From the Quad
5/23/2023 9:54:00 AM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
Yesterday was truly a BIG MONDAY for the Demon Deacons! Out west in Arizona, Coach Kim Lewellen's No. 2-ranked Demon Deacons finished four grueling rounds of NCAA stroke play in third place to make the eight-team cut to match play and will now face off against Florida State in the quarterfinals, aiming to advance to this evening's semifinals against the winner of Texas & Texas A&M. You can follow all the action live on GolfStat.com, via our social media platforms and watch live on the Golf Channel!
And, inside the Chris Hurd Player Development Center at David F. Couch Ballpark, Monday morning's pre-practice meeting of the No. 1 college baseball team in America began with the announcement of a program-record tying nine players selected to the All-ACC Team and the recognition of ace Rhett Lowder winning the ACC Pitcher of the Year award for the second year in a row. Additionally, Demon Deacons graduate student pitcher Chase Walter did the honors of telling his father, Tom Walter, of his selection as the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year! Walter is the sixth Wake Forest head coach to be named ACC Coach of the Year since December of 2021 and joins previous Deacon baseball winners George Greer and Marvin Crater.
Now, let's get to the rest of the updates in our 100th edition of From the Quad!
Historic Baseball Season Continues Down Tobacco Road in Durham at ACC Tournament
In front of more record breaking crowds, Coach Tom Walter's baseball team wrapped up regular season action this past weekend at Coach Ballpark as the first ACC team since 2017 to win all 10 regular season series. Friday's series-clinching victory over Virginia Tech was witnessed by over 3,000 fans, which marked the largest crowd in Coach Ballpark history! Along with a winning team and incredible effort by our student-athletes, our Fan Experience staff, grounds and maintenance crew, loyal Rhino Sports & Entertainment Services ushers and security, and our dedicated concessions staffers, we have all worked together to deliver the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina for a record-shattering total of more than 45,000 fans this spring at the Couch.
This season, which continues at 11 a.m. on Thursday in Durham at the ACC Tournament, has featured our first ACC Regular Season Title since 1963 and the most regular season (45) and conference (22) wins in school history. Saturday's celebration of a special senior class included Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Peter Brubaker, recognizing eight new Deacon graduates before more record-setting action.
The Deacs are the talk of college baseball as illustrated by this tremendous article in The Athletic by Mitch Light about what has made Coach Walter's ballclub so special this spring. Mitch's story encapsulates how a special group of student-athletes, along with a great coaching staff, have come together to build a special culture that is fun for everyone in and around the program.
After Durham, NCAA Tournament action follows as 16 regional host sites will be announced on Sunday and the NCAA Selection show will take place on Memorial Day at noon ET on ESPN2. Keep an eye on your email inbox for presale opportunities. Four teams will compete in each of the 16 regionals June 2-5. If they advance, the top eight national seeds are also guaranteed to host a best of three-game "Super Regional" series over the weekend of June 9-12.
Deacon Netters on the Courts at the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
Wake Forest's No. 1 solo women's player, Casie Wooten, put up an admirable fight throughout Monday evening as the junior standout fought through nearly three hours of three-set action before ultimately suffering a Round of 64 defeat. Next up, Coach Jeff Wyshner's ranked doubles pair, Anna Brylin & Brooke Killingsworth, will start their journey in the doubles championships later today in Orlando. They take on a duo from UCLA and the match can be followed with live stats here or you can watch here.
Meanwhile, ACC Player of the Year Melios Efstathiou represented the Wake Forest men's tennis program in the NCAA Singles Championships and took on Samir Banerjee of Stanford but fell in a late-night, hard-fought match.
Track & Field Athletes in Jacksonville for NCAA Prelims
Following strong regular season and ACC championship performances, an elite group of Demon Deacons were selected to this week's NCAA East Preliminary Meet in Jacksonville trying to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Click here for a complete list of student-athletes competing this week in Florida and you can follow along here all week!
ACC Spring Meetings Recap - Deacs Stand Tall
Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday your Demon Deacons contingent, led by Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Pete Brubaker, along with Deputy AD Lindsey Babcock, head coaches Dave Clawson, Megan Gebbia, Steve Forbes, and senior associate AD's Arin Dunn and Ellie Shannon and me, participated in the annual ACC spring meeting in Amelia Island, Fla. Naturally, as has been the case with pretty much every spring conference meeting I have attended in my 13 years as a Power Five athletics director, conference affiliation and alignment generated lots of splashy headlines. Although the 10,000 student-athletes in the ACC's broad array of sports will benefit from a record ACC distribution of revenue to its institutions this year, it has been well documented that the Big 10 and SEC's most recent media contracts will escalate to provide $20-$40 million more annually to each of their members during the rest of this decade.
