Saturday, November 18
Charlottesville, Va.
11:10 a.m.

Wake Forest University

vs

NCAA Championships

Cross Country

Wake Forest Finishes 24th at NCAA Championships

11/18/2023 3:51:00 PM | Cross Country

The Demon Deacons reached the national meet for a program record fourth-straight season.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Wake Forest men's cross country team concluded its 2023 campaign, finishing 24th overall at the NCAA Championships Saturday at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va.
 
The Demon Deacons tallied 536 points en route to Saturday's performance, finishing ahead of four teams that were ranked in the top 25 of the latest USTFCCCA Poll.
 
Individually, the Deacs were led by Joe O'Brien as he clocked 30:23.5 to finish 81st overall. Charlie Sprott (125), Luke Tewalt (137), Gavin Ehlers (143) and Hunter Jones (171) completed the Demon Deacons' top-five spread.
 
Of note, Saturday marked Wake Forest's fourth-straight NCAA Championship appearance and the Demon Deacons' 13th in program history.
 
NCAA Championship Appearances
1988 (14th), 1989 (3rd), 1990 (18th), 1992 (9th), 1993 (20th), 1995 (20th), 1996 (11th), 2000 (18th), 2001 (19th), 2021 Spring (15th), 2021 Fall (10th), 2022 (5th), 2023 (24th)
 
Men's 10k
Place Name Time
81 Joe O'Brien 30:23.5
125 Charlie Sprott 30:47.2
137 Luke Tewalt 30:53.7
143 Gavin Ehlers 30:57.9
171 Hunter Jones 31:17.0
184 Aidan Ross 31:30.0
200 Rynard Swanepoel 31:43.3
 
Team Results
  1. Oklahoma State
  2. Northern Arizona
  3. BYU
  4. Arkansas
  5. Iowa State
  6. North Carolina
  7. Texas
  8. Stanford
  9. Syracuse
  10. Wisconsin
  11. Princeton
  12. Air Force
  13. Montana State
  14. Notre Dame
  15. Harvard
  16. California Baptist
  17. NC State
  18. New Mexico
  19. Michigan
  20. Villanova
  21. Butler
  22. Virginia
  23. Portland
  24. Wake Forest
  25. Colorado
  26. Tennessee
  27. Florida State
  28. Gonzaga
  29. Iona
  30. Georgetown
  31. Eastern Kentucky
 
2023 Season Highlights
  • Wake Forest reached the NCAA Championships for the fourth-straight season, marking the longest streak in program history.
    • This year marked the program's 13th all-time appearance.
  • Luke Tewalt and Joe O'Brien both garnered All-ACC honors, as well as All-Region honors during the 2023 season.
    • Tewalt finished fifth individually at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
  • Charlie Sprott was named ACC Freshman of the Year, after a stellar performance at the ACC Championships.
    • Sprott clocked 23:53.7 to place 23rd overall.
  • Rocky Hansen was tabbed ACC Performer of the Week, becoming the first true freshman to garner the accolade since 2018.
    • Hansen was also tabbed Freshman of the Week on two occasions.
      • In his two races this season, Hansen placed fifth and sixth individually.
  • Paul Specht was named ACC Performer of the Week for the first time in his career during the 2023 slate.
  • The Demon Deacons recorded their fourth-consecutive, top-four team finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
  • The Deacs won the Hokie Open (Nov. 3) and finished third at the Royals XC Challenge (Oct. 6).
 
From the Staff
"Today was a little like an early season race - some good and some not so good. That's a bit how our season has gone. We definitely need to start racing more consistently. With that being said, we have an incredibly young group that was missing one of our stars. I thought we could be in the top 20, but we fell short. The great thing is that we bring everyone back next year, as well as adding several very good athletes to the mix. The future is bright for Wake Forest cross country." - director of track & field and cross country John Hayes
 
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