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From the Quad
3/26/2025 10:37:00 AM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
It's a beautiful - and historic - day in Winston Salem as 'The Grounds' ramps up its connectivity, environmental restoration, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure enhancements.
As such Deacon Boulevard has officially closed today between University Parkway and Piccolo Drive and will reopen in a new alignment in August as we continue this generational transformation of Winston-Salem's sports and entertainment district!
During this period:
In the long run, this short-term inconvenience will pave the way for a more accessible, walkable, and vibrant Deacon Boulevard area reinforcing the vision of 'The Grounds' as a dynamic hub for sports, entertainment, and community engagement.
Just north of Deacon Boulevard, the revitalization of Upper Silas Creek is well underway, restoring natural habitats, planting over 200 trees and 30,000 native plants, and adding a multi-purpose nature trail with seating areas and open green spaces. Improved pedestrian connectivity—including a one-mile trail loop and enhanced crossings—will strengthen the link between Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus and The Grounds.
These enhancements are just the beginning. And now, let's jump into the rest of the updates!
No. 1 Men's Tennis Team Continues Unblemished Season
Wake Forest men's tennis is leaving no doubt this season, holding the nation's No. 1 ranking while boasting a program-best 26-0 start. The Demon Deacons have been dominant in all phases, winning 25 of 26 doubles points and compiling a 93-28 singles record and 51-12 mark in doubles. Along the way, Wake Forest has secured victories over seven teams currently ranked in the ITA top 10.
Led by head coach Tony Bresky—who recently guided the program to its second ITA National Team Indoor Championship—the Deacs head down I-85 to Clemson on Friday and Georgia Tech on Sunday. Remember, if you are in South Carolina or Atlanta, drop by those matches and support this incredible team! Even a few Demon Deacons fans in attendance fuels our team.
Individually, Wake Forest continues to shine, with three singles players ranked in the ITA poll, including No. 6 DK Suresh Ekambaram and No. 12 Stefan Dostanic. In doubles, the dynamic duo of Luciano Tacchi and Luca Pow hold a No. 3 national ranking, while four other Deacon pairs also appear in the ITA rankings.
The Deacs are back in Leighton Tennis Stadium next weekend as we host SMU and Longwood on Friday, April 4 and Boston College on Sunday, April 6. Tennis matches are FREE so come out and see this team as they look to secure a regular season ACC title in the weeks ahead! As always, stay tuned to @WakeMTennis on social media and GoDeacs.com for the latest news and information on this team.
Your First Look at Coach Jake Dickert's 2025 Demon Deacons!
Join us at Allegacy Stadium on Saturday, April 19, at 3 p.m. for your first look at Coach Jake Dickert's squad in action! This FREE event is packed with on-field action, interactive fan experiences, and exciting giveaways. Arrive early for pre-event festivities at 1:30 p.m., featuring the DEACTOWN Fan Zone on Deacon Hill, a rally towel giveaway (courtesy of Allegacy Federal Credit Union), inflatables, face painting, and more! Test your skills in a Punt, Pass & Kick Competition (email wffanexp@wfu.edu for details) and enter to win exclusive Nike team gear and autographed items.
Make it a full day in DEACTOWN as Wake Forest baseball hosts Boston College at noon—grab a Spring Game & Baseball ticket package for just $14, including a Coach Dickert signed poster and Wake Forest socks.
Stick around after the Spring Showcase for on-field autographs with our players and coaches.
Before we move on, it's never too early to make your plans to join us this fall inside Allegacy Stadium for the 2025 season. New season tickets start at just $149 and fans can call 336.758.3322 ext. 1 or visit GoDeacs.com/Tickets with any questions and to purchase today as our priority renewal deadline is Monday next week! With that, Athletics recently introduced upgraded seating options in the Touchdown Club at Allegacy Stadium, including reserved barstool seats with a drink rail and tables. Fans can also continue to purchase reserved chair-back seats and concourse-level tables outside the Snead Room indoor club space.
