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From the Quad
3/19/2024 9:06:00 PM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Evening Demon Deacon Nation!
I'm finishing up this edition of From The Quad live from live from David F. Couch Ballpark, as the first game of a busy stretch in the heart of DEACTOWN has just finished with a 7-3 Deacon victory over High Point. We host at least eight events over the next six days and our hard-working staff and community partners have readied LJVM Coliseum for the Deacs to host Appalachian State at 8 p.m Wednesday night in what is officially a neutral site game in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
There is a great history of spirited competition between the Demon Deacons and the Mountaineers in multiple sports, and with Appalachian riding into Joel Coliseum sporting a 27-6 record as the regular season Sun Belt Conference Champions, we expect a big turnout from their loyal fanbase as well.
I encourage Wake fans to get there early and bring great enthusiasm as well as respectful sportsmanship and hospitality for our neighbors. Remember that the postseason NIT format means "neutral" public address, video introductions, etc. We will also be welcoming ASU's band and cheer squads. Wednesday's victor will likely play Sunday, against Georgia.
Tickets for Wednesday's 8 p.m. game are just $20 or $15 (youth 18 and under) and $10 for Wake and App State students. With that, thanks to the generous support of Deacon Club members, the first 1,250 Wake Forest students who sign up in the Screamin' Demon Rewards App will receive a complimentary ticket and food in the pregame student fan zone.
Last week's ACC Tournament in Washington D.C. was a showcase of the incredible depth of our league that was evidenced all year long during conference play. Deacon Nation showed up loud and proud and we had a blast at the official Wake Forest gathering after our Wednesday victory over Notre Dame before our hard-fought loss to fourth-seeded Pittsburgh last Thursday. Certainly the intensity and quality of ACC competition is not reflected by only five ACC schools being selected for an NCAA Tournament spot.
Forty-six months ago, in the depths of the pandemic, we hired Coach Steve Forbes to lead the reconstruction of our cherished men's basketball program. Coach Forbes, his staff, and some incredible student-athletes have brought winning basketball back to Wake Forest - and meaningful games in March. While earning a No. 1 seed in the NIT is not our program's goal, it is a progress step in reestablishing our program as a perennial postseason contender.
This season's 20 wins to date, and 11-9 ACC record brings the Deacs' three-year win totals to 64 overall and 34 in regular season league play, both numbers representing the most in a three-season stretch in 20 years. And, Wake's 10-plus conference wins over the past three seasons is a feat matched only by the Tim Duncan led teams from 1995-97.
Tomorrow night's matchup inside Joel Coliseum is a chance to build on the impressive 47 home wins that Coach Forbes and his program have racked up over the last three years – a mark that leads the conference and ranks second in the country. Already, our 16-1 mark in 2023-24 was the second-most home victories in a season in school history.
Fans flooded back into the Joel to achieve our highest season attendance total in 10 years (153,426) as those hundreds of thousands of fans passionately cheered the Deacs to memorable moments like the victories over 2024 NCAA tournament teams like SEC runner-up Florida, ACC Champion NC State, No. 8 Duke and Virginia.
The NIT also presents another opportunity to cheer on First Team All-ACC honoree Hunter Sallis who follows Tyree Appleby (2023) and Alondes Williams (2022) as All-ACC First Team selections in the Steve Forbes era. I'm grateful for our fans and proud of Coach Forbes and his staff, Hunter and his teammates, and looking forward to an exciting game tomorrow night!
Clemson Files Lawsuit; Wake Forest Remains Committed to Core Values
As a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest has a 71-year history of committed stewardship of our league, unmatched academic integrity, and athletic achievements including 10 NCAA team championships, 56 ACC team championships and a recent streak of seven-straight bowl appearances from 2016-22.
While today's news of Clemson's lawsuit against the league is disappointing, we remain proudly focused on enhancing Wake Forest's position amongst the highest level of intercollegiate athletics competition in the country.
