From the Quad
8/17/2023 3:46:00 PM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Happy Opening Day Demon Deacon Nation!
It's here! Finally! And today's Opening Day is in triplicate - three big "Openings" - culminating shortly with our first regular season match tonight at 7 p.m. (broadcast in ACCNX) inside Spry Stadium when women's soccer hosts App State as the Deacs begin their quest for a third-straight NCAA Tournament season - and the 23rd overall in the 30th year of our program.
And, there is nothing that says "Opening" like a brand new world class facility dedication and that's exactly what we did inside the McCreary Football Complex a few hours ago!
Nearly 700 individual donors came together to make this transformational project a reality, all answering the leadership challenge of Bob and Michele McCreary. Our creative and communications team has been pumping out awesome content all day so check out (@WakeFB) and our Athletics YouTube channel for some fun Deacon stuff! As I wrote in last week's From the Quad - our on-campus facilities are among the very best in the country. And, thanks to the generosity of Bob and Deacon Nation, this 60,000 square feet world class facility comes with zero long-term debt and even includes a long term maintenance and reserve fund!
And, today marks another Opening of sorts as Wake Forest has just announced the selection of Carter Associates and Front Street Capital as the University's partner in the long awaited redevelopment of the Deacon Boulevard and Baity Street area adjacent to Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Allegacy Stadium, David F. Couch Ballpark and the Wake Forest Tennis Complex. This vital area of our city, which is to the east of Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus, presents numerous opportunities for business, residential, and retail spaces. Thanks to the tremendous leadership of President Susan R. Wente and many others, momentum is building to create a thriving area where people can live, work, play and stay, with a goal of best serving our Winston-Salem community. Stay tuned over the next month for more updates as well as opportunities to share ideas and input.
In the coming weeks and months, we will share much more information and details around this initiative, but with many news and notes, let's jump right to the updates!
Women's & Men's Soccer Poised for Exciting 2023 Seasons
As Demon Deacon women's soccer takes the pitch tonight, legendary coach Tony da Luz's side will field 32 returning players, including 14 who made 10 or more appearances and six who made 10 or more starts. Offensively, the Deacs return 85.1 percent (24-of-27) of their goal production from a season ago and 11 of their top 12 goal scorers. The Deacs concluded the exhibition season with a sizable exhibition win over High Point a week ago and will welcome women's soccer alumni for a fun reunion this weekend for special events around this Sunday, Aug. 20 match against Army at noon.
On the men's side, this year's exciting regular season schedule opens with a pair of home matches against Grand Canyon (Aug. 24) and California (Aug. 27) at Spry.
Coach Bobby Muuss' squad has qualified for 12-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, which is the longest streak in the ACC by eight years as the Demon Deacons, Indiana and Maryland are the only programs to make every NCAA Tournament over that span. Additionally, Wake Forest has won an NCAA-best 94 home matches since the start of the 2015 season and the Deacs' 82.9 home winning percentage tops the ACC.
Both squads had fun last night hosting the community for Fan Fest at Spry Stadium! All ticket options for this fall are on sale now and you can order online or call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336.758.3322 to get your seats today!
Volleyball & Field Hockey Set for Fun, Exciting Seasons in 2023
Coming off the program's first postseason appearance since 1986, Coach Randi Smart's squad has also produced back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001. Individually, Wake Forest's team returns the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year, Emma Farrell, as the sophomore libero and her teammates are ready for a successful season this fall.
For the second year in a row, our Deacon netters will host a weekend invitational to open the season (Aug. 25-27), bringing in Toledo, Northeastern, and Grand Canyon. Wake Forest will play a single match in each of the three days of action within Varsity Arena. Click here for the complete 2023 schedule.
Meanwhile on the brand new turf inside Kentner Stadium, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year, Jennifer Averill, and her squad are hosting defending NCAA champion North Carolina in an exhibition tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 18, at noon inside Kentner Stadium. Then, the ACC/B1G Challenge will officially kick off Wake's season in Chapel Hill on Friday, Aug. 25, and Sunday, Aug. 27. The Deacs will open their home slate the first weekend in September and the full schedule can be viewed here.
Ranked in 47-straight NFHCA polls and with a league-best tying five All-ACC honorees a season ago, the Deacs are gunning to compete for an ACC title and another NCAA berth!
Remember, all matches at Kentner Stadium and inside Varsity Arena at Reynolds Gymnasium are free - and feature a really unique and fun gameday atmosphere! Come join me!
Men's Cross Country Champs Running to Repeat as ACC Champs; Women Moving Up Too!
After leading Wake Forest to its first ACC title since 1994 and its highest NCAA Championship finish since 1989 last season, reigning ACC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year John Hayes has both our men's and women's teams ready to hit the trails and compete for honors again!