Huge Series at David F. Couch Ballpark On Deck; Spring Sports Roundup
Our No. 16 Diamond Deacs nabbed a 10-0 win at Elon last night and return home on Friday at 6 p.m. for a huge weekend series against Virginia Tech inside the friendly confines of David F. Couch Ballpark. Following last weekend's intense, "postseason-feel" series at No. 6 Clemson, Coach Tom Walter's ballclub is 7-2 in the league. and sits in a tie for second place thanks to home sweeps of Notre Dame and Miami to open league play.
This weekend's games against the Hokies start at 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Remember, tickets are cheaper if you buy online before coming to the ballpark and stay tuned to parking and traffic updates as we mentioned earlier!
Just down the path from Couch Ballpark, Coach Jeff Wyshner's women's tennis team has a Friday afternoon match with Georgia Tech (4 p.m.) and a Sunday noon clash with Clemson inside Leighton Tennis Stadium. Our talented squad is poised to make a run as we push for a ninth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance!
Meanwhile on the links, our No. 9 women's golf team recently defeated Auburn, Florida State and South Carolina en route to a match-play title at the Old Barnwell Derby. Since the 2023 National Championship run, Coach Kim Lewellen's squad has a 16-2 record in match play competition including having a perfect 5-0 mark in postseason matches! Additionally, earlier this week, the Demon Deacons battled No. 1 Stanford and No. 3 Oregon to secure a tie for third at the Charles Schwab Spring Collegiate. Not to be outdone, Coach Jerry Haas' men's team has earned top-five finishes as a team at four of five spring events thus far and his squad has been led by a pair of seniors with Marshall Meisel finishing runner-up at the Battle at Briar's Creek and Scotty Kennon earning a pair of top-10 finishes.
Finally, Coach John Hayes' track programs began outdoor competition in High Point last weekend at the Bob Davidson Team Challenge. Prior to that, his program finished the indoor season strong with senior Luke Tewalt earning All-America honors in the 3,000 meter race, sophomore Rocky Hansen setting a new program record in the 5,000m and our Distance Medley Relay squad (featuring Luke Tewalt, Foster Shelbert, Rynard Swanepoel, Paul Specht) earning ninth overall, good for Second Team All-America status. Rocky's 5000 time of 13:12.64 was the third fastest in NCAA history by a runner under the age of 21! Stay tuned to @WakeTrack on social media for all the latest and make your plans now to see these talented student-athletes compete at our third annual Wake Forest Invitational on Friday, April 18 inside Kenter Stadium!
Don Flow Awarded 'Medallion of Merit'
Wake Forest Trustee and community leader Don Flow (MBA '83), Chairman and CEO of Flow Automotive Companies, was honored with the University's Medallion of Merit at the Founders Day celebration on Feb. 20. The highest honor bestowed by Wake Forest, the Medallion of Merit recognizes outstanding achievement and service to the University.
Don's impact extends far beyond Wake Forest, as he has been recognized with North Carolina's Order of the Long Leaf Pine and numerous civic awards for his leadership and dedication to the Winston-Salem community. He is also the visionary founder behind the Winston-Salem Open, which is played at the Wake Forest Tennis Center each August and has become an destination event for ATP professionals and tennis enthusiasts from around the region.
Don, his wife Robbin, and their entire family truly represent the spirit of Pro Humanitate in action. I'm personally grateful for all the ways Don continues to positively impact our community.
After Highest ACC Finish Since 2009, Men's Basketball Pivots to Reload for 2025-26
With the transfer portal "open" as of this past Monday (March 24), Coach Steve Forbes and his staff are back on the road looking to add firepower to build on the 86 wins of the last four seasons and this year's 21-11 overall record, fourth-place finish in the ACC, a program-record tying 13 conference wins, the fourth-straight year Wake Forest has achieved double-digit ACC victories. We salute our seniors – including Hunter Sallis, the first Demon Deacon since Tim Duncan to earn multiple first-team All-ACC honors, and Cameron Hildreth who is tied the record for most career appearances and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.
