Friday, November 15
Rock Hill, S.C.
Wake Forest University
vs
NCAA Southeast Regional
No. 5 Wake Forest Men Finish 5th, Women Place 4th at NCAA Southeast Regional
11/15/2024 5:15:00 PM | Cross Country
Joe O’Brien finished 10th in the men’s 10k, clocking 30:01.7. Angelina Perez prospered in the women’s 6k, earning 10th place with a time of 20:47.2.
ROCK HILL, S.C.- This afternoon, the No. 5 Wake Forest men's cross country team secured a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional, clinching their spot at the NCAA Championships for the fifth consecutive season. The women capped off their 2024 season with an electrifying performance, placing six runners in the top-50 earning an outstanding fourth-place finish at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
Men's NCAA Championship Appearances
All-Region honorees Joe O'Brien (30:01.7), Charlie Sprott (30:02.1), and Luke Tewalt (30:14.2) posted 10th, 11th, and 15th place finishes. For the second-straight season O'Brien and Tewalt earned All-Region, along with Brooke Wilson who achieved All-Region in back-to-back seasons after finishing 17th, clocking a personal best time of 21:02.1 in the women's 6k.
Angelina Perez (20:47.2), an All-Region award winner completed an extraordinary first season with the Deacs' with a phenomenal tenth place individual finish leading the women to a fourth place team finish. All-Region performer, Elizabeth Whaley joined Perez with a standout performance posting 21:18.1, with a 23rd place finish.
Rylan Engels (21:41.4), Molly Dreher (21:27.9) and Grace Wassell (21:42.7) posted dominant performances placing 33rd, 43rd, and 44th.
2024 Season Highlights (Women)
Men's Notable Results
Men's Team Results (Top-5 Southeast Teams)
*Nationally Ranked
Women's Top-Five Spread
Women's Team Results (Top-5 Southeast Teams)
*Nationally Ranked
From the Staff
"The women got us started. They immediately put themselves in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships in 3rd place. UNC got us in the final kilometer but not without a fight. Kudos to Ashley for having the women so well prepared for this meet again this year. It was an incredible effort for these young ladies. Our men were fortunate to have accumulated quite a few points throughout the year to allow us to hold out Rocky and Aidan and still feel safe. It certainly was not pretty, but our men will easily qualify for the NCAA Championship meet. These guys have worked very hard and I'm excited to see what they can accomplish next week in Madison. " - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"Our team has had to navigate some bumps in the road since ACC's. Today was a tough run, but ultimately we got the job done and did enough to get another chance next week. We will add two guys back to the lineup for NCAA's and look forward to seeing this squad back at full strength" - Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri
"The women absolutely battled today! I'm so proud of their effort, grit, and performance. Finishing fourth after being picked to finish sixth shows their commitment to performing at their best as the stakes get higher. They were brave, confident, and fearless in their pursuit of qualifying for the national meet. And while we likely came up just a little short of that goal, they took care of business today and controlled what they could control. It's a privilege to be their coach and I'm so proud of them." - Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron
Up Next
The men's squad with compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23rd in Madison Wisc.
Follow The Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Men's 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) 2024 (24th)
All-Region honorees Joe O'Brien (30:01.7), Charlie Sprott (30:02.1), and Luke Tewalt (30:14.2) posted 10th, 11th, and 15th place finishes. For the second-straight season O'Brien and Tewalt earned All-Region, along with Brooke Wilson who achieved All-Region in back-to-back seasons after finishing 17th, clocking a personal best time of 21:02.1 in the women's 6k.
Angelina Perez (20:47.2), an All-Region award winner completed an extraordinary first season with the Deacs' with a phenomenal tenth place individual finish leading the women to a fourth place team finish. All-Region performer, Elizabeth Whaley joined Perez with a standout performance posting 21:18.1, with a 23rd place finish.
Rylan Engels (21:41.4), Molly Dreher (21:27.9) and Grace Wassell (21:42.7) posted dominant performances placing 33rd, 43rd, and 44th.
2024 Season Highlights (Women)
- In one of the most stacked events of the 2024 fall calendar, sophomore Brooke Wilson steered the course in the women's 6k as she clocked 20:52.7 en route to a 40th place finish at the Nuttycombe Invitational (9/27) in Madison, Wisc.
