No. 5 Wake Forest Men’s Cross Country Earns Fifth-Consecutive and 14th Overall NCAA Championship Selection
11/16/2024 7:30:00 PM | Cross Country
The Demon Deacons will compete in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wisc. on Saturday, Nov. 23.
WISCONSIN – Following an ACC Championship two weeks ago, the No. 5 Wake Forest men's cross country squad was selected to the 2024 NCAA Championships, as announced Saturday afternoon. The event is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 23 in Madison, Wisc.
Under the leadership of John Hayes, this achievement sets a program milestone as the Demon Deacons will make their fifth-consecutive appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships—a new record—and their 14th overall in program history.
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 at the Southeast Regional Championships yesterday morning. It marked the second-straight season O'Brien and Tewalt earned All-Region.
Hayes and the Deacs' look to achieve their first ever NCAA Championship title.
Men's NCAA Championship Appearances
The squad raced at the 2023 NCAA Championships, finishing 24th overall at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. The Demon Deacons accumulated 526 points, ahead of four top-25 ranked teams in the USTFCCCA standings.
Leading the charge was standout O'Brien, who placed 81st individually with a time of 30:23.5. Teammates Sprott, Tewalt, Gavin Ehlers, and Hunter Jones rounded out the top-five finishers..
Key Moments of the 2024 Season
The Deacs' earned a notable third place team finish at the Nuttycombe invitational (9/27) in Madison Wisc., along with obtaining a first-place team victory out of 18 teams at the Panorama Farms Invitational (10/19) in Charlottesville, Va.
Wake Forest enters the NCAA Championships with momentum, having captured the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship on Nov. 1. This victory marks the program's sixth ACC title and the 58th overall ACC Championship for Wake Forest.
The John Hayes Era
Hayes is vying for his second ACC Coach of the Year award and his fourth USTFCCCA Southeast Region Cross Country Coach of the Year honor, after leading his team to an ACC Cross Country Championship title on November 1–their second in the past three years.
From the Staff
"The men have fought through adversity and are in a great place now. We are looking forward to having our full lineup next Saturday. These men are fit, disciplined and ready to get after it." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"We are happy to extend our qualifying streak to 5 years and look forward to seeing what the guys can do up in Madison with our full roster!" - Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri
Next Up
The 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18th in Madison Wisc.
Follow The Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Under the leadership of John Hayes, this achievement sets a program milestone as the Demon Deacons will make their fifth-consecutive appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships—a new record—and their 14th overall in program history.
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 at the Southeast Regional Championships yesterday morning. It marked the second-straight season O'Brien and Tewalt earned All-Region.
Hayes and the Deacs' look to achieve their first ever NCAA Championship title.
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), 2023 (24th), 2024
- Automatic Bids
- Alabama, Arkansas, BYU, Harvard, Iowa State, New Mexico, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Oregon, Princeton, Syracuse, Tulane, Villanova, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin
- At-Large Bids
- Butler, Cal Baptist, Colorado, Eastern Kentucky, Furman, Georgetown, Northern Arizona, Stanford, Tulsa, Utah State, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Wyoming
The squad raced at the 2023 NCAA Championships, finishing 24th overall at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. The Demon Deacons accumulated 526 points, ahead of four top-25 ranked teams in the USTFCCCA standings.
Leading the charge was standout O'Brien, who placed 81st individually with a time of 30:23.5. Teammates Sprott, Tewalt, Gavin Ehlers, and Hunter Jones rounded out the top-five finishers..
Key Moments of the 2024 Season
The Deacs' earned a notable third place team finish at the Nuttycombe invitational (9/27) in Madison Wisc., along with obtaining a first-place team victory out of 18 teams at the Panorama Farms Invitational (10/19) in Charlottesville, Va.
Wake Forest enters the NCAA Championships with momentum, having captured the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship on Nov. 1. This victory marks the program's sixth ACC title and the 58th overall ACC Championship for Wake Forest.
The John Hayes Era
Hayes is vying for his second ACC Coach of the Year award and his fourth USTFCCCA Southeast Region Cross Country Coach of the Year honor, after leading his team to an ACC Cross Country Championship title on November 1–their second in the past three years.
From the Staff
"The men have fought through adversity and are in a great place now. We are looking forward to having our full lineup next Saturday. These men are fit, disciplined and ready to get after it." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"We are happy to extend our qualifying streak to 5 years and look forward to seeing what the guys can do up in Madison with our full roster!" - Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri
Next Up
The 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships will take place on Saturday, Nov. 18th in Madison Wisc.
Follow The Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Players Mentioned
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