As grateful as I am to Coach Forbes for turning around Wake Forest basketball after an 11-year stretch where we averaged just 12 wins per season, I'm even prouder of how he has evaluated this past season and recalibrated to attack the offseason and get ready for next year. We took positive steps forward this year - a difficult non-conference schedule which yielded a win over 2025 Big Ten Champion and Sweet Sixteen participant Michigan, vastly improved defense, and a program record tying six ACC road wins.
With the anticipated commencement of the House Settlement / Revenue-Share era on July 1, thanks to the commitment of President Susan R. Wente and the Wake Forest Board of Trustees, the generosity of Deacon Club members and Wake Forest Sports Property partner Roll the Quad investors, we are fully invested. Already our top performing returnees Tre'Von Spillers and Juke Harris are locked in and together with Omaha Biliew, redshirt sophomore Marqus Marion and incoming freshman Isaac Carr we have solid core around which Coach Forbes and his staff are zeroed in on adding quality three point shooting, rebounding, passing acumen and depth for a strong finish in 2026.
As for the overall ACC, the "NCAA Evaluation Tool," or "NET" replaced the "Rating Percentage Index" (RPI) in 2018, and the ACC moved to a 20 game intra-conference schedule in 2020. Because a greater percentage of our overall games are intra-conference (compared with the leagues that play 18 or fewer conference games - like the SEC), non-conference losses - especially in lower-rated "buy" games, effectively devalue the "quality" of an in-conference win, even though our conference remains one of the toughest in college basketball. Currently in-conference record is not a factor in NCAA selection principles. I believe it should be – especially as we look at a field with two '6-12' SEC teams and four more with losing league records taking six of the cherished 37 at-large NCAA Tournament spots. I am also strongly advocating for the ACC to return to an 18-game regular season schedule.
With that said, we control the most important variable, winning, and our nearly 10,000 home attendance average and record setting student attendance helped propel Wake Forest to 13 home wins this season, including our third-straight over North Carolina inside Joel Coliseum. Thank you!
Demon Deacons Getting it Done in the Classroom!
Check out this story about how a trio of young men and women were awarded full-ride Stamps Scholarships to complete their undergraduate education. This news followed the recent announcements of six Wake Forest students earning Fulbright Scholarships and Wake Forest Athletics having 100 student-athletes honored on the recent fall sports Academic All-ACC lists that were announced by the conference office, including 35 from football, 19 from field hockey, 13 from women's soccer, 12 from men's soccer, 11 from cross country, and 10 from volleyball. Not to be outdone, Laurel Ansbrow (women's soccer) and Nick Andersen (football) earned the prestigious ACC postgraduate scholarship honor from the ACC office while Carolina Chacarra (women's golf) was named an ACC Excellence Award recipient too!
These accomplishments and accolades all follow what President Susan R. Wente shared in her letter last week about affirming our institutional commitments!
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Thank you for all the ways you support Wake Forest University, please continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu, and …
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
Good Morning Demon Deacon Nation,
It's a beautiful - and historic - day in Winston Salem as 'The Grounds' ramps up its connectivity, environmental restoration, and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure enhancements.
As such Deacon Boulevard has officially closed today between University Parkway and Piccolo Drive and will reopen in a new alignment in August as we continue this generational transformation of Winston-Salem's sports and entertainment district!
During this period:
- Use Reynolds Boulevard, Shorefair Drive, and 27th Street for access to baseball games at David F. Couch Ballpark, tennis matches at Leighton Stadium, or for the Spring Showcase at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. With that, LJVM Coliseum and Fairgrounds facilities remain accessible via University Parkway and 27th Street.
- This all applies for members of the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center as well as all events inside Joel Coliseum (i.e. Spring Graduations, etc.)!
- Note the detour signage posted throughout the area
In the long run, this short-term inconvenience will pave the way for a more accessible, walkable, and vibrant Deacon Boulevard area reinforcing the vision of 'The Grounds' as a dynamic hub for sports, entertainment, and community engagement.
