From the Quad
9/16/2022 11:46:00 AM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
It's #WFFriday and we have an action-packed slate of Wake Forest Athletics competition! Also, it is Homecoming Weekend here in DEACTOWN complete with Kool & the Gang on Manchester Plaza later this afternoon! Since I know you already have your Friday Old Gold & Black on, come on over to Kentner Stadium at 4 p.m. to watch our No. 17-ranked field hockey program host Richmond! Admission is FREE and the game will broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
And, although you may be able to find a ticket on the secondary market, your No. 18 ranked Demon Deacons host Liberty on Saturday at 5 p.m. and the game is officially SOLD OUT! Stan Cotten, Lary Sorensen and Dave Goren will be on the air live at 4 p.m. on WBRF 98.1 FM with pregame coverage and the game will be broadcast live on radio and the ACC Network!
We had a blast in DEACTOWN Nashville last weekend as approximately 2,000 Deacon fans, led by President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D. and Vice President for Campus Life Dr. Shea Kidd Brown, stormed into Nashville to see our team defeat Southeastern Conference foe Vanderbilt. Nearly 500 fans of all ages enjoyed a fun atmosphere last Friday night at the official Wake Forest welcome party at Pins Mechanical.
Meanwhile, check out this fun video as former Wake Forest captain and current Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn ('17, '19) spread the Demon Deacons spirit on Broadway the night before the game. Our entire creative services team, led by Ross Marra, is doing an incredible job chronicling all the exciting moments and energy around our community, including the recent Athletics all-staff meeting where Charles & Robin Paul shared an inspiring message.
Meanwhile on the field last weekend, it was so exciting to see quarterback Sam Hartman and wideout A.T. Perry link up again on one of their patented long touchdown completions. The outreach of support for Sam has been incredible and it's wonderful to have him healthy and back on the field! Let's give another quick tip of the Deacon top hat to Niles Fleet and our athletics training staff, Chad Bari and our football strength and conditioning staff, team doctor Dr. Chris Miles, Dr. Julie Freischlag, Dr. Matthew Goldman and the elite team at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
Before we get to the rest of today's updates, Mary Lawrence and I were proud to host our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for dinner on Monday evening. Demon Deacon Nation should be incredibly proud of these leaders - among our teams, across campus and in the community!
Homecoming Events & Recognitions
During tomorrow's game Wake Forest University will recognize four trailblazing professors – Elizabeth Phillips, Dolly McPherson, Marjorie "Marge" Crisp, and Herman Eure – as the Winston-Salem City Council formally approved Wake Forest University's recommendation to name four roads on our Reynolda Campus in their honor last month. The thoughtful process that led to this historic announcement was led by Wake Forest's Advisory Committee on Naming.
On Sunday morning at Wait Chapel, all are welcome as Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton, Dean of the WFU School of Divinity, preaches and the University Chamber Choir shares in song at the annual Homecoming worship service at 11 a.m., which will be followed by a reception in honor of the four honorees that culminates an exciting Homecoming weekend on our campus.
The friendships and bonds that are created at Wake Forest can last a lifetime and will be on full display this weekend as old friends reunite. We welcome back all Demon Deacons including our 1992 Independence Bowl Champions! It has been nostalgic to see the content shared on our @WakeFB social media accounts as we all get in the Homecoming spirit!
Wake Forest Garners Top 30 Recognition from U.S. News & World Report Ranking
Fitting with esteemed alumni converging on Winston-Salem for this special weekend, Wake Forest ranked among the top 30 national universities for the 27th consecutive year in the annual
U.S. News and World Report's 2022-23 Best Colleges.
Wake Forest was 29th overall among 443 national universities and thanks to our dedicated faculty was ranked 21st for undergraduate teaching. I echo President Wente's comments in our University release of this news that Wake Forest is among the nation's best at delivering an exceptional education, and we are pleased to see that commitment to excellence recognized.
Goal No. 4 - Win Championships
Wake Forest's reigning ACC Championship golf programs began their fall season over the past week and our No. 2 ranked women took home the title of the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate on Wednesday. Our No. 19 men had four Demon Deacons finish the Maui Jim Intercollegiate below par at their first event.
