Wake Forest Athletics
Friday, October 30
Blacksburg, Va.
10 a.m.
Wake Forest University
vs
ACC Championships (Men & Women)
Photo by: Matt Pedicano / Wake Forest Athletics
10/30/2026 1:06:00 PM | Cross Country
Wake Forest men’s cross country won the ACC Team Championship for the third time in the last five seasons.
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Wake Forest cross country opened its postseason in winning fashion, with the Demon Deacons men's team securing the 2026 ACC Team Title on the Buford Meredith Course in Blacksburg, Va.
This is the 61st ACC Championship in Wake Forest Athletics history and 16th since the 2014-15 school year.
The Deacs have now captured the conference team title in three of the last five seasons – a mark that ranks second among a five-year stretch throughout program history.
Wake Forest Men's Cross Country – ACC Team Championships
Totaling 48 points with a remarkable team average of just over 22:51, Wake Forest placed five individuals in the top 20. Senior Rocky Hansen led the way in a runner-up finish, clocking 22:10.0. In his first-ever postseason cross country race, sophomore Aurelien Radja impressed at fifth place (22:51.2). Senior Charlie Sprott rounded out the top 10 on a 23:00.4 mark, as redshirt senior Bryce Gilmore was close by in 12th place (23:03.3). In his first appearance of the fall, junior JoJo Jourdon finished 19th with a time of 23:10.6.
The women's team placed 10th with 267 points. Senior Brooke Wilson had an outstanding day, going for 11th (19:27.4) among a field of 160-plus runners. Freshman Emry Schwalm placed inside the top 50 as well, while graduate student Maisie Wilmer, sophomore Victoria Rodriguez and freshman Julia Score added strong performances for the Deacs.
In all, 10 Demon Deacons set new PRs at the ACC Championships:
Six Wake Forest runners earned all-conference recognition, as the men have now had multiple selections for eighth-consecutive seasons.
2026 Cross Country All-ACC Honorees
Wake Forest has now won three ACC team titles in the John Hayes era, as he ranks first among active men's cross country head coaches since 2016, when he first took over the helm of the Demon Deacons' program.
Wake Forest Men's Cross Country Success Under John Hayes
2026 ACC Championships Results
Men's 8k - Top Five Spread
Men's 8k - Team Results
Women's 6k - Top Five Spread
Women's 6k - Team Results
From the Staff
"We came out and executed tremendously today. The guys had a plan and followed it to perfection. We had a great team race, and all of the guys gave their all out there. They ran incredibly tough today.." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"Brooke was outstanding today. I'm really proud of how hard she fought and how well she moved up at each split. Overall, I'm proud of the women's effort. They executed the race plan really well and collectively – I think that was our best race of the year. There are still areas where we can get better and improve for regionals. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks." - Head Women's Cross Country Coach Brandon Hazouri
Next Up
The 2026 NCAA Southeast Region Championships will take place on Friday, Nov. 13 in Spartansburg, S.C. Set to be hosted by USC Upstate at the Roger Milliken Center, a women's 6k and men's 10k headlines the event.
This is the 61st ACC Championship in Wake Forest Athletics history and 16th since the 2014-15 school year.
The Deacs have now captured the conference team title in three of the last five seasons – a mark that ranks second among a five-year stretch throughout program history.
Wake Forest Men's Cross Country – ACC Team Championships
- 2026
- 2024
- 2022
- 1994
- 1993
- 1990
- 1989
Totaling 48 points with a remarkable team average of just over 22:51, Wake Forest placed five individuals in the top 20. Senior Rocky Hansen led the way in a runner-up finish, clocking 22:10.0. In his first-ever postseason cross country race, sophomore Aurelien Radja impressed at fifth place (22:51.2). Senior Charlie Sprott rounded out the top 10 on a 23:00.4 mark, as redshirt senior Bryce Gilmore was close by in 12th place (23:03.3). In his first appearance of the fall, junior JoJo Jourdon finished 19th with a time of 23:10.6.
