
Demon Deacons Poised for Carolina Challenge
1/19/2023 12:52:00 PM | Track and Field
The Deacs will look to build upon a stellar opening to the 2022-23 campaign with a short trip to The Palmetto State.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Following an impressive weekend which featured two top-10 performances in school history, the Wake Forest men's and women's track & field teams will return to action Friday and Saturday as the Demon Deacons will travel to Columbia, S.C. to compete in the Carolina Challenge, hosted by South Carolina.
Action will begin at 10 a.m. on both days and will run until competition has concluded for the day.
Live results from the meet can be viewed here.
Teams Participating
Allen University, Anderson University, Barton College, Benedict College, The Citadel, Claflin University, Coastal Carolina, Coker University, Coppin State, Davidson, Emory, Furman, Gardner-Webb, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Howard, Limestone, Montreat College, North Carolina A&T, North Greenville, Queens, South Carolina State, SCAD-Savannah, South Carolina, Southern Wesleyan, Tennessee, Troy, UNC Pembroke, Wake Forest, Western Carolina and Winthrop.
Last Week's Top-Five Finishes
Last Time Out (Virginia Tech Invitational)
Last weekend's action was highlighted by graduate student Mackenna Curtis-Collins' performance in the 3000m at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday evening as the Lexington, Ohio native clocked 9:23.71, marking the seventh best time in Wake Forest history.
Fellow graduate student Emily Akin also had a solid performance in the women's 3000m as she notched a personal-best, finishing fourth with a time of 9:45.46.
In the men's 3000m, freshman Paul Specht and Daniel Winter finished second and fourth, respectively, clocking times of 8:11.44 and 8:15.21.
Racing in his second meet of the 2022-23 indoor season, graduate student Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos had a solid performance in the men's 1 mile as he finished in 4:07.57. Additionally, sophomore Andrew Kivett and junior Pedro Bravo recorded personal-bests, finishing in 4:15.19 and 4:15.78, respectively.
Last Time Out (Dick Taylor Challenge)
Saturday, at the Dick Taylor Challenge in Chapel Hill, graduate student Andrew White had a stellar performance in the men's weight throw (20.76) as he placed second behind United States Olympian Alex Young. Of note, White's performance marked the third best performance in program history.
Wake Forest also continued its dominance in the women's throwing events as Amanda Schaare (14.98m) and Ashlyn Giles (14.74m) finished first and second, respectively, in the shot put. Of note, Isabella Gera and Casey Sullivan also finished in the top seven, making Wake Forest the only team to boast four of the top seven performers in the event.
In the women's long jump, the Demon Deacons were led by Robbie Grace who finished second, jumping 5.68m. Additionally, on the track, Eilidh Nicholson placed second in the women's 400.
Of note, Wake Forest's women's indoor track & field team recorded seven top-five finishes at the Dick Taylor Challenge.
Familiar Faces
Wake Forest will look to build upon a solid 2022 campaign as the Demon Deacons return six indoor track & field All-ACC honorees and five outdoor track & field All-ACC honorees from a season ago between the men's and women's programs.
In 2023, the Wake Forest men's track & field team return First-Team All-American and ACC Champion Thomas Vanoppen. Last season, Vanoppen placed fourth in the 1500m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the first Wake Forest outdoor All-American since Robert Heppenstall in 2018 and the first 1500m All-American since Kyle Graves in 2015.
In addition to Vanoppen, the Demon Deacon men return Zach Facioni who collected Second-Team All-American honors a season ago, along with three indoor All-ACC honorees (Thomas Kitchell, Andrew White and Rynard Swanepoel).
For the women, Wake Forest returns Anna Bush and Emma Soderstrom as they both earned All-American honorable mention honors last season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing 18th in the heptathlon and 23rd in the high jump, respectively. Additionally, the Deacs will return All-ACC selection Addison Berry.
Up Next
Wake Forest men's and women's indoor track & field teams will return to action next weekend (Jan. 27-28) as the Demon Deacons will travel to compete in the Bob Pollock Invitational hosted by Clemson.
Follow The Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Action will begin at 10 a.m. on both days and will run until competition has concluded for the day.
Live results from the meet can be viewed here.
Teams Participating
Allen University, Anderson University, Barton College, Benedict College, The Citadel, Claflin University, Coastal Carolina, Coker University, Coppin State, Davidson, Emory, Furman, Gardner-Webb, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Howard, Limestone, Montreat College, North Carolina A&T, North Greenville, Queens, South Carolina State, SCAD-Savannah, South Carolina, Southern Wesleyan, Tennessee, Troy, UNC Pembroke, Wake Forest, Western Carolina and Winthrop.