Just north of Deacon Boulevard, the revitalization of Upper Silas Creek is well underway, restoring natural habitats, planting over 200 trees and 30,000 native plants, and adding a multi-purpose nature trail with seating areas and open green spaces. Improved pedestrian connectivity—including a one-mile trail loop and enhanced crossings—will strengthen the link between Wake Forest's Reynolda Campus and The Grounds.
These enhancements are just the beginning. And now, let's jump into the rest of the updates!
No. 1 Men's Tennis Team Continues Unblemished Season
Wake Forest men's tennis is leaving no doubt this season, holding the nation's No. 1 ranking while boasting a program-best 26-0 start. The Demon Deacons have been dominant in all phases, winning 25 of 26 doubles points and compiling a 93-28 singles record and 51-12 mark in doubles. Along the way, Wake Forest has secured victories over seven teams currently ranked in the ITA top 10.
Led by head coach Tony Bresky—who recently guided the program to its second ITA National Team Indoor Championship—the Deacs head down I-85 to Clemson on Friday and Georgia Tech on Sunday. Remember, if you are in South Carolina or Atlanta, drop by those matches and support this incredible team! Even a few Demon Deacons fans in attendance fuels our team.
Individually, Wake Forest continues to shine, with three singles players ranked in the ITA poll, including No. 6 DK Suresh Ekambaram and No. 12 Stefan Dostanic. In doubles, the dynamic duo of Luciano Tacchi and Luca Pow hold a No. 3 national ranking, while four other Deacon pairs also appear in the ITA rankings.
The Deacs are back in Leighton Tennis Stadium next weekend as we host SMU and Longwood on Friday, April 4 and Boston College on Sunday, April 6. Tennis matches are FREE so come out and see this team as they look to secure a regular season ACC title in the weeks ahead! As always, stay tuned to @WakeMTennis on social media and GoDeacs.com for the latest news and information on this team.
Your First Look at Coach Jake Dickert's 2025 Demon Deacons!
Join us at Allegacy Stadium on Saturday, April 19, at 3 p.m. for your first look at Coach Jake Dickert's squad in action! This FREE event is packed with on-field action, interactive fan experiences, and exciting giveaways. Arrive early for pre-event festivities at 1:30 p.m., featuring the DEACTOWN Fan Zone on Deacon Hill, a rally towel giveaway (courtesy of Allegacy Federal Credit Union), inflatables, face painting, and more! Test your skills in a Punt, Pass & Kick Competition (email wffanexp@wfu.edu for details) and enter to win exclusive Nike team gear and autographed items.
Make it a full day in DEACTOWN as Wake Forest baseball hosts Boston College at noon—grab a Spring Game & Baseball ticket package for just $14, including a Coach Dickert signed poster and Wake Forest socks.
Stick around after the Spring Showcase for on-field autographs with our players and coaches.
Before we move on, it's never too early to make your plans to join us this fall inside Allegacy Stadium for the 2025 season. New season tickets start at just $149 and fans can call 336.758.3322 ext. 1 or visit GoDeacs.com/Tickets with any questions and to purchase today as our priority renewal deadline is Monday next week! With that, Athletics recently introduced upgraded seating options in the Touchdown Club at Allegacy Stadium, including reserved barstool seats with a drink rail and tables. Fans can also continue to purchase reserved chair-back seats and concourse-level tables outside the Snead Room indoor club space.
Huge Series at David F. Couch Ballpark On Deck; Spring Sports Roundup
Our No. 16 Diamond Deacs nabbed a 10-0 win at Elon last night and return home on Friday at 6 p.m. for a huge weekend series against Virginia Tech inside the friendly confines of David F. Couch Ballpark. Following last weekend's intense, "postseason-feel" series at No. 6 Clemson, Coach Tom Walter's ballclub is 7-2 in the league. and sits in a tie for second place thanks to home sweeps of Notre Dame and Miami to open league play.
This weekend's games against the Hokies start at 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday, and 5 p.m. on Sunday. Remember, tickets are cheaper if you buy online before coming to the ballpark and stay tuned to parking and traffic updates as we mentioned earlier!
