From the Quad
3/24/2023 10:55:00 AM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
It's shaping up to be a beautiful #WFFriday here in Winston-Salem with the home action getting underway at 4 p.m. on the Jim Leighton Courts as your No. 14-ranked Demon Deacons men's tennis squad hosts Louisville right before our No. 2-ranked Diamond Deacs take on No. 17 Miami at Couch Ballpark for a nationally televised series opener at 8 p.m.
So wherever in the world you are today, put on your Old Gold & Black and follow the action either live or in person, on the Wake Forest App!
Let's get right to the updates!
Diamond Deacs Continue Hot Start; Host Hurricanes This Weekend
Led by strong arms, including 2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder and hard-hitting bats including Brock Wilken and Nick Kurtz, the Wake Forest baseball team sits atop the Atlantic Division in the ACC standings with a 4-2 conference record, and one-game back overall behind Miami who is 5-1 in conference play.
At 19-3 overall, the 109th edition of Demon Deacons baseball is the second in program history (1949) to win 18 of its first 20 games to open a season. The Deacs-Canes series this weekend begins tonight at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's contests will be played at 4 p.m. and noon, respectively. Tonight's game will be broadcast on ACC Network, while the weekend contests can be viewed on ACC Network Extra. Tickets can be purchased here for as low as $10 for any game this weekend.
Before we move on, I encourage you to watch this #RoyalKey video tour of David F. Couch Ballpark and the Chris Hurd Player Development Center. This World Class facility truly helps our young men reach their full potential while allowing our staff to provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina to all our patrons.
Track & Field Set for Outdoor Season; Tennis Programs Return to Action This Weekend
Following an All-America finish in the weight throw from Andrew White at the NCAA Indoor Championships, our Demon Deacons track & field teams are now in outdoor competition mode and turned in a program record and 10 podium finishes last weekend to open the spring. Coach John Hayes' student-athletes opened competition last night at the Raleigh Relays at NC State where our team was led by Carolien Millenaar as she placed first in the women's 10,000m run. Results from today and tomorrow's action can be followed along with our social media platforms here and full recaps each day on GoDeacs.com.
Following today's aforementioned men's tennis match, Coach Tony Bresky's squad is at home on Sunday for a doubleheader against Notre Dame (12 p.m.) and UNC Greensboro (4 p.m.). Remember, all tennis matches are FREE and our Demon Deacons are 18-6 overall on the year and a solid 3-1 in conference play this spring.
Meanwhile, Coach Jeff Wyshner's No. 25 women's tennis team returns to action on the road this weekend at Louisville today and at Notre Dame on Sunday. While the Deacs were on a bye last weekend, they will look to regain the momentum they had when they were last at home on March 5 when the Deacs downed No. 19 Georgia Tech. Following along with updates throughout the weekend on social media.
Women's Golfers Take Center Stage at Augusta National
The 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur tees off next week and Wake Forest will be one of only three schools in the ACC with three participants! Here's a great read by Dan Davies from Clippd.com where he spoke with Emilia Migliaccio, Rachel Kuehn and Carolina Chacarra on what being a part of the 72-participant field at this unique and historic event means. The first 36 holes will be contested over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., March 29 and 30, 2023. The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, March 31. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 1 and will feature the competitors who made the cut.
Meanwhile, our men's golf team returns to spring action early next week at the Valspar Collegiate in Florida. Live scoring for the event on Monday and Tuesday can be followed here.
Women's History Month Video Series Spotlights #WakeWomen
Throughout March our talented partners in the Office of Communications & External Relations have shared inspirational videos on President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Life Dr. Shea Kidd Brown, Major Derri Stormer of Wake Forest University Police, trailblazers Marge Crisp and Lu Leake, and recent graduates Courtney Toll ('18) and Annabel Love ('18).
Welcome to Wake Forest Dean Jackie Krasas!
The legacy of transformational women leaders at Wake Forest is taking another leap forward with the selection of Jackie Krasas, Ph.D., as the new Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. A highly-regarded sociology, women's gender and sexuality studies scholar, Krasas comes to Wake Forest from Lehigh University, where she currently serves as deputy provost for faculty affairs. I enjoyed meeting Dean Krasas at her welcome reception last week and applaud Provost Michele Gillespie and search committee chair Dean Franco, who is Director of the Humanities Institute and Winifred W. Palmer Professor of English, for their leadership in this critical search!
Time Marches On - Brendan Jones Joins the Deacs - A Proud Farewell to Brooks Savage
One of my favorite parts of my job is supporting and interacting with up-and-coming athletics and higher education professionals in their own career journeys.
We first like to welcome Brendan Jones, who arrived this past week as our new Sr. Associate AD and Chief Revenue Officer following an extremely successful tenure at Southern Miss. Brendan has ACC roots as he is a Clemson graduate and previously worked for Learfield IMG College as he managed properties of several of our member institutions. We are excited to welcome Brendan, his wife, Taylor, and their children, Collins and Porter, to our Winston-Salem community!