The women's team placed 10th with 267 points. Senior Brooke Wilson had an outstanding day, going for 11th (19:27.4) among a field of 160-plus runners. Freshman Emry Schwalm placed inside the top 50 as well, while graduate student Maisie Wilmer, sophomore Victoria Rodriguez and freshman Julia Score added strong performances for the Deacs.
In all, 10 Demon Deacons set new PRs at the ACC Championships:
- Rocky Hansen (22:10.0 - Men's 8k)
- Aurelien Radja (22:51.2 - Men's 8k)
- Bryce Gilmore (23:03.3 - Men's 8k)
- Hunter Jones (23:19.3 - Men's 8k)
- Max-Cervi Skinner (23:27.2 - Men's 8k)
- Landon Pretre (23:34.8 - Men's 8k)
- Daniel Skandera (23:50.3 - Men's 8k)
- Brooke Wilson (19:27.4 - Women's 6k)
- Emry Schwalm (20:10.1 - Women's 6k)
- Julia Score (20:53.7 - Women's 6k)
- Annika Swan (21:19.5 - Women's 6k)
Six Wake Forest runners earned all-conference recognition, as the men have now had multiple selections for eighth-consecutive seasons.
2026 Cross Country All-ACC Honorees
- Men
- Women
- Brooke Wilson
- Friday marked the senior's third career honor.
- Brooke Wilson
Wake Forest has now won three ACC team titles in the John Hayes era, as he ranks first among active men's cross country head coaches since 2016, when he first took over the helm of the Demon Deacons' program.
| Rank | Name | School | ACC Championships |
| 1. | John Hayes | Wake Forest | 3 |
| T2. | Sean Carlson | Notre Dame | 2 |
| T2. | Chris Fox | Syracuse | 2 |
Wake Forest Men's Cross Country Success Under John Hayes
- Team championships – 3
- Individual championships – 2
- ACC first-place finishes – 7
- All-ACC selections – 29
2026 ACC Championships Results
Men's 8k - Top Five Spread
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 2. | Rocky Hansen | 22:10.0 |
| 5. | Aurelien Radja | 22:51.2 |
| 10. | Charlie Sprott | 23:00.4 |
| 12. | Bryce Gilmore | 23:03.3 |
| 19 | JoJo Jourdon | 23:10.6 |
Men's 8k - Team Results
| Place | Team | Points |
| 1. | Wake Forest | 48 |
| 2. | Virginia Tech | 94 |
| 3. | Syracuse | 94 |
| 4. | Notre Dame | 95 |
| 5. | Stanford | 157 |
Women's 6k - Top Five Spread
| Place (Points) | Name | Time |
| 11. | Brooke Wilson | 19:27.4 |
| 41. | Emry Schwalm | 20:10.1 |
| 66. | Maisie Wilmer | 20:31.3 |
| 76 | Victoria Rodriguez | 20:40.6 |
| 90. | Julia Score | 20:53.7 |
Women's 6k - Team Results
| Place | Team | Points |
| 6. | Notre Dame | 173 |
| 7. | Virginia | 200 |
| 8. | Boston College | 214 |
| 9. | Florida State | 221 |
| 10. | Wake Forest | 267 |
From the Staff
"We came out and executed tremendously today. The guys had a plan and followed it to perfection. We had a great team race, and all of the guys gave their all out there. They ran incredibly tough today.." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"Brooke was outstanding today. I'm really proud of how hard she fought and how well she moved up at each split. Overall, I'm proud of the women's effort. They executed the race plan really well and collectively – I think that was our best race of the year. There are still areas where we can get better and improve for regionals. I'm really looking forward to the next two weeks." - Head Women's Cross Country Coach Brandon Hazouri
Next Up
The 2026 NCAA Southeast Region Championships will take place on Friday, Nov. 13 in Spartansburg, S.C. Set to be hosted by USC Upstate at the Roger Milliken Center, a women's 6k and men's 10k headlines the event.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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