The pressure of this revenue "gap" manifests itself differently among our membership, as Commissioner Jim Phillips articulated in his post-meetings press conference. At Wake Forest, we certainly operate with tremendous urgency every day to grow resources - and thanks to the generosity and support of Deacon Nation - coupled with smart strategic decisions by our institutional leadership through the years, I could walk into last week's meetings with the No. 1 baseball team in America (fresh off a series win at Florida State, I might add), the No. 2-ranked women's golf team, the second-longest football bowl streak in the ACC - tied for the 11th-longest run in the country - and nearly all of our teams competed in the postseason this year. Individually, the Deacs have had back-to-back AP ACC Men's Basketball Players of the Year (Alondes Williams, 2021-22; Tyree Appleby, 2022-23) and now six of our 13 head coaches have been named ACC Coach of the Year since December 2021. You probably don't need me to point out that our results aren't because we are outspending all the competition!
The conversation among the athletics directors was candid and constructive, and I believe we emerged with a refocused determination to work together to achieve outcomes to strengthen the ACC. One initiative that has been discussed over the past year is a modernization of the ACC revenue distribution model to include "Success Incentives," which would reward the schools who are investing - and performing - at a high level. Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente, Ph.d., is a member of both the ACC Executive Committee and the Board Subcommittee, and she is engaged in this discussion. We support these concepts which can strengthen the ACC and also recognize the investments which have helped Wake Forest achieve tremendous success.
All Demon Deacons should continue to share the story of Wake Forest's long-standing and successful academic and athletics performance in the ACC. For example, academics continues to be a core tenet of our World Class Student-Athlete Experience and we are proud to have such high-achieving athletes at our nationally-recognized school (27-straight years as a top 30 school nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report) and a Graduation Success Rate of 96 percent. Our achievements include 56 ACC Team Championships - so far!
A wise person once said that "comparison is the thief of joy." And, as we seek to compare apples to apples, I always take what I read with a grain of salt as sometimes the story changes! In case you missed it, here is my interview with Mark Packer on the network's ACC PM show last Tuesday afternoon.
Fun & Exciting Football Awaits Fans at Truist Field for 2023 Season
Speaking of impact, while you are together with family and friends for the Memorial Day weekend go ahead and make some plans for Wake Forest football this fall! All single game, four-packs and mini-plan ticket options are on sale now! Specifically, get your tickets for Opening Night at Truist Field or for Week 2 (Saturday, Sept. 9) when we welcome the SEC's Vanderbilt Commodores for Unrivaled Weekend.
Did you know that Wake Forest has averaged the ninth-most points in the country since 2017 (35.6 ppg.) and that total ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference?!? Always fun and exciting football when the Deacs take the field.
Family Weekend is our third home game of the year when we host Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 23. Single game tickets and four-packs are selling fast as our hard-working ticket staff has been hitting the phones and receiving many inquiries for our ACC opener, so act now before we sell out! Meanwhile, the most economical 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.
Men's Soccer Showcases Pro Humanitate Spirit with more than 1,200 hours of Community Service
Winning on the field and leaving an indelible mark off of it is the hallmark of Wake Forest men's soccer. Over the last eight seasons, Wake Forest men's soccer has won more total matches, home matches and ACC regular season matches than any other team in the country. And, this year Coach Bobby Muuss's squad logged 1,274 total hours to rank No. 1 for all NCAA Division I men's soccer programs nationally. Their efforts benefited 10 different organizations through 35 opportunities. I am proud of the Pro Humanitate spirit of Coach Muuss and his staff!
Wake Forest School of Law Among Best in Country
On par with having forward-thinking and World Class professors, in the latest U.S. News & World Rankings our Wake Forest School of Law moved up and is ranked No. 22 in the country and we now sit at No. 5 for instruction in our Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research program! Congratulations to Provost Michele Gillespie and Interim Dean Nell J. Newton!
