our home women's tennis match at Jim Leighton Courts on Sunday, April 3.
Click here to register for more information or to participate in any of these events.
As three-time NCAA Championship Coach Jen Averill said, this time will be a reflection of the incredible network of women within our Wake Forest community. We are grateful to all the foundational efforts and support that helps us provide a World Class Student-Athlete Experience for current and future Demon Deacons, as well as their impact on communities around the world.
Here's a powerful video of many of our female student-athletes sharing what the opportunity to compete in intercollegiate athletics means to them. Additionally, I encourage you to read this special Deacon Sports Xtra on how former director of athletics Dr. Gene Hooks, Marge Crisp and Dot Casey helped start our female varsity teams a half-century ago.
Finally, the ACC, Big Ten, and the Pac-12 Alliance are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX through a multi-pronged campaign entitled, "Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX TogetHER."
Wake Forest Celebrates Black History Month
February is Black History Month and we have been sharing content across all of our platforms, including this unifying video of Wake Forest student-athletes reading excerpts of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'I Have A Dream' speech. Check out how Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn ('17, '19) is using his passion and life experience to impact student-athletes and the message Bill Hayes, who coached the Deacs running backs from 1973-75 and was the first Black assistant football coach in Wake Forest and ACC history, shared with our team last fall.
In addition to excellent Black History Month content in the Deacon Sports Xtra (subscribe here), on GoDeacs.com and via all team social media accounts, go to Wake Forest Intercultural Center's website for more Black History Month activities and stories.
Spring Sports News & Notes
We are less than two weeks away from our first championship event of the spring as the ACC Indoor Track & Field Championship begins on Feb. 24 in Blacksburg, Va. Our student-athletes have recorded multiple personal-best and school record performances thus far this season, including at the Camel City Classic and Queens February Multi & Track Meet here in Winston-Salem.
Wake Forest's No. 6 men's tennis team grabbed a top-10 win as the Deacs defeated No. 7 Georgia inside the Indoor Tennis Center last Sunday! Relive the match-clinching point here from our talented creative services staff. Additionally, on the women's side, Coach Jeff Wyshner's team captured a pair of home wins last weekend, including a victory over SEC foe South Carolina!
Meanwhile, Coach Jerry Haas and our No. 14 men's golf squad had a good first tournament a few weeks ago, while sophomore Michael Brennan and junior Alex Fitzpatrick were named to the 2022 Ben Hogan Award Watch List earlier this week.
Finally, we are just one week away from the start of college baseball season! Deacon Nation and college baseball fans across the state of North Carolina have the opportunity to select from expanded options, including new reserved chairback seating, premium options, and general admission tickets to catch all 34 home contests inside David F. Couch Ballpark.
Wake Forest returns 21 players including 2021 freshman All-Americans Brock Wilken and Eric Adler. Visit GoDeacs.com/tickets and make plans to be at the Couch now!
Pro Soccer News for Deacs
Join me in congratulating men's soccer alumni Kyle Holcomb and Holland Rula for being selected in the recent MLS SuperDraft, marking 16 total selections since Coach Bobby Muuss arrived seven years ago! Additionally, we are proud of Nico Benalcazar for signing a homegrown contract with New York City FC as he is the ninth alum to sign a homegrown deal since 2017, which is the most in the country. Some exciting news has also happened for our women's soccer players as Kaitlyn Parks was named an All-American and Wake Forest has now had six alums drafted into the NWSL over the past three years.
From the Quad Big 3
Here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- It's almost ACC Tournament time! Make plans to get to the 2022 ACC Women's Basketball Tournament (March 2-6) at the Greensboro Coliseum and the 2022 New York Life ACC Men's Tournament in Brooklyn, N.Y. at the Barclays Center (March 8-12).
- Spring soccer is coming soon and we invite you to join us at Spry Stadium or in Greensboro for our opener on Feb. 25.
- The 2022 football schedule is set, so make your plans for an exciting season of Wake Forest and ACC action! As Coach Clawson and his squad build on the ACC Atlantic Division title and a sixth-straight bowl season, our students, band, spirit squads and fans from Winston-Salem and throughout Deacon Nation are establishing Truist Field as a unique and special place to celebrate the color and pageantry of college football. We're excited to again achieve of our goal of delivering the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina - remember the One More Rule - OMR!
As always, wear your Old Gold & Black today for #WFFriday and continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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