Wake Forest Athletics
Thursday, April 16
Winston-Salem, NC
Wake Forest University
vs
Wake Forest Invitational
Wake Forest Set to Host Fourth Annual Wake Forest Invitational
4/15/2026 1:24:00 PM | Track and Field
The Demon Deacons will welcome over 70 programs to Kentner Stadium from April 16-17
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – After a solid showing last weekend, the Wake Forest track and field program is set to host the fourth-annual Wake Forest Invitational at Kentner Stadium from Thursday, April 16, to Friday, April 17.
Widely considered one of the premier track and field meets on the East Coast, the Wake Forest Invitational will feature over 70 collegiate programs and nearly 1,000 athletes competing over the two-day event.
In addition to Thursday and Friday's competition, the Wake Forest Invitational will feature multiple exciting events, including an alumni tailgate, the Alumni Mile and the Fratelli's Demon Deacon 4x100-meter Student Relay. The Demon Deacons will also honor 14 seniors and graduates on the track during the Senior Recognition Ceremony on Thursday.
Admission is free for all spectators, and live results will be available via XPress Timing. A full schedule can also be found here.
Please be aware that a starter gun will be used and may be heard throughout the meet.
Need to Know
Thursday, April 16
Wake Forest Invitational (2:00 p.m.)
Kentner Stadium - Winston-Salem, N.C.
Friday, April 17
Wake Forest Invitational (10:00 a.m.)
Kentner Stadium - Winston-Salem, N.C.
Competing for the Deacs
Women
Accessibility Information
Wake Forest Athletics strives to provide content at games, social media and on GoDeacs.com that is accessible to all people. In the continued effort to improve accessibility of the technology and digital content at this weekend's meet, fans can access closed captions here for the public address announcer and in-venue content.
Parking Information
Parking for officials, working staff, team cars and buses and spectators will be available in Lot X and Lot U. Overflow parking for spectators is also available in Lot Z5. A complete parking map of campus can be viewed here.
Admission Information
Admission across the two days of competition is free for all spectators.
Featured Events
In addition to Thursday and Friday's competition, there will be several entertaining events throughout the two-day meet.
Alumni Tailgate
Track and field alumni, friends and family are welcome to attend the Wake Forest Track Alumni Tailgate. The tailgate will be held on Friday, April 17, with lunch and snacks provided from 12 to 3 p.m., and dinner being served from 5 to 8 p.m.
Registration for the tailgate closes on Thursday, April 16, at 10 a.m. at the link here.
Alumni Mile
Wake Forest track and field alumni are welcome to participate in the mixed alumni mile, which is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
Fratelli's Demon Deacon 4x100-meter Student Relay
Students will have the opportunity to earn $600 worth of gift cards to Fratelli's Italian Steakhouse during the Fratelli's Demon Deacon 4x100-meter Student Relay. The women's student relay is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with the men's student relay to follow at 7:20 p.m.
Senior and Graduate Recognition
The Demon Deacons will honor 14 members of the Wake Forest track and field team on the track on Thursday at 5:15 p.m.
Last Time Out
The Deacs are coming off a stellar showing at both the Duke Invitational and the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, highlighted by multiple Demon Deacons setting top-10 program marks.
Freshman Victoria Rodriguez kicked things off on Friday at the Duke Invitational as she recorded a second-place finish in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase, posting a personal-best time of 10:13.77. The Mercer Island, Wash., native finished the race nearly 18 seconds faster than her previous best time, which she set at the Raleigh Relays.
Meanwhile, graduate student Issy Goldstein finished right behind Rodriguez as she logged a season-best time of 10:16.27 to secure third place. With the result, the Ambler, Pa., jumped into fifth in Wake Forest history in the steeplechase.
On Saturday, freshman Natalia Issler led the charge for the Demon Deacons as she posted a time of 2:03.48 to secure a third-place finish in the women's 800 meters. The Horgen, Switzerland, native now ranks second all-time in Wake Forest history for the women's outdoor 800 meters, finishing just under a quarter of a second behind the school record.
Sophomore Amy Weybrecht added another strong performance in the women's 800 meters, placing eighth with a time of 2:06.75. The Gates Mills, Ohio, native also moved into sixth all-time in program history with the result.
Senior Casey Sullivan produced a career performance in the women's shot put, recording a throw of 15.51 meters to take home second place and jump into sixth all-time in school history.
In the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, junior Seren Rodgers notched a third-place finish in the women's heptathlon, totaling 5,474 points, ranking second in program history. Rodgers also moved into sixth all-time in the women's long jump after posting a mark of 6.01 meters.