We are grateful for Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente and her leadership as ACC Board of Directors Vice-Chair alongside University of Virginia President and Chair James E. Ryan and Commissioner Jim Phillips and proud of our longstanding partnership with ESPN and the ACC Network.
With our 2.7 million fans representing the fastest growing fanbase in the Power 4, elite athletics facilities, the largest corporate partnerships in our history and our dynamic home market of 1.3 million residents in the heart of North Carolina, Wake Forest is uncompromised on our commitment to compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.
Home ACC Series Starts Thursday at the Couch for the No. 17 Diamond Deacons
This week's action continues Thursday at 7 p.m. on ACC Network as Coach Tom Walter's Deacons battle Louisville in the first of a three-game series with the Cardinals. Advance tickets, while supplies last, can be purchased on GoDeacs.com/Tickets now for just $10! Remember, it's cheaper to buy online rather than purchasing tickets at the window upon your arrival to The Couch! Friday night's game starts at 6 p.m. as back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Week Chase Burns takes the mound looking for another fireball outing like last Saturday's 13-strikeout performance in the win at No. 17 UVA.
World Travelers = World Class! Field Hockey Spends Spring Break in Netherlands
Speaking of providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience, Coach Jen Averill, her staff and student-athletes spent their spring break in Amsterdam taking in professional hockey matches, competing and immersing themselves in the culture!
Specifically, the Deacs took in professional matches between Amsterdam and Tilburg on March 9 and Bloemendaal vs. Rotterdam on March 10. Additionally, our team competed against HC IJsseloever on March 12, HC Schiedam on March 14 and Kampong 2nd Team on March 15. Unique excursions for our overseas travelers included a Whale Canal Clean-up, visiting Anne Frank's home and an historic bike tour of Delft!
This trip, the first international tour in program history, was made possible through generous support of many donors to the Field Hockey Excellence Fund. Launched in 2018 the sport-specific Excellence Funds program is a great way for alumni, family and friends to directly impact a program of their choice. Join those who support our programs through Excellence Funds by making an experience-enhancing gift to the program of your choosing today!
Wake Forest Student-Athletes Visit Truist in Charlotte for Career Trek
Another World Class Student-Athlete Experience took place recently as 13 student-athletes (Michael Kern, Football; Ivan Mora, Football; Quincy Bryant – Football; Kevin Pointer, Football; Matthew Dennis, Football; Dylan Hazen, Football; Alyssa Andrews, Women's Basketball; Raegyn Conley, Women's Basketball; Crawford Wade, Baseball;
Olivia Franke, Volleyball; Dior Charles, Volleyball; Kalani Whillock, Volleyball; Cristian Escribano, Men's Soccer), led by Sr. Associate AD Arin Dunn, were provided a meaningful experiential learning opportunity at Truist in Charlotte.
These Demon Deacon student-athletes were able to establish relationships for potential internship and career opportunities! This is an example of the tremendous Truist - Wake Forest partnership which is all about leveraging our strengths together to improve the lives of the members of our shared communities - including helping Deacon student-athletes prepare to live impactful lives beyond graduation.
Madeline Rehm Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for 2024 Academic Year
Congratulations to women's track & field/cross country redshirt senior Madeline Rehm who was awarded an 2024 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship just over a week ago! Maddie's big news follows the Atlantic Coast Conference bestowing two Postgraduate Scholarships and its ACC Excellence Award to a trio of Demon Deacons. A four-time Academic All-ACC honoree, Maddie became the first Demon Deacon in nearly two decades to garner this prestigious honor as another track & field/cross country runner Annie Bersagel earned this accolade in 2006. Additionally, Maddie was one of four Demon Deacons to earn the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship a year ago.
Speaking of track & field, our squad collected 12 podium placements and three first-place finishes last weekend at the Charlotte 49er Classic and are back in action on Friday at the Phoenix Invitational at Elon. Stay tuned to @WakeTrack on social media for all the latest news and information from Coach John Hayes' squad.
Big Victories Set Up Big Opportunities for Tennis and Golf!