We are extremely proud of assistant men's basketball coach, Brooks Savage, on being named the new leader of the East Tennessee State men's hoops program. Coach Savage has been instrumental in the renaissance of our Demon Deacons men's basketball program under the direction of Coach Steve Forbes. Please join me, Coach Forbes and everyone in our community in thanking Brooks for his service to Wake Forest and we look forward to watching him succeed in Johnson City.
Wake Forest Continues to Prioritize Mental Health of Student-Athletes
Speaking of Wake Forest staff members, I want to thank Dr. Rachel Conway and Sport Psychology, as well as Maddie Lynch, the S.A.A.C. mental health liaison, and Lyndon Wood, the S.A.A.C. President, for putting together the QR-code on the right that shares our mental health resources available for all of our student-athletes. I'm grateful for the investment of our University leadership in mental health!
Spring Game Set for April 15 at Truist Field; Tickets Selling Fast for 2023 Football Season
Coach Dave Clawson and our Demon Deacons are hard at work in spring football looking to build upon our 20-4 record at home since the start of the 2019 season. Along with the preparation and effort by our players and staff in creating that astounding record, our passionate students and fans who have attended those 24 home games helped propel our young men to victory by creating an incredible atmosphere.
Following three sellouts a year ago and record number of students who attended our seven home football games, early sales are at a fast pace and we believe all six games will be sold out this fall with our great home schedule! Our Fan Experience & Ticket Sales staff is hard at work sharing the news of our improved Ticket Purchase Assurance plan that adds more flexibility as we provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. The best way to secure your seats is through season tickets! For questions or assistance, please contact the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1 or tix@wfu.edu. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, tickets for Opening Night at Truist Field are available for just $15 and four-pack tickets begin at an initial price of $49 for a limited time only. The purchase of a four-pack ticket package includes a FREE Joel Coliseum lot parking pass while supplies last. Opening Night is also faculty and staff appreciation night! Game time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date, but tickets are on sale now for this fun and exciting event.
Make your plans now to be at Truist Field on Saturday, April 15, at 2 p.m. for our annual spring game! Remember, admission is FREE and all fans will receive some unique giveaways and have the opportunity to come onto our new turf inside Truist Field for postgame autographs with our players. The game will also be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Finally, stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and our social media accounts for unique content and broadcast information from our annual Pro Day next week on Wednesday morning as 11 Demon Deacons go through the biggest job interview of their post-graduation careers inside the Sutton Sports Performance Center and McCreary Football Field House.
Going the Extra Mile for Wake Forest Faculty and Staff
Speaking of faculty and staff appreciation on Opening Night, to better serve our entire University staff and faculty members who dedicate themselves every day to serving students and the community, our Fan Experience staff has created a special faculty/staff info page with all the great discounts. If you are a member of the Wake Forest faculty or staff, click here for complete information and all the ticket benefits awaiting you..
Reviewing A Memorable Inaugural Season for Coach Megan Gebbia & Women's Basketball
Although the outcome was not what we wanted on Monday night in our second round game of the WNIT earlier this week, we are excited about the growth of our women's basketball program on and off the floor since head Coach Megan Gebbia and her staff joined us 10 months ago.
Our 17 wins this season were tied for the most by a first-year head coach in program history and is the highest mark for our women's hoops program since the 2011-12 season. Additionally, we all will remember that incredible comeback win over Florida State in the ACC Tournament earlier this month. Other big-time victories this season included back-to-back home wins over NCAA Tournament teams Louisville and Miami in late January, and a victory at Minnesota in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Individually, our squad was led by All-ACC honoree junior Jewel Spear as she netted 11 20-plus point games! She is just 416 points away from becoming the program's all-time leading scorer. For context, Jewel has scored 500-plus points in each of the past two seasons and is just one of two players to accomplish that incredible feat (Dearica Hamby).
Our home crowds grew all year - we even set a revenue record for women's basketball - as Winston-Salem embraced the spirit of Coach Gebbia, her staff and team! I can't wait for next season!
From the Quad Big 3
Before we close, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Thanks for your ongoing support of our vision of being A Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program. Continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu, and
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
It's shaping up to be a beautiful #WFFriday here in Winston-Salem with the home action getting underway at 4 p.m. on the Jim Leighton Courts as your No. 14-ranked Demon Deacons men's tennis squad hosts Louisville right before our No. 2-ranked Diamond Deacs take on No. 17 Miami at Couch Ballpark for a nationally televised series opener at 8 p.m.
So wherever in the world you are today, put on your Old Gold & Black and follow the action either live or in person, on the Wake Forest App!
Let's get right to the updates!
