Wake Forest Athletics
Thursday, February 26
Boston, MA
Wake Forest University
vs
ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships
Specht Secures Men’s Mile Title as Wake Forest Concludes Competition at ACC Indoor Championships
2/28/2026 8:57:00 PM | Track and Field
The Demon Deacons finished the competition with five All-ACC honorees, including three ACC champions.
BOSTON – Senior Paul Specht secured his second ACC Championship title to highlight the final day of competition for the Wake Forest track and field team at the ACC Indoor Championships on Saturday afternoon.
Specht led almost the entire way in the men's mile finals as he recorded a time of 3:58.14 to place first. This marked the Sindelfingen, Germany native's second ACC title of the meet, having anchored the men's distance medley relay team to the Deacs' first ACC championship in the event since 2002.
Three other Demon Deacons scored points in their respective events, highlighted by senior Casey Sullivan setting a new personal-best throw to finish eighth in the women's shot put. The Closter, N.J., native recorded a distance of 15.00 meters on her final attempt, pushing her into seventh all-time in Wake Forest history.
Earlier in the afternoon, fellow senior Elizabeth Whaley logged a time of 4:36.32 to finish in seventh place in the women's mile. Meanwhile, freshman Natalia Issler clocked a time of 2:06.01 in the women's 800 meters, leading to an eighth place result.
Elsewhere, junior Brooke Wilson and freshman Aurelien Radja both added top-10 results in the 3000 meter finals, with Radja finishing the men's race in 7:58.79 and Wilson registering a time of 9:05.97 in the women's race.
Additionally, junior Angelina Perez logged a time of 9:11.98 to place 14th in the women's 3000 meters.
Overall, five Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors throughout the three days of competition, including three ACC champions and First Team honorees.
Notable Results
Men's Mile
Wake Forest ACC Champions
Wake Forest All-ACC Honorees
First Team All-ACC
2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History
From the Staff
"I'm very pleased with the way we fought and performed over the last three days. Everyone that we brought came to compete with passion and fight. Every event group performed at a high level. We need to now shift our focus to the outdoor season for everyone but Paul [Specht]. He had an incredible meet and I'm fired up to see him perform at the NCAA Championships in two weeks." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"The women did an outstanding job maintaining their composure and competing at a high level. We executed in the events where we were expected to score and stepped up to earn valuable points in additional events as well. It was truly a total team effort and provides great momentum as we head into the outdoor season." - Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron
"I'm really proud of Natalia. The women's 800 meters is such a tough event in our conference, but she stepped up in a big way. She still has some things to learn as she grows, but this was a great starting point. It's a lot of fun to watch her race because you know she is an athlete that will fight every step of the way. I can't wait to watch her continue to grow and develop here." - Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri
"Outstanding performance today by Casey Sullivan. She threw personal bests in the fifth and sixth rounds to remain in the top eight and score valuable points for the team. Her mark of 15 meters puts her at number seven all-time in Wake Forest history. She will build on this success for the outdoor season." - Assistant Coach Justin Clickett
Up Next
The Deacs will close out their indoor season in two weeks as they compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The meet will be held on March 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
Follow the Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Specht led almost the entire way in the men's mile finals as he recorded a time of 3:58.14 to place first. This marked the Sindelfingen, Germany native's second ACC title of the meet, having anchored the men's distance medley relay team to the Deacs' first ACC championship in the event since 2002.
Three other Demon Deacons scored points in their respective events, highlighted by senior Casey Sullivan setting a new personal-best throw to finish eighth in the women's shot put. The Closter, N.J., native recorded a distance of 15.00 meters on her final attempt, pushing her into seventh all-time in Wake Forest history.
Earlier in the afternoon, fellow senior Elizabeth Whaley logged a time of 4:36.32 to finish in seventh place in the women's mile. Meanwhile, freshman Natalia Issler clocked a time of 2:06.01 in the women's 800 meters, leading to an eighth place result.
Elsewhere, junior Brooke Wilson and freshman Aurelien Radja both added top-10 results in the 3000 meter finals, with Radja finishing the men's race in 7:58.79 and Wilson registering a time of 9:05.97 in the women's race.
Additionally, junior Angelina Perez logged a time of 9:11.98 to place 14th in the women's 3000 meters.
Overall, five Demon Deacons earned All-ACC honors throughout the three days of competition, including three ACC champions and First Team honorees.