Nationally Ranked Men's & Women's Soccer Programs Off to Torrid Starts
Head coach Bobby Muuss' No. 2 ranked men's soccer team is off to a 6-0 start after Tuesday night's win over Fairleigh Dickinson. With the help of incredible fan and student support, Wake Forest has won 12-straight matches inside Spry Stadium!
The streak includes Wake Forest Athletics first Big 4 win of the 2022-23 year, as the men's soccer team downed NC State last Saturday, 2-0. The Deacs are now undefeated against the Wolfpack in 21-straight matches! Wake Forest has a tough road match tonight in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech that can be seen on ACC Network Extra at 7:30 p.m. Come see the Deacs back inside Spry Stadium on Tuesday next week against George Mason. Tickets can be purchased for as low as $5!
Our No. 24-ranked women's soccer program led by head coach Tony da Luz is 6-0-2 on the season and travels to Raleigh this Sunday at 7 p.m. for the Deacs ACC opener that will be broadcast on ACCN. The Deacs have allowed just one goal thus far this season, while outscoring opponents 16-1, and tallying big-time non-conference victories over Georgia and Maryland! The Deacs are high on the national statistics boards as they currently rank second in the country in goals allowed per game and tied for second in the country in shut out percentage. Come make some noise as we host Clemson next Thursday at 8 p.m.! Tickets can be purchased for as low as $10 and the match will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
Field Hockey & Volleyball Rack Up Wins Ahead of ACC Play
Head coach Jen Averill and our No. 17-ranked field hockey program traveled out west last week and earned a pair of victories over Cal and UC Davis. After an incredible week where she scored a team-high 12 points, netting a team-high five goals and two assists, senior All-American Meike Lanckohr was named the ACC Player of the Week on Monday.
Following this afternoon's aforementioned match against Richmond, Wake Forest heads on the road on Sunday for a non-conference match at Ohio State. The match will start at 1 p.m. and you can follow along here.
Coach Randi Smart's volleyball team is off to a 6-3 start with wins over Ole Miss and South Carolina! The Deacs are in Charlotte this weekend for their final tune-up before ACC play and compete tonight at 6 p.m. vs. Davidson.
Fall Cross Country Off and Running This Weekend
Additionally on Friday, Wake Forest's cross country programs begin their fall slate with the No. 9-ranked men in Raleigh at the Adidas Invitational and the women in Greenville, S.C. at the Furman XC Invite. Follow @WakeTrack for the results and unique content from the meets.
Earlier this month the men's cross country team was selected to win the Atlantic Coast Conference this season! The Wake Forest men, seeking the program's fifth ACC title and first since 1994, were also selected to win the NCAA Southeast Regional title by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Deacs, led by director of track & field and cross country John Hayes, will look to build upon a strong 2021 campaign in which they took the team title at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, marking the best regional finish for the program since 1993.
Big Game Tomorrow! Liberty Comes to Winston-Salem to Face 2-0 Demon Deacons
All eyes will be on Winston-Salem as the Demon Deacons take on the Liberty Flames on Saturday at 5 p.m. live on ACCN. We encourage you to arrive early and enjoy live music beginning at 2 p.m. in the upgraded DEACTOWN Fan Zone presented by Forsyth County Farm Bureau Insurance prior to the Deacon Walk at 2:30 p.m.
With a capacity crowd on hand tomorrow afternoon, we appreciate your patience as our dedicated ushers, security and concessions staff work to provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. Click here to read about parking information, gameday shuttles and the fastest way to get inside Truist Field so that we can create an incredible atmosphere and home-field advantage!
We take Goal No. 5 very seriously as we strive to provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. Your feedback is really insightful and helpful in that regard. One of our ongoing issues is an antiquated sound system at Truist Field as some areas of our beautiful stadium cannot hear it very well, while other portions of the stadium are way too loud. We have engaged sound engineers to develop a plan for permanent upgrades. In the meantime as we adjust on the fly, please keep me posted at wfuad@wfu.edu on your experiences.
Additionally, given our much increased attendance over the last several years, to improve speed of service, our concessionaire Spectra has largely shifted from fountain drinks to 20 oz. bottles. If you'd like a cup of ice when you are ordering something, just ask!
