Saturday, November 22
Columbia, MO
Wake Forest University
vs
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Hansen Claims National Runner-Up Finish as Wake Forest Closes 2025 Season at NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/22/2025 6:25:00 PM | Cross Country
The No. 11 men’s team finished the 10k championship race in 12th place, while the women’s team placed 21st in their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2006.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Wake Forest men's and women's cross country teams closed out their 2025 season on Saturday morning at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, as the No. 11 men's team finished in 12th place, while the women's program placed 21st in their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2006.
Junior Rocky Hansen led the way for the Demon Deacons, finishing as the national runner-up in the men's 10k race with a time of 28:38.0. The Hendersonville, N.C., native capped off his junior campaign with three individual titles, including taking home both the ACC and NCAA Southeast Regional Individual titles. Additionally, Hansen earned All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC honors for the first time in his career.
Fellow junior Charlie Sprott was the next-highest finisher on the men's side as he clocked a time of 29:16.6 to place 55th. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Daniel Winter placed inside the top-100 as he crossed the line in 82nd place at 29:30.3. Redshirt juniors Joe O'Brien and Bryce Gilmore rounded out Wake Forest's top five finishers, with O'Brien placing 160th and Gilmore taking 196th.
On the women's side, junior Angelina Perez secured her first career All-American honor as she finished the race in 19:16.1 for a 33rd place result. With the result, the Ringwood, N.J., native joined Hansen as the only Deac to earn All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC honors this season.
Meanwhile, fellow junior Brooke Wilson finished her race inside the top-100 as she placed 92nd overall after posting a time of 19:55.1. Senior Elizabeth Whaley ended her final meet of her Wake Forest career with a top-150 performance as she took 149th with a time of 20:13.3, while fellow senior Mackenzie Hart finished in 174th to close out her collegiate career. Finally, freshman Victoria Rodriguez placed 186th to round out the top five finishers for the Deacs.
Overall, the women's team, who came into the meet as one of just two unranked teams to qualify for the NCAA Championships, finished ahead of 10 teams that were ranked in the latest USTFCCCA poll, including ACC-foes Virginia and Boston College.
Women's Top Five Spread
Women's Team Results
Men's Top Five Spread
Men's Team Results
From the Staff
"I'm proud of how both our men's and women's teams competed today. The men battled all the way and showed how hard they've worked all season. While we were a bit off tactically, finishing 12th in the nation is something they earned. Rocky [Hansen] ran a fearless race and delivered an incredible All-American performance with his runner-up finish. Our women continue to rise, and coach Ashley Bastron has done an exceptional job guiding that group. They raced with maturity and confidence to place 21st, and Angelina [Perez] capped the day with a tough, well-deserved All-American finish. I'm proud of our athletes, our staff, and our trainers for everything that went into getting us here." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"If we could bottle up this feeling, we absolutely would. Today was a truly special day and one I hope the women will carry with them forever. The women embraced the energy of the national stage instead of being overwhelmed by it as they competed fearlessly with and for each other. Finishing 21st after coming in unranked made the day even sweeter. We never doubted what this group was capable of and it was an honor to stand on the line with the 32 best teams in the country and show exactly who we are. I'm also incredibly proud of Angelina [Perez] for earning her first NCAA All-American honor. She set that goal back in August and committed herself wholeheartedly to making it a reality. Watching her achieve it was the perfect ending to an unforgettable day." - Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron
2025 Season Highlights
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Junior Rocky Hansen led the way for the Demon Deacons, finishing as the national runner-up in the men's 10k race with a time of 28:38.0. The Hendersonville, N.C., native capped off his junior campaign with three individual titles, including taking home both the ACC and NCAA Southeast Regional Individual titles. Additionally, Hansen earned All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC honors for the first time in his career.
Fellow junior Charlie Sprott was the next-highest finisher on the men's side as he clocked a time of 29:16.6 to place 55th. Meanwhile, redshirt junior Daniel Winter placed inside the top-100 as he crossed the line in 82nd place at 29:30.3. Redshirt juniors Joe O'Brien and Bryce Gilmore rounded out Wake Forest's top five finishers, with O'Brien placing 160th and Gilmore taking 196th.
On the women's side, junior Angelina Perez secured her first career All-American honor as she finished the race in 19:16.1 for a 33rd place result. With the result, the Ringwood, N.J., native joined Hansen as the only Deac to earn All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC honors this season.
Meanwhile, fellow junior Brooke Wilson finished her race inside the top-100 as she placed 92nd overall after posting a time of 19:55.1. Senior Elizabeth Whaley ended her final meet of her Wake Forest career with a top-150 performance as she took 149th with a time of 20:13.3, while fellow senior Mackenzie Hart finished in 174th to close out her collegiate career. Finally, freshman Victoria Rodriguez placed 186th to round out the top five finishers for the Deacs.