Just down the path from Couch Ballpark, Coach Jeff Wyshner's women's tennis team has a Friday afternoon match with Georgia Tech (4 p.m.) and a Sunday noon clash with Clemson inside Leighton Tennis Stadium. Our talented squad is poised to make a run as we push for a ninth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance!
Meanwhile on the links, our No. 9 women's golf team recently defeated Auburn, Florida State and South Carolina en route to a match-play title at the Old Barnwell Derby. Since the 2023 National Championship run, Coach Kim Lewellen's squad has a 16-2 record in match play competition including having a perfect 5-0 mark in postseason matches! Additionally, earlier this week, the Demon Deacons battled No. 1 Stanford and No. 3 Oregon to secure a tie for third at the Charles Schwab Spring Collegiate. Not to be outdone, Coach Jerry Haas' men's team has earned top-five finishes as a team at four of five spring events thus far and his squad has been led by a pair of seniors with Marshall Meisel finishing runner-up at the Battle at Briar's Creek and Scotty Kennon earning a pair of top-10 finishes.
Finally, Coach John Hayes' track programs began outdoor competition in High Point last weekend at the Bob Davidson Team Challenge. Prior to that, his program finished the indoor season strong with senior Luke Tewalt earning All-America honors in the 3,000 meter race, sophomore Rocky Hansen setting a new program record in the 5,000m and our Distance Medley Relay squad (featuring Luke Tewalt, Foster Shelbert, Rynard Swanepoel, Paul Specht) earning ninth overall, good for Second Team All-America status. Rocky's 5000 time of 13:12.64 was the third fastest in NCAA history by a runner under the age of 21! Stay tuned to @WakeTrack on social media for all the latest and make your plans now to see these talented student-athletes compete at our third annual Wake Forest Invitational on Friday, April 18 inside Kenter Stadium!
Don Flow Awarded 'Medallion of Merit'
Wake Forest Trustee and community leader Don Flow (MBA '83), Chairman and CEO of Flow Automotive Companies, was honored with the University's Medallion of Merit at the Founders Day celebration on Feb. 20. The highest honor bestowed by Wake Forest, the Medallion of Merit recognizes outstanding achievement and service to the University.
Don's impact extends far beyond Wake Forest, as he has been recognized with North Carolina's Order of the Long Leaf Pine and numerous civic awards for his leadership and dedication to the Winston-Salem community. He is also the visionary founder behind the Winston-Salem Open, which is played at the Wake Forest Tennis Center each August and has become an destination event for ATP professionals and tennis enthusiasts from around the region.
Don, his wife Robbin, and their entire family truly represent the spirit of Pro Humanitate in action. I'm personally grateful for all the ways Don continues to positively impact our community.
After Highest ACC Finish Since 2009, Men's Basketball Pivots to Reload for 2025-26
With the transfer portal "open" as of this past Monday (March 24), Coach Steve Forbes and his staff are back on the road looking to add firepower to build on the 86 wins of the last four seasons and this year's 21-11 overall record, fourth-place finish in the ACC, a program-record tying 13 conference wins, the fourth-straight year Wake Forest has achieved double-digit ACC victories. We salute our seniors – including Hunter Sallis, the first Demon Deacon since Tim Duncan to earn multiple first-team All-ACC honors, and Cameron Hildreth who is tied the record for most career appearances and earned honorable mention All-ACC honors.
As grateful as I am to Coach Forbes for turning around Wake Forest basketball after an 11-year stretch where we averaged just 12 wins per season, I'm even prouder of how he has evaluated this past season and recalibrated to attack the offseason and get ready for next year. We took positive steps forward this year - a difficult non-conference schedule which yielded a win over 2025 Big Ten Champion and Sweet Sixteen participant Michigan, vastly improved defense, and a program record tying six ACC road wins.