- Elizabeth Whaley (21:15.2) and Molly Dreher (21:18.1) finished 78th and 80th, respectively. Alli Boehm and Angelina Perez rounded out the top-five spread which helped the squad finish above two ranked teams in Northwestern (No. 24) and Iowa State (No. 30).
- Sophomore Grace Wassell delivered an impressive fourth-place individual finish at the Royals XC Challenge (10/11) in Charlotte, N.C., shattering her previous 5k personal-best by clocking an outstanding 17:17.01 and leading the Demon Deacons to a first-place finish.
- Following an incredible run, Wassell was tabbed ACC Performer of the Week, as announced by the league office Tuesday, October 15.
- Angelina Perez (20:13.1) and Brooke Wilson (20:18.6) took 49th and 59th place out of 250 performers at Pre-Nationals (10/10) in Madison, Wisc.. It marked a new career-best for Perez. ACC Performer of the Week Grace Wassell, also earned a personal-best finish with a time of 21:14.2.
- All-ACC award winners Angelina Perez and Brooke Wilson excelled in the 6k, propelling their squad to a strong ninth-place finish at the women's ACC Championships (11/1). Out of 164 runners, Perez claimed an impressive 15th place with a personal-best time of 20:00.7, significantly improving on her previous mark of 20:13.1 at Pre-Nationals. Wilson followed closely, delivering a powerful performance to secure 19th place.
Men's Notable Results
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 10 | Joe O'Brien | 30:01.7 |
| 11 | Charlie Sprott | 30:02.1 |
| 15 | Luke Tewalt | 30:14.2 |
Men's Team Results (Top-5 Southeast Teams)
| Place | School | Points |
| 1 | Virginia | 79 |
| 2 | North Carolina* | 85 |
| 3 | Eastern Kentucky* | 105 |
| 4 | Virginia Tech | 128 |
| 5 | Wake Forest* | 134 |
*Nationally Ranked
Women's Top-Five Spread
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 10 | Angelina Perez | 20:47.2 |
| 17 | Brooke Wilson | 21:02.1 |
| 23 | Elizabeth Whaley | 21:18.1 |
| 33 | Molly Dreher | 21:27.9 |
| 43 | Rylan Engels | 21:41.4 |
Women's Team Results (Top-5 Southeast Teams)
| Place | School | Points |
| 1 | NC State* | 60 |
| 2 | Virginia* | 85 |
| 3 | North Carolina* | 119 |
| 4 | Wake Forest | 126 |
| 5 | Liberty | 162 |
*Nationally Ranked
From the Staff
"The women got us started. They immediately put themselves in position to qualify for the NCAA Championships in 3rd place. UNC got us in the final kilometer but not without a fight. Kudos to Ashley for having the women so well prepared for this meet again this year. It was an incredible effort for these young ladies. Our men were fortunate to have accumulated quite a few points throughout the year to allow us to hold out Rocky and Aidan and still feel safe. It certainly was not pretty, but our men will easily qualify for the NCAA Championship meet. These guys have worked very hard and I'm excited to see what they can accomplish next week in Madison. " - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"Our team has had to navigate some bumps in the road since ACC's. Today was a tough run, but ultimately we got the job done and did enough to get another chance next week. We will add two guys back to the lineup for NCAA's and look forward to seeing this squad back at full strength" - Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri
"The women absolutely battled today! I'm so proud of their effort, grit, and performance. Finishing fourth after being picked to finish sixth shows their commitment to performing at their best as the stakes get higher. They were brave, confident, and fearless in their pursuit of qualifying for the national meet. And while we likely came up just a little short of that goal, they took care of business today and controlled what they could control. It's a privilege to be their coach and I'm so proud of them." - Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron
Up Next
The men's squad with compete in the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 23rd in Madison Wisc.
Follow The Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Wake Forest Football | Georgia Tech Trailer
Friday, September 26
Football Media Availability (9/24/25)
Wednesday, September 24
Football Media Availability (9/23/25)
Tuesday, September 23
Wake Forest Football Head Coach Jake Dickert Press Conference (Week 5)
Tuesday, September 23