Finally, while you can access the official digital game program here, you can also get a complimentary roster card at all guest service kiosks throughout the concourse at Truist Field and inside the Fan Experience tent at the DEACTOWN Fan Zone.
Looking Ahead to Future Football Scheduling
While next week No. 18 Wake Forest hosts No. 4 Clemson inside Truist Field, we are always assessing future scheduling opportunities such as the home-and-home we recently announced with Maryland. With that, Wake Forest and Liberty recently mutually agreed to cancel the 2025 and 2026 games previously set for Lynchburg and Winston-Salem, respectively. The 2025 date is a possibility to make up the Appalachian State home game postponed during the COVID-2020 season. In 2026 we travel to both Purdue and Army, so our focus for our remaining dates that year will be on home games. Scheduling is a complex jigsaw puzzle and I'm always glad to hear your thoughts on who you'd like to see the Deacs play!
Fireworks Tonight!
All those in Winston-Salem and especially our friends and neighbors who live close to our beautiful Reynolda campus are reminded to look into the sky tonight around 9 p.m. for our traditional "night-before-home-game" free fireworks show!
From the Quad Big 3
Here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Our final look back to last weekend takes us to Truist Field where the "No Fear" Battalion ROTC cadet students of Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State, and Salem College hosted the annual "Climb to Remember" at Truist Field. There was a moment of silence and then, together, everyone climbed 2,997 Truist Field steps in memory of each life lost on that tragic day in 2001. Due to the Vanderbilt trip I missed it, but I look forward to participating again on Monday, Sept 11, 2023!
That's all for today! Join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, be safe, send your thoughts to me at wfuad@wfu.edu and...
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
It's #WFFriday and we have an action-packed slate of Wake Forest Athletics competition! Also, it is Homecoming Weekend here in DEACTOWN complete with Kool & the Gang on Manchester Plaza later this afternoon! Since I know you already have your Friday Old Gold & Black on, come on over to Kentner Stadium at 4 p.m. to watch our No. 17-ranked field hockey program host Richmond! Admission is FREE and the game will broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
And, although you may be able to find a ticket on the secondary market, your No. 18 ranked Demon Deacons host Liberty on Saturday at 5 p.m. and the game is officially SOLD OUT! Stan Cotten, Lary Sorensen and Dave Goren will be on the air live at 4 p.m. on WBRF 98.1 FM with pregame coverage and the game will be broadcast live on radio and the ACC Network!
We had a blast in DEACTOWN Nashville last weekend as approximately 2,000 Deacon fans, led by President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D. and Vice President for Campus Life Dr. Shea Kidd Brown, stormed into Nashville to see our team defeat Southeastern Conference foe Vanderbilt. Nearly 500 fans of all ages enjoyed a fun atmosphere last Friday night at the official Wake Forest welcome party at Pins Mechanical.
Meanwhile, check out this fun video as former Wake Forest captain and current Director of Player Development Wendell Dunn ('17, '19) spread the Demon Deacons spirit on Broadway the night before the game. Our entire creative services team, led by Ross Marra, is doing an incredible job chronicling all the exciting moments and energy around our community, including the recent Athletics all-staff meeting where Charles & Robin Paul shared an inspiring message.
Meanwhile on the field last weekend, it was so exciting to see quarterback Sam Hartman and wideout A.T. Perry link up again on one of their patented long touchdown completions. The outreach of support for Sam has been incredible and it's wonderful to have him healthy and back on the field! Let's give another quick tip of the Deacon top hat to Niles Fleet and our athletics training staff, Chad Bari and our football strength and conditioning staff, team doctor Dr. Chris Miles, Dr. Julie Freischlag, Dr. Matthew Goldman and the elite team at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.
Before we get to the rest of today's updates, Mary Lawrence and I were proud to host our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for dinner on Monday evening. Demon Deacon Nation should be incredibly proud of these leaders - among our teams, across campus and in the community!
Homecoming Events & Recognitions
During tomorrow's game Wake Forest University will recognize four trailblazing professors – Elizabeth Phillips, Dolly McPherson, Marjorie "Marge" Crisp, and Herman Eure – as the Winston-Salem City Council formally approved Wake Forest University's recommendation to name four roads on our Reynolda Campus in their honor last month. The thoughtful process that led to this historic announcement was led by Wake Forest's Advisory Committee on Naming.