With the anticipated commencement of the House Settlement / Revenue-Share era on July 1, thanks to the commitment of President Susan R. Wente and the Wake Forest Board of Trustees, the generosity of Deacon Club members and Wake Forest Sports Property partner Roll the Quad investors, we are fully invested. Already our top performing returnees Tre'Von Spillers and Juke Harris are locked in and together with Omaha Biliew, redshirt sophomore Marqus Marion and incoming freshman Isaac Carr we have solid core around which Coach Forbes and his staff are zeroed in on adding quality three point shooting, rebounding, passing acumen and depth for a strong finish in 2026.
As for the overall ACC, the "NCAA Evaluation Tool," or "NET" replaced the "Rating Percentage Index" (RPI) in 2018, and the ACC moved to a 20 game intra-conference schedule in 2020. Because a greater percentage of our overall games are intra-conference (compared with the leagues that play 18 or fewer conference games - like the SEC), non-conference losses - especially in lower-rated "buy" games, effectively devalue the "quality" of an in-conference win, even though our conference remains one of the toughest in college basketball. Currently in-conference record is not a factor in NCAA selection principles. I believe it should be – especially as we look at a field with two '6-12' SEC teams and four more with losing league records taking six of the cherished 37 at-large NCAA Tournament spots. I am also strongly advocating for the ACC to return to an 18-game regular season schedule.
With that said, we control the most important variable, winning, and our nearly 10,000 home attendance average and record setting student attendance helped propel Wake Forest to 13 home wins this season, including our third-straight over North Carolina inside Joel Coliseum. Thank you!
Demon Deacons Getting it Done in the Classroom!
Check out this story about how a trio of young men and women were awarded full-ride Stamps Scholarships to complete their undergraduate education. This news followed the recent announcements of six Wake Forest students earning Fulbright Scholarships and Wake Forest Athletics having 100 student-athletes honored on the recent fall sports Academic All-ACC lists that were announced by the conference office, including 35 from football, 19 from field hockey, 13 from women's soccer, 12 from men's soccer, 11 from cross country, and 10 from volleyball. Not to be outdone, Laurel Ansbrow (women's soccer) and Nick Andersen (football) earned the prestigious ACC postgraduate scholarship honor from the ACC office while Carolina Chacarra (women's golf) was named an ACC Excellence Award recipient too!
These accomplishments and accolades all follow what President Susan R. Wente shared in her letter last week about affirming our institutional commitments!
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- We love to win and we hate to lose. But, social media access and legalized gambling have elevated "personal" and threatening attacks on student-athletes to an all-time high. You may have noticed the new NCAA spots bringing awareness to this problem - and its negative mental health impact on student-athletes. Some fan bases are fairly well known - and notorious - for attacking their own players. The unwavering support of the Wake Forest faithful for our student-athletes - win or lose - online or in person - can be a major distinction - and recruiting and retainage advantage - for the Demon Deacons.
- Join us Friday night as we celebrate legendary strike-out artist Erik Hanson and his wife Laura on Gene Hooks Field inside David F. Couch Ballpark when the Deacs take on Virginia Tech. Click here to read about how Erik's journey to Wake Forest began with a simple recommendation from his high school basketball coach, Al Lozier, ultimately leading to a Hall of Fame career with the Demon Deacons and an 11-year stint in Major League Baseball. But the fairytale wouldn't have come true if then-athletics director Dr. Gene Hooks hadn't found a way to fund a scholarship for him. Decades later, Hanson and his wife, Laura, are giving back by endowing the $2 million Hooks-Hanson Baseball Scholarship to support future Wake Forest pitchers and honor Dr. Hooks. Consider joining Erik and Laura in supporting Wake Forest Sports Excellence Funds and directly impacting your favorite Deacon team with a specific budget-enhancing gift.
- This fall, let's pack Allegacy Stadium while also giving back. Through our ticket fundraising program, your group, charity, or organization can raise money by selling tickets—earning $8 per ticket for sales under 100 and $10 per ticket for sales of 100 or more. Funds will be distributed directly to your organization through our partner, Fevo. Join us in creating an electric gameday atmosphere while supporting a great cause!
Thank you for all the ways you support Wake Forest University, please continue to send your thoughts, ideas and suggestions to me at wfuad@wfu.edu, and …
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
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