Diamond Deacs Continue Hot Start; Host Hurricanes This Weekend
Led by strong arms, including 2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year Rhett Lowder and hard-hitting bats including Brock Wilken and Nick Kurtz, the Wake Forest baseball team sits atop the Atlantic Division in the ACC standings with a 4-2 conference record, and one-game back overall behind Miami who is 5-1 in conference play.
At 19-3 overall, the 109th edition of Demon Deacons baseball is the second in program history (1949) to win 18 of its first 20 games to open a season. The Deacs-Canes series this weekend begins tonight at 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday's contests will be played at 4 p.m. and noon, respectively. Tonight's game will be broadcast on ACC Network, while the weekend contests can be viewed on ACC Network Extra. Tickets can be purchased here for as low as $10 for any game this weekend.
Before we move on, I encourage you to watch this #RoyalKey video tour of David F. Couch Ballpark and the Chris Hurd Player Development Center. This World Class facility truly helps our young men reach their full potential while allowing our staff to provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina to all our patrons.
Track & Field Set for Outdoor Season; Tennis Programs Return to Action This Weekend
Following an All-America finish in the weight throw from Andrew White at the NCAA Indoor Championships, our Demon Deacons track & field teams are now in outdoor competition mode and turned in a program record and 10 podium finishes last weekend to open the spring. Coach John Hayes' student-athletes opened competition last night at the Raleigh Relays at NC State where our team was led by Carolien Millenaar as she placed first in the women's 10,000m run. Results from today and tomorrow's action can be followed along with our social media platforms here and full recaps each day on GoDeacs.com.
Following today's aforementioned men's tennis match, Coach Tony Bresky's squad is at home on Sunday for a doubleheader against Notre Dame (12 p.m.) and UNC Greensboro (4 p.m.). Remember, all tennis matches are FREE and our Demon Deacons are 18-6 overall on the year and a solid 3-1 in conference play this spring.
Meanwhile, Coach Jeff Wyshner's No. 25 women's tennis team returns to action on the road this weekend at Louisville today and at Notre Dame on Sunday. While the Deacs were on a bye last weekend, they will look to regain the momentum they had when they were last at home on March 5 when the Deacs downed No. 19 Georgia Tech. Following along with updates throughout the weekend on social media.
Women's Golfers Take Center Stage at Augusta National
The 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur tees off next week and Wake Forest will be one of only three schools in the ACC with three participants! Here's a great read by Dan Davies from Clippd.com where he spoke with Emilia Migliaccio, Rachel Kuehn and Carolina Chacarra on what being a part of the 72-participant field at this unique and historic event means. The first 36 holes will be contested over two days on the Island and Bluff nines at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Ga., March 29 and 30, 2023. The entire field will then play Augusta National for an official practice round Friday, March 31. The final round will take place at Augusta National on Saturday, April 1 and will feature the competitors who made the cut.
Meanwhile, our men's golf team returns to spring action early next week at the Valspar Collegiate in Florida. Live scoring for the event on Monday and Tuesday can be followed here.
Women's History Month Video Series Spotlights #WakeWomen
Throughout March our talented partners in the Office of Communications & External Relations have shared inspirational videos on President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Life Dr. Shea Kidd Brown, Major Derri Stormer of Wake Forest University Police, trailblazers Marge Crisp and Lu Leake, and recent graduates Courtney Toll ('18) and Annabel Love ('18).
Welcome to Wake Forest Dean Jackie Krasas!
The legacy of transformational women leaders at Wake Forest is taking another leap forward with the selection of Jackie Krasas, Ph.D., as the new Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. A highly-regarded sociology, women's gender and sexuality studies scholar, Krasas comes to Wake Forest from Lehigh University, where she currently serves as deputy provost for faculty affairs. I enjoyed meeting Dean Krasas at her welcome reception last week and applaud Provost Michele Gillespie and search committee chair Dean Franco, who is Director of the Humanities Institute and Winifred W. Palmer Professor of English, for their leadership in this critical search!
Time Marches On - Brendan Jones Joins the Deacs - A Proud Farewell to Brooks Savage
One of my favorite parts of my job is supporting and interacting with up-and-coming athletics and higher education professionals in their own career journeys.
We first like to welcome Brendan Jones, who arrived this past week as our new Sr. Associate AD and Chief Revenue Officer following an extremely successful tenure at Southern Miss. Brendan has ACC roots as he is a Clemson graduate and previously worked for Learfield IMG College as he managed properties of several of our member institutions. We are excited to welcome Brendan, his wife, Taylor, and their children, Collins and Porter, to our Winston-Salem community!
We are extremely proud of assistant men's basketball coach, Brooks Savage, on being named the new leader of the East Tennessee State men's hoops program. Coach Savage has been instrumental in the renaissance of our Demon Deacons men's basketball program under the direction of Coach Steve Forbes. Please join me, Coach Forbes and everyone in our community in thanking Brooks for his service to Wake Forest and we look forward to watching him succeed in Johnson City.