With her performance, the Taunton, England, native now ranks first in the ACC in the women's heptathlon this season.
The John Hayes Era
Currently in his 10th season as the director of the Wake Forest track and cross country programs, head coach John Hayes has helped the Demon Deacons rise to the highest ranks in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Under his leadership, the Deacs have claimed two ACC championships in men's cross country over the past three seasons, including their most recent title during the 2024 season. The men's cross country team has also finished inside the top-10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships three times during Hayes' tenure, including a seventh-place finish in 2024 and a fifth-place finish in 2022. Hayes, who was named both Southeast Region and ACC Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2024, has also produced seven All-Americans in cross country, including junior Rocky Hansen, who finished as national runner-up at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Along with his achievements in cross country, Hayes has also helped guide the Deacs into success in both indoor and outdoor track and field. In total, the Demon Deacons have earned 127 All-ACC honors, as well as seven individual ACC Championships over his first eight seasons.
In outdoor track and field alone, the Deacs have earned 69 All-ACC honors under Hayes, as well as an individual ACC championship by Thomas Vanoppen in the 1500m back in 2022.
2026 Outdoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in Program History
Next Up
The Demon Deacons return to action next week as they are set to compete in the Penn Relays from April 23-25 at Franklin Field.
Follow the Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
Widely considered one of the premier track and field meets on the East Coast, the Wake Forest Invitational will feature over 70 collegiate programs and nearly 1,000 athletes competing over the two-day event.
In addition to Thursday and Friday's competition, the Wake Forest Invitational will feature multiple exciting events, including an alumni tailgate, the Alumni Mile and the Fratelli's Demon Deacon 4x100-meter Student Relay. The Demon Deacons will also honor 14 seniors and graduates on the track during the Senior Recognition Ceremony on Thursday.
Admission is free for all spectators, and live results will be available via XPress Timing. A full schedule can also be found here.
Please be aware that a starter gun will be used and may be heard throughout the meet.
Need to Know
Thursday, April 16
Wake Forest Invitational (2:00 p.m.)
Kentner Stadium - Winston-Salem, N.C.
Friday, April 17
Wake Forest Invitational (10:00 a.m.)
Kentner Stadium - Winston-Salem, N.C.
Competing for the Deacs
Women
- Julia Aere
- Emma Douglass
- Rosalind Gergely
- Issy Goldstein
- Aiden Harrand
- Mackenzie Hart
- Samantha Heyison
- Natalia Issler
- Angelina Perez
- Alyssa Preisano
- Mia Prok
- Seren Rodgers
- Victoria Rodriguez
- Savannah Simmons
- Abby Stankus
- Casey Sullivan
- Jazmine Thompson
- Annie Thorkell
- Charlotte Tuxbury
- Grace Wassell
- Amy Weybrecht
- Elizabeth Whaley
- Mia Williams
- Maisie Wilmer
- Brooke Wilson
- Ayden Boucher
- Max Cervi-Skinner
- Gavin Ehlers
- Cameron Feiler
- Bryce Gilmore
- Lucas Guerra
- Mac Hadden
- Rocky Hansen
- Ryan Harper
- Hunter Jones
- Andrew Kivett
- Max Marino
- Nick Masterman
- Brenner McCamey
- Harry Parker McLain
- Grant Morgenfeld
- Joe O'Brien
- Adam Petitjean
- Landon Pretre
- Aurelien Radja
- Andrew Riley
- Foster Shelbert
- Wes Shipsey
- Charlie Sprott
- Daniel Winter
Accessibility Information
Wake Forest Athletics strives to provide content at games, social media and on GoDeacs.com that is accessible to all people. In the continued effort to improve accessibility of the technology and digital content at this weekend's meet, fans can access closed captions here for the public address announcer and in-venue content.
Parking Information
Parking for officials, working staff, team cars and buses and spectators will be available in Lot X and Lot U. Overflow parking for spectators is also available in Lot Z5. A complete parking map of campus can be viewed here.
Admission Information
Admission across the two days of competition is free for all spectators.
Featured Events
In addition to Thursday and Friday's competition, there will be several entertaining events throughout the two-day meet.
Alumni Tailgate
Track and field alumni, friends and family are welcome to attend the Wake Forest Track Alumni Tailgate. The tailgate will be held on Friday, April 17, with lunch and snacks provided from 12 to 3 p.m., and dinner being served from 5 to 8 p.m.
Registration for the tailgate closes on Thursday, April 16, at 10 a.m. at the link here.