Notable Results
Men's Mile
- Paul Specht - 3:58.14
- Elizabeth Whaley - 4:36.32
- Casey Sullivan - 15.00m
- Natalia Issler - 2:06.01
- Aurelien Radja - 7:58.79
- Brooke Wilson - 9:05.97
- Angelina Perez - 9:11.98
Wake Forest ACC Champions
- Seren Rodgers (Women's Pentathlon)
- Men's DMR (Shipsey, Shelbert, Riley, Specht)
- Paul Specht (Men's Mile)
Wake Forest All-ACC Honorees
First Team All-ACC
- Seren Rodgers (Women's Pentathlon)
- Men's DMR (Shipsey, Shelbert, Riley, Specht)
- Paul Specht (Men's Mile)
- Charlie Sprott (Men's 5000m)
- Brooke Wilson (Women's 5000m)
2025-26 Indoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in School History
- Men's 400m
- 5th - Ryan Harper (48.21)
- Men's 600m
- 6th - Max Marino (1:20.96)
- Men's 800m
- 7th - Paul Specht (1:49.34)
- 10th - Wes Shipsey (1:50.61)
- Men's Mile
- 1st - Paul Specht (3:52.95)
- 5th - Bryce Gilmore (3:59.00)
- 6th - Wes Shipsey (3:59.68)
- Men's 3000m
- 2nd - Aurelien Radja (7:45.86)
- 5th - Bryce Gilmore (7:50.89)
- Men's 5000m
- 10th - Bryce Gilmore (13:51.24)
- Men's DMR
- 5th - Shipsey, Shelbert, Riley and Specht (9:35.29)
- Women's 60m
- 4th - Seren Rodgers (7.86)
- Women's 60m Hurdles
- 4th - Seren Rodgers (8.63)
- Women's 200m
- 6th - Seren Rodgers (25.20)
- Women's 800m
- 4th - Natalia Issler (2:05.38)
- 6th - Amy Weybrecht (2:08.35)
- Women's 1000m
- 2nd - Amy Weybrecht (2:46.45)
- 4th - Victoria Rodriguez (2:47.24)
- Women's Mile
- 1st - Elizabeth Whaley (4:35.35)
- 7th - Angelina Perez (4:41.24)
- Women's 3000m
- 2nd - Angelina Perez (9:01.56)
- 3rd - Brooke Wilson (9:05.73)
- Women's 5000m
- 1st - Angelina Perez (15:41.86)
- Women's DMR
- 1st - Weybrecht, Rodgers, Issler and Whaley (11:06.15)
- Women's High Jump
- 10th - Seren Rodgers (1.65m)
- Women's Long Jump
- 4th - Seren Rodgers (6.06m)
- 8th - Annie Thorkell (5.85m)
- Women's Pentathlon
- 3rd- Seren Rodgers (3,989 points)
- Women's Shot Put
- 7th - Casey Sullivan (15.00m)
- Women's Triple Jump
- 3rd - Annie Thorkell (12.05m)
From the Staff
"I'm very pleased with the way we fought and performed over the last three days. Everyone that we brought came to compete with passion and fight. Every event group performed at a high level. We need to now shift our focus to the outdoor season for everyone but Paul [Specht]. He had an incredible meet and I'm fired up to see him perform at the NCAA Championships in two weeks." - Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes
"The women did an outstanding job maintaining their composure and competing at a high level. We executed in the events where we were expected to score and stepped up to earn valuable points in additional events as well. It was truly a total team effort and provides great momentum as we head into the outdoor season." - Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron
"I'm really proud of Natalia. The women's 800 meters is such a tough event in our conference, but she stepped up in a big way. She still has some things to learn as she grows, but this was a great starting point. It's a lot of fun to watch her race because you know she is an athlete that will fight every step of the way. I can't wait to watch her continue to grow and develop here." - Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri
"Outstanding performance today by Casey Sullivan. She threw personal bests in the fifth and sixth rounds to remain in the top eight and score valuable points for the team. Her mark of 15 meters puts her at number seven all-time in Wake Forest history. She will build on this success for the outdoor season." - Assistant Coach Justin Clickett
Up Next
The Deacs will close out their indoor season in two weeks as they compete at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The meet will be held on March 13-14 at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark.
Follow the Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
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