Last Week's Top-Five Finishes
- Women's 3000m (Virginia Tech Invitational)
- 1) Mackenna Curtis-Collins, 9:23.71
- 4) Emily Akin, 9:45.46
- Men's 3000m (Virginia Tech Invitational)
- 2) Paul Specht, 8:11.44
- 4) Daniel Winter, 8:15.21
- Men's 1 mile (Virginia Tech Invitational)
- 3) Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos, 4:07.57
- Men's Weight Throw (Dick Taylor Challenge)
- 2) Andrew White, 20.76m
- Women's Long Jump (Dick Taylor Challenge)
- 2) Robbie Grace, 5.68m
- Women's High Jump (Dick Taylor Challenge)
- 5) Anna Bush, 1.58m
- Women's Shot Put (Dick Taylor Challenge)
- 1) Amanda Schaare, 14.98m
- 2) Ashlyn Giles, 14.74m
- 4) Isabella Gera, 14.19m
- Women's 400m (Dick Taylor Challenge)
- 2) Eilidh Nicholson, 1:00.25
- Women's 300m (Dick Taylor Challenge)
- 5) Bianca Nolde-Lopez, 41.21
Last Time Out (Virginia Tech Invitational)
Last weekend's action was highlighted by graduate student Mackenna Curtis-Collins' performance in the 3000m at the Virginia Tech Invitational on Friday evening as the Lexington, Ohio native clocked 9:23.71, marking the seventh best time in Wake Forest history.
Fellow graduate student Emily Akin also had a solid performance in the women's 3000m as she notched a personal-best, finishing fourth with a time of 9:45.46.
In the men's 3000m, freshman Paul Specht and Daniel Winter finished second and fourth, respectively, clocking times of 8:11.44 and 8:15.21.
Racing in his second meet of the 2022-23 indoor season, graduate student Joaquin Martinez de Pinillos had a solid performance in the men's 1 mile as he finished in 4:07.57. Additionally, sophomore Andrew Kivett and junior Pedro Bravo recorded personal-bests, finishing in 4:15.19 and 4:15.78, respectively.
Last Time Out (Dick Taylor Challenge)
Saturday, at the Dick Taylor Challenge in Chapel Hill, graduate student Andrew White had a stellar performance in the men's weight throw (20.76) as he placed second behind United States Olympian Alex Young. Of note, White's performance marked the third best performance in program history.
Wake Forest also continued its dominance in the women's throwing events as Amanda Schaare (14.98m) and Ashlyn Giles (14.74m) finished first and second, respectively, in the shot put. Of note, Isabella Gera and Casey Sullivan also finished in the top seven, making Wake Forest the only team to boast four of the top seven performers in the event.
In the women's long jump, the Demon Deacons were led by Robbie Grace who finished second, jumping 5.68m. Additionally, on the track, Eilidh Nicholson placed second in the women's 400.
Of note, Wake Forest's women's indoor track & field team recorded seven top-five finishes at the Dick Taylor Challenge.
Familiar Faces
Wake Forest will look to build upon a solid 2022 campaign as the Demon Deacons return six indoor track & field All-ACC honorees and five outdoor track & field All-ACC honorees from a season ago between the men's and women's programs.
In 2023, the Wake Forest men's track & field team return First-Team All-American and ACC Champion Thomas Vanoppen. Last season, Vanoppen placed fourth in the 1500m at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, becoming the first Wake Forest outdoor All-American since Robert Heppenstall in 2018 and the first 1500m All-American since Kyle Graves in 2015.
In addition to Vanoppen, the Demon Deacon men return Zach Facioni who collected Second-Team All-American honors a season ago, along with three indoor All-ACC honorees (Thomas Kitchell, Andrew White and Rynard Swanepoel).
For the women, Wake Forest returns Anna Bush and Emma Soderstrom as they both earned All-American honorable mention honors last season at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, finishing 18th in the heptathlon and 23rd in the high jump, respectively. Additionally, the Deacs will return All-ACC selection Addison Berry.
Up Next
Wake Forest men's and women's indoor track & field teams will return to action next weekend (Jan. 27-28) as the Demon Deacons will travel to compete in the Bob Pollock Invitational hosted by Clemson.
Follow The Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Players Mentioned
Wake Forest Defensive Back Davaughn Patterson Postgame vs. SMU (Oct. 25, 2025)
Saturday, October 25
Wake Forest Wide Receiver Chris Barnes Postgame Press Conference vs. SMU (Oct. 25, 2025)
Saturday, October 25
Wake Forest Kicker Connor Calvert Postgame Press Conference vs. SMU (Oct. 25, 2025)
Saturday, October 25
Wake Forest Head Coach Jake Dickert Postgame Press Conference vs. SMU (Oct. 25, 2025)
Saturday, October 25





