Alumni Mile
Wake Forest track and field alumni are welcome to participate in the mixed alumni mile, which is scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m.
Fratelli's Demon Deacon 4x100-meter Student Relay
Students will have the opportunity to earn $600 worth of gift cards to Fratelli's Italian Steakhouse during the Fratelli's Demon Deacon 4x100-meter Student Relay. The women's student relay is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with the men's student relay to follow at 7:20 p.m.
- Prizes:
- 1st place: $300
- 2nd place: $200
- 3rd place: $100
Senior and Graduate Recognition
The Demon Deacons will honor 14 members of the Wake Forest track and field team on the track on Thursday at 5:15 p.m.
- Honorees:
Last Time Out
The Deacs are coming off a stellar showing at both the Duke Invitational and the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, highlighted by multiple Demon Deacons setting top-10 program marks.
Freshman Victoria Rodriguez kicked things off on Friday at the Duke Invitational as she recorded a second-place finish in the women's 3000-meter steeplechase, posting a personal-best time of 10:13.77. The Mercer Island, Wash., native finished the race nearly 18 seconds faster than her previous best time, which she set at the Raleigh Relays.
Meanwhile, graduate student Issy Goldstein finished right behind Rodriguez as she logged a season-best time of 10:16.27 to secure third place. With the result, the Ambler, Pa., jumped into fifth in Wake Forest history in the steeplechase.
On Saturday, freshman Natalia Issler led the charge for the Demon Deacons as she posted a time of 2:03.48 to secure a third-place finish in the women's 800 meters. The Horgen, Switzerland, native now ranks second all-time in Wake Forest history for the women's outdoor 800 meters, finishing just under a quarter of a second behind the school record.
Sophomore Amy Weybrecht added another strong performance in the women's 800 meters, placing eighth with a time of 2:06.75. The Gates Mills, Ohio, native also moved into sixth all-time in program history with the result.
Senior Casey Sullivan produced a career performance in the women's shot put, recording a throw of 15.51 meters to take home second place and jump into sixth all-time in school history.
In the Hurricane Alumni Invitational, junior Seren Rodgers notched a third-place finish in the women's heptathlon, totaling 5,474 points, ranking second in program history. Rodgers also moved into sixth all-time in the women's long jump after posting a mark of 6.01 meters.
With her performance, the Taunton, England, native now ranks first in the ACC in the women's heptathlon this season.
The John Hayes Era
Currently in his 10th season as the director of the Wake Forest track and cross country programs, head coach John Hayes has helped the Demon Deacons rise to the highest ranks in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Under his leadership, the Deacs have claimed two ACC championships in men's cross country over the past three seasons, including their most recent title during the 2024 season. The men's cross country team has also finished inside the top-10 at the NCAA Cross Country Championships three times during Hayes' tenure, including a seventh-place finish in 2024 and a fifth-place finish in 2022. Hayes, who was named both Southeast Region and ACC Coach of the Year in 2022 and 2024, has also produced seven All-Americans in cross country, including junior Rocky Hansen, who finished as national runner-up at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Along with his achievements in cross country, Hayes has also helped guide the Deacs into success in both indoor and outdoor track and field. In total, the Demon Deacons have earned 127 All-ACC honors, as well as seven individual ACC Championships over his first eight seasons.
In outdoor track and field alone, the Deacs have earned 69 All-ACC honors under Hayes, as well as an individual ACC championship by Thomas Vanoppen in the 1500m back in 2022.
2026 Outdoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in Program History
- Men's Javelin
- 5th - Nick Masterman (63.22m)
- Women's 100m Hurdles
- 7th - Seren Rodgers (14.20)
- Women's 800m
- 2nd - Natalia Issler (2:03.48)
- 6th - Amy Weybrecht (2:06.75)
- Women's 3000m Steeplechase
- 4th - Victoria Rodriguez (10:13.77)
- 5th - Issy Goldstein (10:16.27)
- Women's 10,000m
- 1st - Angelina Perez (32:45.71)
- 9th - Mackenzie Hart (33:58.49)
- Women's Discus
- 7th - Jazmine Thompson (46.95m)
- Women's Javelin
- 3rd - Rosalind Gergely (52.21m)
- Women's Long Jump
- 6th - Seren Rodgers (6.01m)
- Women's Shot Put
- 6th - Casey Sullivan (15.51m)
- 8th - Jazmine Thompson (15.00m)
Next Up
The Demon Deacons return to action next week as they are set to compete in the Penn Relays from April 23-25 at Franklin Field.
Follow the Demon Deacons
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | #GoDeacs
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