Fresh off a northeast swing and victories at Boston College and Syracuse that were the latest triumphs in a run of seven victories in their last eight matches, Coach Jeff Wyshner's team has a Big Four weekend coming up at the Southern Family Court Seating at the Leighton Team Courts. The Deacs host Duke on Friday at 3:30 p.m. and first serve vs. UNC is Sunday at 12 p.m. Remember, admission is free for our home tennis matches and our women's team is off to a great start this spring and your support brings them energy and fuels them to success!
Our No. 4 men's tennis collected a trio of wins last weekend over No. 19 Baylor, VCU and Campbell! Coach Tony Bresky's squad is now 17-4 and still remains unbeaten at home and the Deacs have won seven matches against top-30 opponents this season. Next up for Deacs is a road swing to Louisville and Notre Dame.
On the golf course, Coach Jerry Haas' men's golf team is playing its best right now coming off back-to-back top-five team finishes at the Wake Forest Invite at Pinehurst and Louisiana Classics. It has been fun to see Scotty Kennon and Michael Brennan tally a combined eight top-10 individual finishes throughout the year and I am looking forward to watching this team compete for its second ACC Championship in three years at Charlotte Country Club on April 19-22. Meanwhile, our No. 3 ranked women's team is battling some injuries and off until April 8 when they travel to Raleigh for Wolfpack Match Play as their final tune-up before the conference title in mid-April.
Wake Computer Scientist Wins NSF CAREER Award to Advance Alzheimer's Research
In her groundbreaking work as a computer scientist, Wake Forest assistant professor Minghan Chen is using artificial intelligence to create new techniques to better understand the mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease and predict its progression across brain networks. Professor Chen's work has earned more national recognition as she has been awarded a five-year, $500,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her research project entitled, "Towards a Living Neuron Twin for Improving Human Cognitive Health". Her research will help facilitate the analysis and comprehension of complex medical and health data and will help medical researchers address emerging questions in health data science. Congratulations, Dr. Chen!
Wake Forest Celebrates Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month and Athletics' talented creative services team has developed a "Her Story" video series to honor some tremendous women in our community. With that, I encourage you to watch women's basketball's Alyssa Andrews tell her story and Coach Jen Averill speak about her student-athletes and her own journey as well. Additionally, our talented colleagues in the Office of Communications & External Relations created a video celebrating our recent Trailblazer Award recipients, Sonya Henderson ('01) & Keeva Jackson-Breland ('85)!
This rollout comes on the heels of the In Her Wake campaign that was announced last month. Remember, the impact of gifts through this initiative benefits our current female student-athletes and future generations of Demon Deacons as well. Those interested in learning more or in supporting the In Her Wake initiative can visit this website.
From the Quad Big 3
Before we close, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
The Wilson family is planning a memorial service on May 3, 2024, at 11 a.m., in Wait Chapel, which will be open to the public. Additional details will be posted on the remembrance site when available.
Thanks for your faithful support of the Demon Deacons! Remember to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu and come join me for a Deacon contest this week.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
Good Evening Demon Deacon Nation!
I'm finishing up this edition of From The Quad live from live from David F. Couch Ballpark, as the first game of a busy stretch in the heart of DEACTOWN has just finished with a 7-3 Deacon victory over High Point. We host at least eight events over the next six days and our hard-working staff and community partners have readied LJVM Coliseum for the Deacs to host Appalachian State at 8 p.m Wednesday night in what is officially a neutral site game in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
There is a great history of spirited competition between the Demon Deacons and the Mountaineers in multiple sports, and with Appalachian riding into Joel Coliseum sporting a 27-6 record as the regular season Sun Belt Conference Champions, we expect a big turnout from their loyal fanbase as well.
I encourage Wake fans to get there early and bring great enthusiasm as well as respectful sportsmanship and hospitality for our neighbors. Remember that the postseason NIT format means "neutral" public address, video introductions, etc. We will also be welcoming ASU's band and cheer squads. Wednesday's victor will likely play Sunday, against Georgia.