Overall, the women's team, who came into the meet as one of just two unranked teams to qualify for the NCAA Championships, finished ahead of 10 teams that were ranked in the latest USTFCCCA poll, including ACC-foes Virginia and Boston College.
Women's Top Five Spread
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 33 (28) | Angelina Perez | 19:16.1 |
| 92 (77) | Brooke Wilson | 19:55.1 |
| 149 (117) | Elizabeth Whaley | 20:13.3 |
| 174 (141) | Mackenzie Hart | 20:24.9 |
| 186 (151) | Victoria Rodriguez | 20:27.4 |
Women's Team Results
| Place | Team | Points |
| 21. | Wake Forest | 514 |
| 22. | No. 23 Boise State | 527 |
| 23. | No. 30 LSU | 530 |
| 24. | No. 19 Virginia | 558 |
| 25. | No. 17 Villanova | 574 |
Men's Top Five Spread
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 2 (2) | Rocky Hansen | 28:38.0 |
| 55 (46) | Charlie Sprott | 29:16.9 |
| 82 (68) | Daniel Winter | 29:30.3 |
| 160 (130) | Joe O'Brien | 30:01.5 |
| 196 (161) | Bryce Gilmore | 30:31.6 |
Men's Team Results
| Place | Team | Points |
| 11. | No. 8 BYU | 336 |
| 12. | No. 11 Wake Forest | 407 |
| 13. | No. 13 Notre Dame | 459 |
| 14. | No. 23 Virginia Tech | 472 |
| 15. | No. 24 Oklahoma | 480 |
From the Staff
"I'm proud of how both our men's and women's teams competed today. The men battled all the way and showed how hard they've worked all season. While we were a bit off tactically, finishing 12th in the nation is something they earned. Rocky [Hansen] ran a fearless race and delivered an incredible All-American performance with his runner-up finish. Our women continue to rise, and coach Ashley Bastron has done an exceptional job guiding that group. They raced with maturity and confidence to place 21st, and Angelina [Perez] capped the day with a tough, well-deserved All-American finish. I'm proud of our athletes, our staff, and our trainers for everything that went into getting us here." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"If we could bottle up this feeling, we absolutely would. Today was a truly special day and one I hope the women will carry with them forever. The women embraced the energy of the national stage instead of being overwhelmed by it as they competed fearlessly with and for each other. Finishing 21st after coming in unranked made the day even sweeter. We never doubted what this group was capable of and it was an honor to stand on the line with the 32 best teams in the country and show exactly who we are. I'm also incredibly proud of Angelina [Perez] for earning her first NCAA All-American honor. She set that goal back in August and committed herself wholeheartedly to making it a reality. Watching her achieve it was the perfect ending to an unforgettable day." - Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron
2025 Season Highlights
- The Wake Forest men's cross country team secured their sixth-consecutive and 15th-overall appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships after securing their first NCAA Southeast Regional championship since 2021.
- Five Demon Deacons placed inside the top-20 to earn All-Region honors as the Deacs clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
- Rocky Hansen - 1st
- Charlie Sprott - 9th
- Daniel Winter - 10th
- Hunter Jones -16th
- Joe O'Brien - 19th
- Five Demon Deacons placed inside the top-20 to earn All-Region honors as the Deacs clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
- Junior Rocky Hansen and sophomore JoJo Jourdon also earned All-ACC honors as the team placed third at the ACC Cross Country Championships.
- Individually, Rocky Hansen was nothing short of incredible, as he capped off his incredible 2025 season as national runner-up and an All-American for the first time in his career.
- The Hendersonville, N.C., native also earned All-Region and All-ACC honors as he brought home both the NCAA Southeast and ACC Cross Country Individual Championships.
- Hansen also took home top spot at the Panorama Farms Invitational in his first race of the season.
- Hansen also set course records during his victories at the Panorama Farms Invitational and the ACC Cross Country Championships.
- His performance at the ACC Championships obliterated the previous course record at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park course by 40 seconds.
- The Hendersonville, N.C., native also earned All-Region and All-ACC honors as he brought home both the NCAA Southeast and ACC Cross Country Individual Championships.
- The women's cross country team had a historic season as they earned their first trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2006.
- It also marked the first time that both the men's and women's teams competed in the NCAA Championships in the same season since 2000.
- Overall, the women's team secured six top-10 finishes, including three team victories at the Queen City Invite, the Spartan Classic, and the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
- Wake Forest also earned a tenth place finish at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo., where the Demon Deacons had three runners place inside the top-50.
- Junior Angelina Perez ended her outstanding season as one of just two Deacs to claim All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC honors this season.
- The Ringwood, N.J., native also added her first career individual title during the opening meet of the season at the Queen City Invite.
- Perez also earned a runner-up finish at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
- Junior Brooke Wilson earned her third-consecutive All-Region honor after placing 17th in the 6k race at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
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