From the Quad

Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist

Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation,

It's Championship season in DEACTOWN and we have multiple Wake Forest teams in the hunt for more titles to etch on the Sutton Sports Performance Center lobby wall.

Tomorrow, Coach Tony Bresky and our Elite Eight men's tennis team take the courts at 11 a.m. against Columbia in Waco, Texas. Fans can watch live on ESPN+ as a win on Friday and in Saturday's semifinal would take the Deacs back to Sunday's national title match for the first time since 2019! Tickets are available throughout the weekend by clicking here.

Further west, Coach Kim Lewellen's squad begins stroke play tomorrow at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. Led by senior Carolina Chacarra's fourth individual title, the Deacs advanced to the NCAA Championships for the 10th-consecutive year after qualifying at the NCAA Regional Championship in Lubbock, Texas. Deacon fans in Southern California can join us for a special alumni, student, and family reception on Saturday!

And, yesterday in regional action our men's golf team shot a sizzling final-round 265 to climb up the leaderboard and qualify for Wake Forest's 14th NCAA Championships appearance under head coach Jerry Haas - and fifth in the past six years.

Meanwhile, right here in the heart of our beautiful Reynolda Campus, our great institutions are in Kentner Stadium for the Atlantic Coast Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships that began today! Admission is free to support the Demon Deacons and cheer on these elite world-class student-athletes! Remember, it's also graduation weekend so we encourage everyone to park in the former Winston-Salem First Church lots across Polo Road. Shuttles will run throughout the event dropping fans off right at the entrance to Kentner Stadium.

Finally, with next week's ACC baseball tournament in Durham on deck, Coach Tom Walter's ballclub is in Louisville, Ky. this weekend with a three-game regular season series finale. First pitch tonight versus the Cardinals is set for 6 p.m. on ACCNX, game two is set for 6 p.m. Friday on ACCNX and Saturday's game will go linear on the ACC Network at noon. Stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and @WakeBaseball on social media for updated complete schedules and fan information for both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments.

Without further ado, let's get to the rest of the updates as commencement weekend is upon us!

Looking Back and Celebrating the Wake Forest Class of 2025!
Among the most special events of the year is our annual Athletics Graduation Reception, which takes place this Sunday, where we will proudly celebrate 140 Demon Deacons from the fall, spring, and upcoming summer graduating classes.

This accomplished group of student-athletes has helped lead Wake Forest to 842 victories (and counting!), eight ACC team titles, and one NCAA Championship (women's golf, 2023). Individually, they've earned 48 All-ACC honors, 125 All-ACC Academic selections, and have represented Wake Forest with distinction in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. With that, special congratulations to Taylor Morin, recipient of the 2024 Jim Tatum Award, and to Laurel Ansbrow, Nick Andersen, and Carolina Lopez-Chacarra—recipients of prestigious ACC postgraduate scholarships and awards.

Please join me in saluting these Demon Deacons for their dedication and all they have done for our great University. Whether they are heading into their next chapter or returning to DEACTOWN for one more year, these Demon Deacons will always have a home in Winston-Salem—and a proud place in the Wake Forest alumni family.

Deacs Earn Top Marks in NCAA APR Report
Speaking of achieving greatness in the classroom, 11 programs earned a perfect 1,000 score in the NCAA's 2023-24 Academic Progress Rate (APR) recently. Additionally, women's golf and women's tennis achieved perfect multi-year APR scores from 2020-21 through 2023-24 and programs earning perfect 2023-24 APR scores include: men's and women's basketball, football, men's and women's golf, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's tennis, and men's and women's cross country/track & field.

This is a testament to how hard our student-athletes work in the classroom each day. I'm also incredibly grateful for the dedication of our faculty, coaches, and academic support staff, led by Senior Associate AD Jane Caldwell, who help our Deacs thrive both on the field and in their academic pursuits.

Goal No. 4 - Win Championships! Wake Forest Captures 15th ACC Debate Championship
Congratulations to Wake Forest sophomores Destiny Hale and Hanna Shakarov on capturing the 2025 ACC Debate Championship in Washington, D.C.! The duo went undefeated in the preliminary rounds with wins over UNC, Florida State, Miami and Notre Dame before defeating SMU in the final round. Hale, a computer science major from Jefferson, Ga., was named Top Speaker, while Shakarov, a business and enterprise management major from Alpine, N.J., earned Second Speaker honors. Their victory marks Wake Forest's 15th ACC Debate Championship—a proud tradition of excellence in critical thinking, research, and public speaking.

Talking Season Begins at ACC Annual Meetings
While your hearty band of Wake Forest delegates did escape the windowless conference rooms to get a little Tuesday evening casual time outside, Commissioner Jim Phillips and his staff did a great job of packing a ton of important and timely content into the annual ACC spring meetings earlier this week. Starting with a Monday afternoon question-and-answer session with NCAA President Charlie Baker, and continuing with multiple meetings and discussions small and large. Our delegation — including Faculty Athletics Representative Dr. Peter Brubaker, Deputy AD Lindsey Babcock, Coach Steve Forbes, Coach Megan Gebbia, Coach Jake Dickert, and myself — was bolstered by the addition of veteran Wake Forest placekicker Matthew Dennis, one of three ACC student-athletes selected to join the meetings. Matthew is the ACC's national Student-Athlete Advisory Council (S.A.A.C.) representative and he was terrific presenting and engaging in the various meetings.