Tickets for Wednesday's 8 p.m. game are just $20 or $15 (youth 18 and under) and $10 for Wake and App State students. With that, thanks to the generous support of Deacon Club members, the first 1,250 Wake Forest students who sign up in the Screamin' Demon Rewards App will receive a complimentary ticket and food in the pregame student fan zone.
Last week's ACC Tournament in Washington D.C. was a showcase of the incredible depth of our league that was evidenced all year long during conference play. Deacon Nation showed up loud and proud and we had a blast at the official Wake Forest gathering after our Wednesday victory over Notre Dame before our hard-fought loss to fourth-seeded Pittsburgh last Thursday. Certainly the intensity and quality of ACC competition is not reflected by only five ACC schools being selected for an NCAA Tournament spot.
Forty-six months ago, in the depths of the pandemic, we hired Coach Steve Forbes to lead the reconstruction of our cherished men's basketball program. Coach Forbes, his staff, and some incredible student-athletes have brought winning basketball back to Wake Forest - and meaningful games in March. While earning a No. 1 seed in the NIT is not our program's goal, it is a progress step in reestablishing our program as a perennial postseason contender.
This season's 20 wins to date, and 11-9 ACC record brings the Deacs' three-year win totals to 64 overall and 34 in regular season league play, both numbers representing the most in a three-season stretch in 20 years. And, Wake's 10-plus conference wins over the past three seasons is a feat matched only by the Tim Duncan led teams from 1995-97.
Tomorrow night's matchup inside Joel Coliseum is a chance to build on the impressive 47 home wins that Coach Forbes and his program have racked up over the last three years – a mark that leads the conference and ranks second in the country. Already, our 16-1 mark in 2023-24 was the second-most home victories in a season in school history.
Fans flooded back into the Joel to achieve our highest season attendance total in 10 years (153,426) as those hundreds of thousands of fans passionately cheered the Deacs to memorable moments like the victories over 2024 NCAA tournament teams like SEC runner-up Florida, ACC Champion NC State, No. 8 Duke and Virginia.
The NIT also presents another opportunity to cheer on First Team All-ACC honoree Hunter Sallis who follows Tyree Appleby (2023) and Alondes Williams (2022) as All-ACC First Team selections in the Steve Forbes era. I'm grateful for our fans and proud of Coach Forbes and his staff, Hunter and his teammates, and looking forward to an exciting game tomorrow night!
Clemson Files Lawsuit; Wake Forest Remains Committed to Core Values
As a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Wake Forest has a 71-year history of committed stewardship of our league, unmatched academic integrity, and athletic achievements including 10 NCAA team championships, 56 ACC team championships and a recent streak of seven-straight bowl appearances from 2016-22.
While today's news of Clemson's lawsuit against the league is disappointing, we remain proudly focused on enhancing Wake Forest's position amongst the highest level of intercollegiate athletics competition in the country.
We are grateful for Wake Forest President Susan R. Wente and her leadership as ACC Board of Directors Vice-Chair alongside University of Virginia President and Chair James E. Ryan and Commissioner Jim Phillips and proud of our longstanding partnership with ESPN and the ACC Network.
With our 2.7 million fans representing the fastest growing fanbase in the Power 4, elite athletics facilities, the largest corporate partnerships in our history and our dynamic home market of 1.3 million residents in the heart of North Carolina, Wake Forest is uncompromised on our commitment to compete at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics.
Home ACC Series Starts Thursday at the Couch for the No. 17 Diamond Deacons
This week's action continues Thursday at 7 p.m. on ACC Network as Coach Tom Walter's Deacons battle Louisville in the first of a three-game series with the Cardinals. Advance tickets, while supplies last, can be purchased on GoDeacs.com/Tickets now for just $10! Remember, it's cheaper to buy online rather than purchasing tickets at the window upon your arrival to The Couch! Friday night's game starts at 6 p.m. as back-to-back ACC Pitcher of the Week Chase Burns takes the mound looking for another fireball outing like last Saturday's 13-strikeout performance in the win at No. 17 UVA.