Wake Forest Joins Latrobe for Arnold Palmer Legacy Experience
Wake Forest fans and alumni are invited to Latrobe Country Club the first weekend of June for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to take a walk through history by participating in the Arnold Palmer Legacy Experience in support of Wake Forest Golf. Participants will not only get to play a round at Mr. Palmer's home course, but also tour his workshop and warehouse with countless memorabilia and Palmer family treasures. The event starts Sunday afternoon June 4, with dinner and cocktails, and a round of golf at Latrobe on tap for Monday. If you are interested in joining the fun, contact Sr. Associate AD Mike Piscetelli (piscetmf@wfu.edu // 336-251-4566).
Dr. Anthony Atala Details Planned Outer Space Research Initiative
Research the Wake Forest University Institute for Regenerative Medicine went into space a few days ago on Saturday night! As Richard Craver from the Winston-Salem Journal detailed in an article earlier this week, this research looks at how microgravity affects bioengineered kidney and liver tissues and it hitched a ride to the International Space Station with Axiom Space as they are developing the first commercial space station. The mission was launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Congratulations to my friend Dr. Anthony Atalaon on his world class work and the acclaim it is bringing to Winston-Salem and Wake Forest!
ACC Sports Sustainability Conference
As the calendar turns from May to June, one unique event that members of our Wake Forest Office of Sustainability and a few of our student-athletes and staff will be attending is the 2023 ACC Sports Sustainability Conference in Charlottesville, Va. from June 21-23. This opportunity to meet in person, learn from our peers, and showcase our accomplishments and winning traditions is something special. Students who would like to attend can register here.
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
Yesterday was truly a BIG MONDAY for the Demon Deacons! Out west in Arizona, Coach Kim Lewellen's No. 2-ranked Demon Deacons finished four grueling rounds of NCAA stroke play in third place to make the eight-team cut to match play and will now face off against Florida State in the quarterfinals, aiming to advance to this evening's semifinals against the winner of Texas & Texas A&M. You can follow all the action live on GolfStat.com, via our social media platforms and watch live on the Golf Channel!
And, inside the Chris Hurd Player Development Center at David F. Couch Ballpark, Monday morning's pre-practice meeting of the No. 1 college baseball team in America began with the announcement of a program-record tying nine players selected to the All-ACC Team and the recognition of ace Rhett Lowder winning the ACC Pitcher of the Year award for the second year in a row. Additionally, Demon Deacons graduate student pitcher Chase Walter did the honors of telling his father, Tom Walter, of his selection as the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year! Walter is the sixth Wake Forest head coach to be named ACC Coach of the Year since December of 2021 and joins previous Deacon baseball winners George Greer and Marvin Crater.
Now, let's get to the rest of the updates in our 100th edition of From the Quad!
Historic Baseball Season Continues Down Tobacco Road in Durham at ACC Tournament
In front of more record breaking crowds, Coach Tom Walter's baseball team wrapped up regular season action this past weekend at Coach Ballpark as the first ACC team since 2017 to win all 10 regular season series. Friday's series-clinching victory over Virginia Tech was witnessed by over 3,000 fans, which marked the largest crowd in Coach Ballpark history! Along with a winning team and incredible effort by our student-athletes, our Fan Experience staff, grounds and maintenance crew, loyal Rhino Sports & Entertainment Services ushers and security, and our dedicated concessions staffers, we have all worked together to deliver the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina for a record-shattering total of more than 45,000 fans this spring at the Couch.
This season, which continues at 11 a.m. on Thursday in Durham at the ACC Tournament, has featured our first ACC Regular Season Title since 1963 and the most regular season (45) and conference (22) wins in school history. Saturday's celebration of a special senior class included Faculty Athletics Representative, Dr. Peter Brubaker, recognizing eight new Deacon graduates before more record-setting action.
The Deacs are the talk of college baseball as illustrated by this tremendous article in The Athletic by Mitch Light about what has made Coach Walter's ballclub so special this spring. Mitch's story encapsulates how a special group of student-athletes, along with a great coaching staff, have come together to build a special culture that is fun for everyone in and around the program.
After Durham, NCAA Tournament action follows as 16 regional host sites will be announced on Sunday and the NCAA Selection show will take place on Memorial Day at noon ET on ESPN2. Keep an eye on your email inbox for presale opportunities. Four teams will compete in each of the 16 regionals June 2-5. If they advance, the top eight national seeds are also guaranteed to host a best of three-game "Super Regional" series over the weekend of June 9-12.