The men return All-America performer Luke Tewalt as he will look to build upon a historic 2022 campaign in which he finished fourth at the ACC Championships. In addition to Tewalt, Coach Hayes will bring in one of the most decorated recruiting classes nationally. The Demon Deacons women will look to build upon a solid 2022 season as they recorded top-10 finishes at both the ACC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional a season ago.
The Demon Deacons will open the 2023 campaign hosting UNC Greensboro on Friday, Sept. 1.
Goal No. 3 - Value to the University, Winston-Salem and Triad Communities
Every preseason begins with a review of team goals and today's review of Goal No. 3 follows our recent From the Quad recaps of Goal No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
A perfect example of Value begins on Saturday as the Wake Forest Tennis Complex will again host the Winston-Salem Open! WSO Tournament Director, Jeff Ryan, his staff, and an amazing group of dedicated volunteers bring worldwide attention to our community with this prestigious ATP 250 event which is the final pro tennis circuit stop preceding the U.S. Open. Complete schedule and ticket information can be found here - come experience a world class, family-friendly fun professional tennis event right here in the Triad! And, fans will enjoy the new LED lights at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex thanks to a grant provided by the United States Tennis Association.
Wake's athletics facilities, just east of our Reynolda Campus in the Deacon Boulevard area, are key to the Winston-Salem's sports and entertainment district ability to host 750,000 patrons on 260 total event days for games, competitions, concerts and speakers including Wake Forest and ACC sports, the Carolina Classic Fair, the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, and the aforementioned ATP Winston-Salem Open. Tremendous visibility - and revenue from full hotels and restaurants - comes to the Triad and our 1.3 million residents. With that, memorable events like the sold out crowd that Allegacy Stadium hosted when the legendary Sir Paul McCartney's 2022 Got Back Tour came to town in May 2022 brought together 34,000 fans who traveled to Winston-Salem from all 50 states plus DC, Canada and Mexico.
Demon Deacons student-athletes are personally invested in the community with multiple Wake Forest Athletics programs recognized among the best in the country for their philanthropic efforts and engagement over the past year through HelperHelper. The Demon Deacons ranked 12th nationally for their efforts in giving back to Winston-Salem and surrounding communities, showing the entire nation the Wake Forest Pro Humanitate spirit. Additionally, the Deacs ranked fifth among all Power-5 programs throughout the 2022-23 year.
Specifically, our men's soccer program led by head coach Bobby Muuss logged more than 1,270 hours of community service in 2022-23 – most of any NCAA Division I men's soccer program – for 35 opportunities alongside 10 organizations. Additionally this past academic year, our baseball program hosted a charity game to benefit the Epilepsy Alliance of North Carolina where the Deacs donned special-edition lavender jerseys that were auctioned off.
Finally, our men's and women's soccer teams also partnered with Atrium Health Wake
Forest Baptist to raise more than $10,000 for the Breast Care Center Patient Support Fund for patients in the Winston-Salem and Triad communities.
While these are just a few examples of how Athletics brings Value to the University, Winston-Salem and Triad Communities - we remain committed to this important goal as we push forward together.
Wake The Demons Pep Rally & Wake Forest Student Engagement
Our annual tradition of Opening Night festivities beginning about 22 hours before kickoff continues this fall with our Wake the Demons Pep Rally on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. on Hearn Plaza. All students are welcome on the Quad as we introduce the Class of 2027 to game day traditions with our cheer and dance teams and the Spirit of Old Gold & Black. Students will be welcomed by guest speakers President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D., head football coach Dave Clawson, Dr. Shea Kidd Brown and others before our traditional night-before-home-game fireworks display over Wait Chapel!
Free student t-shirts will be available while supplies last, and several late-night food trucks will be on hand to provide free food for students.
From the student tailgate, our Deacon Dash – when our freshman class storms the field right before we Open the Gates to the football team – and the free student shuttles from Reynolda campus to Allegacy Stadium, our Fan Experience staff and Wake Forest Office of Student Life work in close collaboration to provide fun throughout the season! Students are encouraged to download the Screamin' Demon Rewards App and follow @ScrDemonRewards on Twitter.
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Hug those closest to you and continue to send your thoughts, ideas and feedback to wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Happy Opening Day Demon Deacon Nation!
It's here! Finally! And today's Opening Day is in triplicate - three big "Openings" - culminating shortly with our first regular season match tonight at 7 p.m. (broadcast in ACCNX) inside Spry Stadium when women's soccer hosts App State as the Deacs begin their quest for a third-straight NCAA Tournament season - and the 23rd overall in the 30th year of our program.
And, there is nothing that says "Opening" like a brand new world class facility dedication and that's exactly what we did inside the McCreary Football Complex a few hours ago!
