Wake Forest University
Adidas XC Challenge
No. 20 Demon Deacons Ready to Kick Off Season at The Adidas XC Challenge
9/19/2024 6:44:00 PM | Cross Country
The event is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m Friday evening.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Returning nearly its entire squad from last season, the Wake Forest men's cross country team is slated to begin its 2024 campaign at The Adidas XC Challenge in Cary, N.C. this Friday, Sept. 20.
The 6k is slated to begin at 5:15 p.m. Live results can be found here.
Need to Know
The Adidas XC Challenge
Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 - 5:15 p.m.
Cary, N.C.
Racing for the Deacs
Returning Entire Core for Promising Fall Campaign
This fall, the squad will be one of the most experienced in the nation, bringing back nearly all of its athletes from last season. This includes all seven runners who contributed to the team's 24th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, along with rising sophomore standout Rocky Hansen.
Luke Tewalt and Joe O'Brien both garnered All-ACC honors last season due to securing 12th and 17th at the ACC Championships, respectively.
Charlie Sprott earned the ACC Men's Freshman of the Year award following an impressive postseason performance. Sprott placed 23rd at the ACC Championships after clocking an 8K time of 23:53.7. He followed that with a collegiate personal best 10K time of 30:06.9 at the NCAA Southeast Regional, securing his individual qualification for the NCAA Cross Country Championships.
In October of last year, Rocky Hansen became the first Wake Forest true freshman to win ACC Performer of the Week in nearly five years. Despite only competing in two events last fall, Hansen shined and finished the year ranked 25th nationally in FloTrack's DI NCAA cross country men's individual rankings.
In total, four Demon Deacons secured spots in FloTrack's individual rankings: Hansen (25th), Tewalt (32nd), O'Brien (169th) and Sprott (187th).
The Demon Deacons have been picked to finish sixth in the conference. For the complete preseason poll, click here.
Additionally, the squad is ranked 20th nationally in the week one USTFCCCA NCAA Division 1 cross country rankings. Of note, The Stride Report ranked the Deacs' as the 11th best team in the nation.
Regionally, the squad sits as the fourth-ranked team in the Southeast Region behind North Carolina, Virginia and Eastern Kentucky.
The Hayes Era
Since arriving at Wake Forest in 2016, Hayes has returned the men's cross country program to prominence. Under Hayes, the Demon Deacons improved their finish at the ACC Championships from 14th in 2015, to winning the league title in 2022 and from 23rd at the Southeast Regional in 2015, to winning the Southeast Region in 2021.
Last season, the men's squad reached the NCAA Championships for the fourth-straight season, marking the longest streak in program history. Luke Tewalt and Joe O'Brien both garnered All-ACC honors, as well as All-Region honors during the 2023 season. Charlie Sprott was named ACC Freshman of the Year, after a stellar performance at the ACC Championships as he clocked 23:53.7 to place 23rd overall.
In 2022, Hayes coached three All-Americans including Zach Facioni, the first three-time All-American in program history. Hayes also coached four All-ACC runners, which tied the program record for the most all-conference selections in a single season.
Prior to Hayes' arrival, Wake Forest had gone over a decade without making an NCAA Championship appearance. Of note, the Demon Deacons have now made an appearance at the NCAA Championships in four-consecutive seasons under Hayes' direction.
Over his 20-plus year coaching career, Hayes has led his teams to 13 NCAA Division I cross country championship appearances.
Up Next
The men's and women's squads will both be back in action next weekend as they compete in the Nuttycombe Invitational on Sept. 27 in Madison, Wisc.
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