Deacon Netters on the Courts at the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
Wake Forest's No. 1 solo women's player, Casie Wooten, put up an admirable fight throughout Monday evening as the junior standout fought through nearly three hours of three-set action before ultimately suffering a Round of 64 defeat. Next up, Coach Jeff Wyshner's ranked doubles pair, Anna Brylin & Brooke Killingsworth, will start their journey in the doubles championships later today in Orlando. They take on a duo from UCLA and the match can be followed with live stats here or you can watch here.
Meanwhile, ACC Player of the Year Melios Efstathiou represented the Wake Forest men's tennis program in the NCAA Singles Championships and took on Samir Banerjee of Stanford but fell in a late-night, hard-fought match.
Track & Field Athletes in Jacksonville for NCAA Prelims
Following strong regular season and ACC championship performances, an elite group of Demon Deacons were selected to this week's NCAA East Preliminary Meet in Jacksonville trying to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Click here for a complete list of student-athletes competing this week in Florida and you can follow along here all week!
ACC Spring Meetings Recap - Deacs Stand Tall
Last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday your Demon Deacons contingent, led by Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Pete Brubaker, along with Deputy AD Lindsey Babcock, head coaches Dave Clawson, Megan Gebbia, Steve Forbes, and senior associate AD's Arin Dunn and Ellie Shannon and me, participated in the annual ACC spring meeting in Amelia Island, Fla. Naturally, as has been the case with pretty much every spring conference meeting I have attended in my 13 years as a Power Five athletics director, conference affiliation and alignment generated lots of splashy headlines. Although the 10,000 student-athletes in the ACC's broad array of sports will benefit from a record ACC distribution of revenue to its institutions this year, it has been well documented that the Big 10 and SEC's most recent media contracts will escalate to provide $20-$40 million more annually to each of their members during the rest of this decade.
The pressure of this revenue "gap" manifests itself differently among our membership, as Commissioner Jim Phillips articulated in his post-meetings press conference. At Wake Forest, we certainly operate with tremendous urgency every day to grow resources - and thanks to the generosity and support of Deacon Nation - coupled with smart strategic decisions by our institutional leadership through the years, I could walk into last week's meetings with the No. 1 baseball team in America (fresh off a series win at Florida State, I might add), the No. 2-ranked women's golf team, the second-longest football bowl streak in the ACC - tied for the 11th-longest run in the country - and nearly all of our teams competed in the postseason this year. Individually, the Deacs have had back-to-back AP ACC Men's Basketball Players of the Year (Alondes Williams, 2021-22; Tyree Appleby, 2022-23) and now six of our 13 head coaches have been named ACC Coach of the Year since December 2021. You probably don't need me to point out that our results aren't because we are outspending all the competition!
The conversation among the athletics directors was candid and constructive, and I believe we emerged with a refocused determination to work together to achieve outcomes to strengthen the ACC. One initiative that has been discussed over the past year is a modernization of the ACC revenue distribution model to include "Success Incentives," which would reward the schools who are investing - and performing - at a high level. Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente, Ph.d., is a member of both the ACC Executive Committee and the Board Subcommittee, and she is engaged in this discussion. We support these concepts which can strengthen the ACC and also recognize the investments which have helped Wake Forest achieve tremendous success.
All Demon Deacons should continue to share the story of Wake Forest's long-standing and successful academic and athletics performance in the ACC. For example, academics continues to be a core tenet of our World Class Student-Athlete Experience and we are proud to have such high-achieving athletes at our nationally-recognized school (27-straight years as a top 30 school nationally, according to U.S. News & World Report) and a Graduation Success Rate of 96 percent. Our achievements include 56 ACC Team Championships - so far!
A wise person once said that "comparison is the thief of joy." And, as we seek to compare apples to apples, I always take what I read with a grain of salt as sometimes the story changes! In case you missed it, here is my interview with Mark Packer on the network's ACC PM show last Tuesday afternoon.
Fun & Exciting Football Awaits Fans at Truist Field for 2023 Season
Speaking of impact, while you are together with family and friends for the Memorial Day weekend go ahead and make some plans for Wake Forest football this fall! All single game, four-packs and mini-plan ticket options are on sale now! Specifically, get your tickets for Opening Night at Truist Field or for Week 2 (Saturday, Sept. 9) when we welcome the SEC's Vanderbilt Commodores for Unrivaled Weekend.