Nearly 700 individual donors came together to make this transformational project a reality, all answering the leadership challenge of Bob and Michele McCreary. Our creative and communications team has been pumping out awesome content all day so check out (@WakeFB) and our Athletics YouTube channel for some fun Deacon stuff! As I wrote in last week's From the Quad - our on-campus facilities are among the very best in the country. And, thanks to the generosity of Bob and Deacon Nation, this 60,000 square feet world class facility comes with zero long-term debt and even includes a long term maintenance and reserve fund!
And, today marks another Opening of sorts as Wake Forest has just announced the selection of Carter Associates and Front Street Capital as the University's partner in the long awaited redevelopment of the Deacon Boulevard and Baity Street area adjacent to Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Allegacy Stadium, David F. Couch Ballpark and the Wake Forest Tennis Complex. This vital area of our city, which is to the east of Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus, presents numerous opportunities for business, residential, and retail spaces. Thanks to the tremendous leadership of President Susan R. Wente and many others, momentum is building to create a thriving area where people can live, work, play and stay, with a goal of best serving our Winston-Salem community. Stay tuned over the next month for more updates as well as opportunities to share ideas and input.
In the coming weeks and months, we will share much more information and details around this initiative, but with many news and notes, let's jump right to the updates!
Women's & Men's Soccer Poised for Exciting 2023 Seasons
As Demon Deacon women's soccer takes the pitch tonight, legendary coach Tony da Luz's side will field 32 returning players, including 14 who made 10 or more appearances and six who made 10 or more starts. Offensively, the Deacs return 85.1 percent (24-of-27) of their goal production from a season ago and 11 of their top 12 goal scorers. The Deacs concluded the exhibition season with a sizable exhibition win over High Point a week ago and will welcome women's soccer alumni for a fun reunion this weekend for special events around this Sunday, Aug. 20 match against Army at noon.
On the men's side, this year's exciting regular season schedule opens with a pair of home matches against Grand Canyon (Aug. 24) and California (Aug. 27) at Spry.
Coach Bobby Muuss' squad has qualified for 12-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, which is the longest streak in the ACC by eight years as the Demon Deacons, Indiana and Maryland are the only programs to make every NCAA Tournament over that span. Additionally, Wake Forest has won an NCAA-best 94 home matches since the start of the 2015 season and the Deacs' 82.9 home winning percentage tops the ACC.
Both squads had fun last night hosting the community for Fan Fest at Spry Stadium! All ticket options for this fall are on sale now and you can order online or call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336.758.3322 to get your seats today!
Volleyball & Field Hockey Set for Fun, Exciting Seasons in 2023
Coming off the program's first postseason appearance since 1986, Coach Randi Smart's squad has also produced back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001. Individually, Wake Forest's team returns the 2022 ACC Freshman of the Year, Emma Farrell, as the sophomore libero and her teammates are ready for a successful season this fall.
For the second year in a row, our Deacon netters will host a weekend invitational to open the season (Aug. 25-27), bringing in Toledo, Northeastern, and Grand Canyon. Wake Forest will play a single match in each of the three days of action within Varsity Arena. Click here for the complete 2023 schedule.
Meanwhile on the brand new turf inside Kentner Stadium, the reigning ACC Coach of the Year, Jennifer Averill, and her squad are hosting defending NCAA champion North Carolina in an exhibition tomorrow, Friday, Aug. 18, at noon inside Kentner Stadium. Then, the ACC/B1G Challenge will officially kick off Wake's season in Chapel Hill on Friday, Aug. 25, and Sunday, Aug. 27. The Deacs will open their home slate the first weekend in September and the full schedule can be viewed here.
Ranked in 47-straight NFHCA polls and with a league-best tying five All-ACC honorees a season ago, the Deacs are gunning to compete for an ACC title and another NCAA berth!
Remember, all matches at Kentner Stadium and inside Varsity Arena at Reynolds Gymnasium are free - and feature a really unique and fun gameday atmosphere! Come join me!
Men's Cross Country Champs Running to Repeat as ACC Champs; Women Moving Up Too!
After leading Wake Forest to its first ACC title since 1994 and its highest NCAA Championship finish since 1989 last season, reigning ACC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year John Hayes has both our men's and women's teams ready to hit the trails and compete for honors again!
The men return All-America performer Luke Tewalt as he will look to build upon a historic 2022 campaign in which he finished fourth at the ACC Championships. In addition to Tewalt, Coach Hayes will bring in one of the most decorated recruiting classes nationally. The Demon Deacons women will look to build upon a solid 2022 season as they recorded top-10 finishes at both the ACC Championships and the NCAA Southeast Regional a season ago.