Wake Forest Continues to Prioritize Mental Health of Student-AthletesSpeaking of Wake Forest staff members, I want to thank Dr. Rachel Conway and Sport Psychology, as well as Maddie Lynch, the S.A.A.C. mental health liaison, and Lyndon Wood, the S.A.A.C. President, for putting together the QR-code on the right that shares our mental health resources available for all of our student-athletes. I'm grateful for the investment of our University leadership in mental health!
Spring Game Set for April 15 at Truist Field; Tickets Selling Fast for 2023 Football Season
Coach Dave Clawson and our Demon Deacons are hard at work in spring football looking to build upon our 20-4 record at home since the start of the 2019 season. Along with the preparation and effort by our players and staff in creating that astounding record, our passionate students and fans who have attended those 24 home games helped propel our young men to victory by creating an incredible atmosphere.
Following three sellouts a year ago and record number of students who attended our seven home football games, early sales are at a fast pace and we believe all six games will be sold out this fall with our great home schedule! Our Fan Experience & Ticket Sales staff is hard at work sharing the news of our improved Ticket Purchase Assurance plan that adds more flexibility as we provide the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina. The best way to secure your seats is through season tickets! For questions or assistance, please contact the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 ext. 1 or tix@wfu.edu. Regular office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Meanwhile, tickets for Opening Night at Truist Field are available for just $15 and four-pack tickets begin at an initial price of $49 for a limited time only. The purchase of a four-pack ticket package includes a FREE Joel Coliseum lot parking pass while supplies last. Opening Night is also faculty and staff appreciation night! Game time and broadcast information will be announced at a later date, but tickets are on sale now for this fun and exciting event.
Make your plans now to be at Truist Field on Saturday, April 15, at 2 p.m. for our annual spring game! Remember, admission is FREE and all fans will receive some unique giveaways and have the opportunity to come onto our new turf inside Truist Field for postgame autographs with our players. The game will also be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Finally, stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and our social media accounts for unique content and broadcast information from our annual Pro Day next week on Wednesday morning as 11 Demon Deacons go through the biggest job interview of their post-graduation careers inside the Sutton Sports Performance Center and McCreary Football Field House.
Going the Extra Mile for Wake Forest Faculty and Staff
Speaking of faculty and staff appreciation on Opening Night, to better serve our entire University staff and faculty members who dedicate themselves every day to serving students and the community, our Fan Experience staff has created a special faculty/staff info page with all the great discounts. If you are a member of the Wake Forest faculty or staff, click here for complete information and all the ticket benefits awaiting you..
Reviewing A Memorable Inaugural Season for Coach Megan Gebbia & Women's Basketball
Although the outcome was not what we wanted on Monday night in our second round game of the WNIT earlier this week, we are excited about the growth of our women's basketball program on and off the floor since head Coach Megan Gebbia and her staff joined us 10 months ago.
Our 17 wins this season were tied for the most by a first-year head coach in program history and is the highest mark for our women's hoops program since the 2011-12 season. Additionally, we all will remember that incredible comeback win over Florida State in the ACC Tournament earlier this month. Other big-time victories this season included back-to-back home wins over NCAA Tournament teams Louisville and Miami in late January, and a victory at Minnesota in the ACC/B1G Challenge.
Individually, our squad was led by All-ACC honoree junior Jewel Spear as she netted 11 20-plus point games! She is just 416 points away from becoming the program's all-time leading scorer. For context, Jewel has scored 500-plus points in each of the past two seasons and is just one of two players to accomplish that incredible feat (Dearica Hamby).
Our home crowds grew all year - we even set a revenue record for women's basketball - as Winston-Salem embraced the spirit of Coach Gebbia, her staff and team! I can't wait for next season!
From the Quad Big 3
Before we close, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- Follow our Wake Forest Sports Properties social media accounts. Your company or business can reap the benefits of affiliation with Wake Forest and the ACC by connecting with GM Banks Shepherd directly (bshepherd@wakeforestsportsproperties.com // 336-896-9719).
- Following the retirement of our longtime public address announcer, Jeffrey Griffin, Wake Forest Athletics is taking applications through Monday for interested individuals to join our staff for the role at a multitude of sports. Visit GoDeacs.com/PA to fill out a questionnaire and be contacted for next steps in this process.
- I encourage everyone in our community to watch two unique videos. First, click here for the literal World Class Experience our women's soccer players enjoyed in Spain over spring break. Additionally, here is a great Wake Forest admissions video highlighting all that Athletics has to offer for every student enrolling on our beautiful Reynolda campus.
Thanks for your ongoing support of our vision of being A Model Intercollegiate Athletics Program. Continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu, and
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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Players Mentioned
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