World Travelers = World Class! Field Hockey Spends Spring Break in Netherlands
Speaking of providing a World Class Student-Athlete Experience, Coach Jen Averill, her staff and student-athletes spent their spring break in Amsterdam taking in professional hockey matches, competing and immersing themselves in the culture!
Specifically, the Deacs took in professional matches between Amsterdam and Tilburg on March 9 and Bloemendaal vs. Rotterdam on March 10. Additionally, our team competed against HC IJsseloever on March 12, HC Schiedam on March 14 and Kampong 2nd Team on March 15. Unique excursions for our overseas travelers included a Whale Canal Clean-up, visiting Anne Frank's home and an historic bike tour of Delft!
This trip, the first international tour in program history, was made possible through generous support of many donors to the Field Hockey Excellence Fund. Launched in 2018 the sport-specific Excellence Funds program is a great way for alumni, family and friends to directly impact a program of their choice. Join those who support our programs through Excellence Funds by making an experience-enhancing gift to the program of your choosing today!
Wake Forest Student-Athletes Visit Truist in Charlotte for Career Trek
Another World Class Student-Athlete Experience took place recently as 13 student-athletes (Michael Kern, Football; Ivan Mora, Football; Quincy Bryant – Football; Kevin Pointer, Football; Matthew Dennis, Football; Dylan Hazen, Football; Alyssa Andrews, Women's Basketball; Raegyn Conley, Women's Basketball; Crawford Wade, Baseball;
Olivia Franke, Volleyball; Dior Charles, Volleyball; Kalani Whillock, Volleyball; Cristian Escribano, Men's Soccer), led by Sr. Associate AD Arin Dunn, were provided a meaningful experiential learning opportunity at Truist in Charlotte.
These Demon Deacon student-athletes were able to establish relationships for potential internship and career opportunities! This is an example of the tremendous Truist - Wake Forest partnership which is all about leveraging our strengths together to improve the lives of the members of our shared communities - including helping Deacon student-athletes prepare to live impactful lives beyond graduation.
Madeline Rehm Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship for 2024 Academic Year
Congratulations to women's track & field/cross country redshirt senior Madeline Rehm who was awarded an 2024 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship just over a week ago! Maddie's big news follows the Atlantic Coast Conference bestowing two Postgraduate Scholarships and its ACC Excellence Award to a trio of Demon Deacons. A four-time Academic All-ACC honoree, Maddie became the first Demon Deacon in nearly two decades to garner this prestigious honor as another track & field/cross country runner Annie Bersagel earned this accolade in 2006. Additionally, Maddie was one of four Demon Deacons to earn the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship a year ago.
Speaking of track & field, our squad collected 12 podium placements and three first-place finishes last weekend at the Charlotte 49er Classic and are back in action on Friday at the Phoenix Invitational at Elon. Stay tuned to @WakeTrack on social media for all the latest news and information from Coach John Hayes' squad.
Big Victories Set Up Big Opportunities for Tennis and Golf!
Fresh off a northeast swing and victories at Boston College and Syracuse that were the latest triumphs in a run of seven victories in their last eight matches, Coach Jeff Wyshner's team has a Big Four weekend coming up at the Southern Family Court Seating at the Leighton Team Courts. The Deacs host Duke on Friday at 3:30 p.m. and first serve vs. UNC is Sunday at 12 p.m. Remember, admission is free for our home tennis matches and our women's team is off to a great start this spring and your support brings them energy and fuels them to success!
Our No. 4 men's tennis collected a trio of wins last weekend over No. 19 Baylor, VCU and Campbell! Coach Tony Bresky's squad is now 17-4 and still remains unbeaten at home and the Deacs have won seven matches against top-30 opponents this season. Next up for Deacs is a road swing to Louisville and Notre Dame.