On Sunday morning at Wait Chapel, all are welcome as Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton, Dean of the WFU School of Divinity, preaches and the University Chamber Choir shares in song at the annual Homecoming worship service at 11 a.m., which will be followed by a reception in honor of the four honorees that culminates an exciting Homecoming weekend on our campus.
The friendships and bonds that are created at Wake Forest can last a lifetime and will be on full display this weekend as old friends reunite. We welcome back all Demon Deacons including our 1992 Independence Bowl Champions! It has been nostalgic to see the content shared on our @WakeFB social media accounts as we all get in the Homecoming spirit!
Wake Forest Garners Top 30 Recognition from U.S. News & World Report Ranking
Fitting with esteemed alumni converging on Winston-Salem for this special weekend, Wake Forest ranked among the top 30 national universities for the 27th consecutive year in the annual
U.S. News and World Report's 2022-23 Best Colleges.
Wake Forest was 29th overall among 443 national universities and thanks to our dedicated faculty was ranked 21st for undergraduate teaching. I echo President Wente's comments in our University release of this news that Wake Forest is among the nation's best at delivering an exceptional education, and we are pleased to see that commitment to excellence recognized.
Goal No. 4 - Win Championships
Wake Forest's reigning ACC Championship golf programs began their fall season over the past week and our No. 2 ranked women took home the title of the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate on Wednesday. Our No. 19 men had four Demon Deacons finish the Maui Jim Intercollegiate below par at their first event.
Nationally Ranked Men's & Women's Soccer Programs Off to Torrid Starts
Head coach Bobby Muuss' No. 2 ranked men's soccer team is off to a 6-0 start after Tuesday night's win over Fairleigh Dickinson. With the help of incredible fan and student support, Wake Forest has won 12-straight matches inside Spry Stadium!
The streak includes Wake Forest Athletics first Big 4 win of the 2022-23 year, as the men's soccer team downed NC State last Saturday, 2-0. The Deacs are now undefeated against the Wolfpack in 21-straight matches! Wake Forest has a tough road match tonight in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech that can be seen on ACC Network Extra at 7:30 p.m. Come see the Deacs back inside Spry Stadium on Tuesday next week against George Mason. Tickets can be purchased for as low as $5!
Our No. 24-ranked women's soccer program led by head coach Tony da Luz is 6-0-2 on the season and travels to Raleigh this Sunday at 7 p.m. for the Deacs ACC opener that will be broadcast on ACCN. The Deacs have allowed just one goal thus far this season, while outscoring opponents 16-1, and tallying big-time non-conference victories over Georgia and Maryland! The Deacs are high on the national statistics boards as they currently rank second in the country in goals allowed per game and tied for second in the country in shut out percentage. Come make some noise as we host Clemson next Thursday at 8 p.m.! Tickets can be purchased for as low as $10 and the match will be broadcast live on ACC Network.
Field Hockey & Volleyball Rack Up Wins Ahead of ACC Play
Head coach Jen Averill and our No. 17-ranked field hockey program traveled out west last week and earned a pair of victories over Cal and UC Davis. After an incredible week where she scored a team-high 12 points, netting a team-high five goals and two assists, senior All-American Meike Lanckohr was named the ACC Player of the Week on Monday.
Following this afternoon's aforementioned match against Richmond, Wake Forest heads on the road on Sunday for a non-conference match at Ohio State. The match will start at 1 p.m. and you can follow along here.
Coach Randi Smart's volleyball team is off to a 6-3 start with wins over Ole Miss and South Carolina! The Deacs are in Charlotte this weekend for their final tune-up before ACC play and compete tonight at 6 p.m. vs. Davidson.
Fall Cross Country Off and Running This Weekend
Additionally on Friday, Wake Forest's cross country programs begin their fall slate with the No. 9-ranked men in Raleigh at the Adidas Invitational and the women in Greenville, S.C. at the Furman XC Invite. Follow @WakeTrack for the results and unique content from the meets.