The Demon Deacons will open the 2023 campaign hosting UNC Greensboro on Friday, Sept. 1.
Goal No. 3 - Value to the University, Winston-Salem and Triad Communities
Every preseason begins with a review of team goals and today's review of Goal No. 3 follows our recent From the Quad recaps of Goal No. 1 and No. 2, respectively.
A perfect example of Value begins on Saturday as the Wake Forest Tennis Complex will again host the Winston-Salem Open! WSO Tournament Director, Jeff Ryan, his staff, and an amazing group of dedicated volunteers bring worldwide attention to our community with this prestigious ATP 250 event which is the final pro tennis circuit stop preceding the U.S. Open. Complete schedule and ticket information can be found here - come experience a world class, family-friendly fun professional tennis event right here in the Triad! And, fans will enjoy the new LED lights at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex thanks to a grant provided by the United States Tennis Association.
Wake's athletics facilities, just east of our Reynolda Campus in the Deacon Boulevard area, are key to the Winston-Salem's sports and entertainment district ability to host 750,000 patrons on 260 total event days for games, competitions, concerts and speakers including Wake Forest and ACC sports, the Carolina Classic Fair, the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds, and the aforementioned ATP Winston-Salem Open. Tremendous visibility - and revenue from full hotels and restaurants - comes to the Triad and our 1.3 million residents. With that, memorable events like the sold out crowd that Allegacy Stadium hosted when the legendary Sir Paul McCartney's 2022 Got Back Tour came to town in May 2022 brought together 34,000 fans who traveled to Winston-Salem from all 50 states plus DC, Canada and Mexico.
Demon Deacons student-athletes are personally invested in the community with multiple Wake Forest Athletics programs recognized among the best in the country for their philanthropic efforts and engagement over the past year through HelperHelper. The Demon Deacons ranked 12th nationally for their efforts in giving back to Winston-Salem and surrounding communities, showing the entire nation the Wake Forest Pro Humanitate spirit. Additionally, the Deacs ranked fifth among all Power-5 programs throughout the 2022-23 year.
Specifically, our men's soccer program led by head coach Bobby Muuss logged more than 1,270 hours of community service in 2022-23 – most of any NCAA Division I men's soccer program – for 35 opportunities alongside 10 organizations. Additionally this past academic year, our baseball program hosted a charity game to benefit the Epilepsy Alliance of North Carolina where the Deacs donned special-edition lavender jerseys that were auctioned off.
Finally, our men's and women's soccer teams also partnered with Atrium Health Wake
Forest Baptist to raise more than $10,000 for the Breast Care Center Patient Support Fund for patients in the Winston-Salem and Triad communities.
While these are just a few examples of how Athletics brings Value to the University, Winston-Salem and Triad Communities - we remain committed to this important goal as we push forward together.
Wake The Demons Pep Rally & Wake Forest Student Engagement
Our annual tradition of Opening Night festivities beginning about 22 hours before kickoff continues this fall with our Wake the Demons Pep Rally on Wednesday, Aug. 30 at 9 p.m. on Hearn Plaza. All students are welcome on the Quad as we introduce the Class of 2027 to game day traditions with our cheer and dance teams and the Spirit of Old Gold & Black. Students will be welcomed by guest speakers President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D., head football coach Dave Clawson, Dr. Shea Kidd Brown and others before our traditional night-before-home-game fireworks display over Wait Chapel!
Free student t-shirts will be available while supplies last, and several late-night food trucks will be on hand to provide free food for students.
From the student tailgate, our Deacon Dash – when our freshman class storms the field right before we Open the Gates to the football team – and the free student shuttles from Reynolda campus to Allegacy Stadium, our Fan Experience staff and Wake Forest Office of Student Life work in close collaboration to provide fun throughout the season! Students are encouraged to download the Screamin' Demon Rewards App and follow @ScrDemonRewards on Twitter.
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- With upgrades continuing at Allegacy Stadium, we are 1,000 tickets away from an August 31st Opening Night sell out! And, availability is even tighter for the Family Weekend contest against Georgia Tech on Saturday, Sept. 23. Call a friend, grab your neighbor and make plans now to be with us inside Allegacy Stadium! 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.
- Subscribe to 6am City's WSToday! This free daily newsletter is a partner of Wake Forest and delivers local news & events to your email inbox each morning, for free.
- Make sure your local school system is aware that Wake Forest has launched an initiative to further lower barriers to undergraduate admission for first-generation college students thanks to the leadership of President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D. and vice president for enrollment Eric Maguire. With programs like First in the Forest, Wake is committed to helping first-generation students thrive once they arrive on campus.
Hug those closest to you and continue to send your thoughts, ideas and feedback to wfuad@wfu.edu.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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