While we spent quite a bit of time on the anticipated House Case settlement and the corresponding implementation of revenue sharing cap compliance, third-party deal reporting and enforcement etc., the AD's also had robust discussion about the ACC's recent announcement to return to an 18-game conference schedule beginning in the 2025-26 season.

I believe this decision is the right one for Wake Forest and the ACC as the move to 18 conference games opens two additional opportunities each season for the Deacs to schedule high-quality opponents with strong NET rankings—giving us a better chance to bolster our NCAA Tournament resume. In addition to our nine home ACC games, it will also be our turn to host our ACC-SEC Challenge in the Joel this season, and we'll be in Detroit on Nov. 11 looking to knock off reigning B1G Champion Michigan for the second-straight season. Led by Deputy AD Lindsey Babcock, we are closing in on some really exciting marquee neutral site match-ups that will both challenge our student-athletes and provide great opportunities for Deacon fans. Stay tuned!

Finally, check out the interviews that Coach Dickert and Coach Forbes had with ACCN's ACC PM show earlier this week with Mark Packer, Taylor Tannenbaum and Luke Hancock.

Forbes Family Commits $500K to Support Men's Basketball Student-Athletes
Speaking of head coach Steve Forbes, he and his wife Johnetta recently committed $500,000 to the Wake Forest Men's Basketball Excellence Fund. Their leadership gift strengthens the foundation for a World Class Student-Athlete Experience and underscores their deep belief in the Pro Humanitate mission of Wake Forest.

As Coach Forbes continues to lead one of the ACC's most successful four-year runs—with 86 total wins, back-to-back ACC Players of the Year and a program-record-tying 13 conference victories this past season—the Forbes family's investment is a meaningful example of passion, purpose, and progress.

We invite all Deacons to join Steve and Johnetta in supporting Wake Forest student-athletes through Excellence Funds that directly impacts a specific program of your choice.

Road Tour, ACCN's All-Access Special Building Excitement for 2025 Wake Forest Football
Many Wake fans have told me how much they've enjoyed getting to know Coach Jake Dickert either in person at the Spring Showcase, on the road at Deacon Club events or via his media appearances and the recent ACCN All-Access special, which will reair on March 27 at 9:30 p.m. Whether you're eyeing Opening Night at Allegacy Stadium on Aug. 29 or circling Family Weekend vs. Georgia Tech on Sept. 27, now's the perfect time to explore your ticket options. Season tickets start at just $149, with flexible payment plans available—and fans can also choose from new multi-game packages and popular four-pack options (available June 10) to catch all the action this season.

Demand is strong, and with ongoing construction of The Grounds new parking options are selling fast as the Grounds Lot, located near LJVM Coliseum and adjacent to the Gate 1 DEACTOWN Fan Zone, joins the Starry Lot as an excellent option for season parking at $150.

To purchase tickets or parking, or to learn more about multi-game packages like the Family Weekend (Georgia Tech + more) or Homecoming (SMU + more), visit GoDeacs.com/Tickets or call 336-758-3322 ext. 1. Let's fill Allegacy Stadium with Deacon pride!

From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:

As featured in the Winston-Salem Chronicle, Wake Forest's Healthy Exercise and Lifestyle Program (HELPS) is celebrating 50 years of helping older adults in our community manage and prevent chronic disease through medically directed, professionally supervised exercise. From its beginnings as a cardiac rehab program, HELPS has evolved into a 20,000-square-foot state-of-the-art wellness facility offering individualized exercise prescriptions, nutritional guidance, and support for social and emotional well-being led by Wake Forest's department of Health and Exercise Science - (which is chaired by our FAR Dr. Peter Brubaker!). Director Kristy Wood and her team welcome participants of all fitness levels ready to make a lifestyle change—at any age. Classes are offered in the mornings and evenings. For more information, call 336-758-5853 or email Kristy at lievk20@wfu.edu.
As your company plans its FY26 marketing strategy, consider contacting Wake Forest Sports Properties GM Banks Shepherd bshepherd@wakeforestsportsproperties.com / 336-896-9719) to see how your business can benefit by affiliating with Wake Forest Athletics! With that, if you would like Deacon schedule cards, posters or swag for your restaurant or staff, contact Banks or email wfsports@wfu.edu with your request!
In the continued effort to bring Value to the Wake Forest, Winston-Salem and Triad Communities, Wake Forest Athletics is proud to announce the return of the WFFans Group Ticket Sales Initiative for the 2025 football season, enabling community leaders, and local organizations to team up with the Demon Deacons to raise money while driving excitement inside Allegacy Stadium. The goal is simple - by working together, we can pack the stands this fall while giving back to the organizations and causes that matter most to Demon Deacon fans. To get started or learn more, contact the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or visit GoDeacs.com/WFFans.

Thanks for all the ways you support Wake Forest University, and as always, 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

Wake Forest Athletics

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