Earlier this month the men's cross country team was selected to win the Atlantic Coast Conference this season! The Wake Forest men, seeking the program's fifth ACC title and first since 1994, were also selected to win the NCAA Southeast Regional title by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The Deacs, led by director of track & field and cross country John Hayes, will look to build upon a strong 2021 campaign in which they took the team title at the NCAA Southeast Regional Championships, marking the best regional finish for the program since 1993.
Big Game Tomorrow! Liberty Comes to Winston-Salem to Face 2-0 Demon Deacons
All eyes will be on Winston-Salem as the Demon Deacons take on the Liberty Flames on Saturday at 5 p.m. live on ACCN. We encourage you to arrive early and enjoy live music beginning at 2 p.m. in the upgraded DEACTOWN Fan Zone presented by Forsyth County Farm Bureau Insurance prior to the Deacon Walk at 2:30 p.m.
With a capacity crowd on hand tomorrow afternoon, we appreciate your patience as our dedicated ushers, security and concessions staff work to provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. Click here to read about parking information, gameday shuttles and the fastest way to get inside Truist Field so that we can create an incredible atmosphere and home-field advantage!
We take Goal No. 5 very seriously as we strive to provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. Your feedback is really insightful and helpful in that regard. One of our ongoing issues is an antiquated sound system at Truist Field as some areas of our beautiful stadium cannot hear it very well, while other portions of the stadium are way too loud. We have engaged sound engineers to develop a plan for permanent upgrades. In the meantime as we adjust on the fly, please keep me posted at wfuad@wfu.edu on your experiences.
Additionally, given our much increased attendance over the last several years, to improve speed of service, our concessionaire Spectra has largely shifted from fountain drinks to 20 oz. bottles. If you'd like a cup of ice when you are ordering something, just ask!
Finally, while you can access the official digital game program here, you can also get a complimentary roster card at all guest service kiosks throughout the concourse at Truist Field and inside the Fan Experience tent at the DEACTOWN Fan Zone.
Looking Ahead to Future Football Scheduling
While next week No. 18 Wake Forest hosts No. 4 Clemson inside Truist Field, we are always assessing future scheduling opportunities such as the home-and-home we recently announced with Maryland. With that, Wake Forest and Liberty recently mutually agreed to cancel the 2025 and 2026 games previously set for Lynchburg and Winston-Salem, respectively. The 2025 date is a possibility to make up the Appalachian State home game postponed during the COVID-2020 season. In 2026 we travel to both Purdue and Army, so our focus for our remaining dates that year will be on home games. Scheduling is a complex jigsaw puzzle and I'm always glad to hear your thoughts on who you'd like to see the Deacs play!
Fireworks Tonight!
All those in Winston-Salem and especially our friends and neighbors who live close to our beautiful Reynolda campus are reminded to look into the sky tonight around 9 p.m. for our traditional "night-before-home-game" free fireworks show!
From the Quad Big 3
Here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- It was just a few years ago that current PGA stars Will Zaltoris and Cameron Young were walking the grounds of Old Town Club - the No. 29 course in America and No. 65 in the world! Volunteers are needed for the annual Old Town Intercollegiate Sept. 26-27 - click here to sign up if you are interested in a special behind the scenes experience. Admission is free for this elite event featuring the best in college golf.
- Get up and at 'em early for next Saturday's noon kickoff against No. 4 Clemson! Bring your friends and family with you and help create an unbelievable home field advantage for our Demon Deacons and a great scene for the national ABC TV audience!
- Our men's and women's basketball schedules were announced earlier this week! Click here to see all the ticketing options for both teams, including our innovative FLEX plans!
Our final look back to last weekend takes us to Truist Field where the "No Fear" Battalion ROTC cadet students of Wake Forest, Winston-Salem State, and Salem College hosted the annual "Climb to Remember" at Truist Field. There was a moment of silence and then, together, everyone climbed 2,997 Truist Field steps in memory of each life lost on that tragic day in 2001. Due to the Vanderbilt trip I missed it, but I look forward to participating again on Monday, Sept 11, 2023!
That's all for today! Join us in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, be safe, send your thoughts to me at wfuad@wfu.edu and...
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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