Did you know that Wake Forest has averaged the ninth-most points in the country since 2017 (35.6 ppg.) and that total ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference?!? Always fun and exciting football when the Deacs take the field.
Family Weekend is our third home game of the year when we host Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 23. Single game tickets and four-packs are selling fast as our hard-working ticket staff has been hitting the phones and receiving many inquiries for our ACC opener, so act now before we sell out! Meanwhile, the most economical 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.
Men's Soccer Showcases Pro Humanitate Spirit with more than 1,200 hours of Community Service
Winning on the field and leaving an indelible mark off of it is the hallmark of Wake Forest men's soccer. Over the last eight seasons, Wake Forest men's soccer has won more total matches, home matches and ACC regular season matches than any other team in the country. And, this year Coach Bobby Muuss's squad logged 1,274 total hours to rank No. 1 for all NCAA Division I men's soccer programs nationally. Their efforts benefited 10 different organizations through 35 opportunities. I am proud of the Pro Humanitate spirit of Coach Muuss and his staff!
Wake Forest School of Law Among Best in Country
On par with having forward-thinking and World Class professors, in the latest U.S. News & World Rankings our Wake Forest School of Law moved up and is ranked No. 22 in the country and we now sit at No. 5 for instruction in our Legal Analysis, Writing, & Research program! Congratulations to Provost Michele Gillespie and Interim Dean Nell J. Newton!
Wake Forest Joins Latrobe for Arnold Palmer Legacy Experience
Wake Forest fans and alumni are invited to Latrobe Country Club the first weekend of June for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to take a walk through history by participating in the Arnold Palmer Legacy Experience in support of Wake Forest Golf. Participants will not only get to play a round at Mr. Palmer's home course, but also tour his workshop and warehouse with countless memorabilia and Palmer family treasures. The event starts Sunday afternoon June 4, with dinner and cocktails, and a round of golf at Latrobe on tap for Monday. If you are interested in joining the fun, contact Sr. Associate AD Mike Piscetelli (piscetmf@wfu.edu // 336-251-4566).
Dr. Anthony Atala Details Planned Outer Space Research Initiative
Research the Wake Forest University Institute for Regenerative Medicine went into space a few days ago on Saturday night! As Richard Craver from the Winston-Salem Journal detailed in an article earlier this week, this research looks at how microgravity affects bioengineered kidney and liver tissues and it hitched a ride to the International Space Station with Axiom Space as they are developing the first commercial space station. The mission was launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Congratulations to my friend Dr. Anthony Atalaon on his world class work and the acclaim it is bringing to Winston-Salem and Wake Forest!
ACC Sports Sustainability Conference
As the calendar turns from May to June, one unique event that members of our Wake Forest Office of Sustainability and a few of our student-athletes and staff will be attending is the 2023 ACC Sports Sustainability Conference in Charlottesville, Va. from June 21-23. This opportunity to meet in person, learn from our peers, and showcase our accomplishments and winning traditions is something special. Students who would like to attend can register here.
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- Get ready to pack the Couch for NCAA Baseball! The Deacs are a virtual lock to be able to host a four-team NCAA Regional in David F. Couch Ballpark with the official NCAA selection show to take place Monday at noon. To help ensure a full house of Demon Deacons fans at the ballpark, Deacon Club members and season ticket holders can purchase a reserved all-session pass or a general admission pass. Reserved all-session passes will be $90 and general admission passes will be $75. Parking passes will be available in The Couch lot and McCreary Tower lot for $30 per full weekend pass. All parking passes will be distributed exclusively through mobile ticketing.
- Read this special story by The Athletic's Steph Yang. about Wake women's soccer alum Madison Hammond ('19), now a member of the National Women's Soccer League's Angel City professional team. Madison is carrying forth the Deacon trailblazer mantra and is the first Native American in the NWSL!
- Wake Forest's 400-plus student-athletes benefit daily from the generosity of over 5,300 Wake Forest alumni, parents, friends and fans who provide funding for scholarships, sports medicine, academic and mental health support, world-class facilities and more! We are closing in on another extraordinarily impactful drive with only eight days remaining until the 2023 membership deadline of May 31. To help, please visit the Deacon Club website today or reach out via deacclub@wfu.edu or 336-758-5626.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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