On the golf course, Coach Jerry Haas' men's golf team is playing its best right now coming off back-to-back top-five team finishes at the Wake Forest Invite at Pinehurst and Louisiana Classics. It has been fun to see Scotty Kennon and Michael Brennan tally a combined eight top-10 individual finishes throughout the year and I am looking forward to watching this team compete for its second ACC Championship in three years at Charlotte Country Club on April 19-22. Meanwhile, our No. 3 ranked women's team is battling some injuries and off until April 8 when they travel to Raleigh for Wolfpack Match Play as their final tune-up before the conference title in mid-April.
Wake Computer Scientist Wins NSF CAREER Award to Advance Alzheimer's Research
In her groundbreaking work as a computer scientist, Wake Forest assistant professor Minghan Chen is using artificial intelligence to create new techniques to better understand the mechanisms behind Alzheimer's disease and predict its progression across brain networks. Professor Chen's work has earned more national recognition as she has been awarded a five-year, $500,000 National Science Foundation CAREER Award for her research project entitled, "Towards a Living Neuron Twin for Improving Human Cognitive Health". Her research will help facilitate the analysis and comprehension of complex medical and health data and will help medical researchers address emerging questions in health data science. Congratulations, Dr. Chen!
Wake Forest Celebrates Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month and Athletics' talented creative services team has developed a "Her Story" video series to honor some tremendous women in our community. With that, I encourage you to watch women's basketball's Alyssa Andrews tell her story and Coach Jen Averill speak about her student-athletes and her own journey as well. Additionally, our talented colleagues in the Office of Communications & External Relations created a video celebrating our recent Trailblazer Award recipients, Sonya Henderson ('01) & Keeva Jackson-Breland ('85)!
This rollout comes on the heels of the In Her Wake campaign that was announced last month. Remember, the impact of gifts through this initiative benefits our current female student-athletes and future generations of Demon Deacons as well. Those interested in learning more or in supporting the In Her Wake initiative can visit this website.
From the Quad Big 3
Before we close, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- It was awesome to see the big smile on Coach Dave Clawson's face as he worked out his squad during our first spring football practice earlier today! Mark your calendar to attend the fan-friendly and fun Spring Game on April 20 at 2 p.m. at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. That contest will kickoff at 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ACC Network. Remember Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium is Thursday, Aug. 29. While the Spring Game is FREE, fans can purchase season tickets here as we look to stack more Wake wins on our 23-7 record in Winston-Salem since 2019!
- Join me in thanking our ASM Wake Forest staff and all those who volunteered to help Wake Forest, the City of Winston-Salem and Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum host the NCHSAA Men's Basketball Tournament last week! With 32 teams competing, including nearly 400 participants, the Joel hosted more than 31,000 fans from across 85 of North Carolina's 100 counties for this seismic event. Another example of bringing more Value to Wake Forest, Winston-Salem & Triad Communities!
- Let's also give a Deacon round of applause to the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association (ACSMA) and the ACC for bestowing the 19th annual Bob Bradley Spirit and Courage Award to the entire Forbes family! Steve, Elizabeth, Christopher and Johnathon have been through so much this year after Johnetta's stroke and her perseverance and efforts to get better each day is truly inspiring.
The Wilson family is planning a memorial service on May 3, 2024, at 11 a.m., in Wait Chapel, which will be open to the public. Additional details will be posted on the remembrance site when available.
Thanks for your faithful support of the Demon Deacons! Remember to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu and come join me for a Deacon contest this week.
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Director of Athletics
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Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
LB
/ Football
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
K
/ Football
Defender
/ Men's Soccer
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
LHP
/ Baseball
DS/OH
/ Women's VolleyballFootball Media Availability (9/18/25)
Thursday, September 18
Matt Barrie SportsCenter at Wake Forest with Demond Claiborne
Wednesday, September 10
Matt Barrie SportsCenter on Wake Forest Campus (Arnold Palmer Complex)
Wednesday, September 10
Football Media Availability (9/9/25)
Wednesday, September 10