Wake Forest Continues Postseason at NCAA East Region First Round

Wednesday, May 27

Lexington, KY

Wake Forest University

NCAA First Round East Region

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Wake Forest Continues Postseason at NCAA East Region First Round

5/26/2026 2:00:00 PM | Track and Field

The NCAA East Region First Round will run at the UK Track and Field Complex from May 27-30.

By: KJ Smith

LEXINGTON, Ky. – After opening up its postseason slate with a stellar performance at the ACC Track and Field Championships, the Wake Forest track and field program is set to continue postseason action at the NCAA East Region First Round at the UK Track and Field Complex.

Overall, 19 Demon Deacons will be competing in the four-day meet, which will run from Wednesday, May 27, to Saturday, May 30.

Live results will be updated throughout the competition via FlashResults and select events will be streamed live on ESPN+.

Need to Know
Wednesday, May 27
NCAA East Region First Round (10:00 a.m.)
UK Track and Field Complex - Lexington, Ky.

Thursday, May 28
NCAA East Region First Round (10:00 a.m.)
UK Track and Field Complex - Lexington, Ky.

Friday, May 29
NCAA East Region First Round (1:00 p.m.)
UK Track and Field Complex - Lexington, Ky.

Saturday, May 30
NCAA East Region First Round (1:00 p.m.)
UK Track and Field Complex - Lexington, Ky.

Competing for the Deacs
Women

Men

Ticket Information
General admission tickets for the NCAA East Region First Round are available for purchase here. Single day tickets cost $24 for adults, $19 for youth and seniors and $16 for students with a valid college ID. Full session tickets are also available, including All-Session Youth/Senior tickets for $58 and All-Session Adult tickets for $68.

Additionally, children ages two and under will be available to attend the NCAA East Region First Round for free.

Last Time Out
Wake Forest opened its postseason schedule with a stellar performance at the ACC Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Owsley B. Frazier Cardinal Park in Louisville, Ky. Overall, the Demon Deacons finished the three-day meet with nine All-ACC honorees, including four Deacs earning First Team All-ACC honors.

Sophomore Rosalind Gergely opened competition on Thursday afternoon by claiming the ACC title in the women's javelin, recording a distance of 52.19 meters on her first attempt. Later in the day, junior Angelina Perez finished runner-up in the women's 10,000 meters, ending the race with a personal-best time of 32:44.58 to earn First Team All-ACC honors and break her own school record in the event by over a second.

Three other Demon Deacons garnered All-ACC honors on Thursday, including a pair in the men's 10,000 meters. Senior Daniel Winter came from behind to clock 29:41.48 for a fifth-place finish, while junior Charlie Sprott finished right behind in sixth place at 29:42.79.

Meanwhile, graduate student Nick Masterman added a sixth-place finish in the men's javelin, registering a throw of 61.37 meters on his first attempt to earn Second Team All-ACC honors.

On Friday, junior Seren Rodgers added another First Team All-ACC honor for the Deacs as she placed second in the women's heptathlon with a personal-best score of 5,575 points. The Taunton, England, native opened the day by registering a season-best jump of 6.05 meters in the long jump, the fifth-best mark in program history. Rodgers also added a throw of 34.01 meters in the javelin, before closing the day with a season-best time of 2:16.16 in the 800 meters.

The Demon Deacons concluded the ACC Championships with three Deacs earning All-ACC honors on the final day of competition.

Freshman Aurelien Radja led the way for the Demon Deacons as he finished as the runner-up in the men's 5,000 meters. The Frenchman clocked a personal-best time of 13:29.86, pushing him into fourth all-time in program history.

Junior Rocky Hansen opened the final day of competition with a fourth-place finish in the men's 1500 meters, posting a time of 3:41.40 to garner Second Team All-ACC honors. This marks the Hendersonville, N.C., native's third career All-ACC honor for outdoor track, having previously been named Second Team All-ACC during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

On the women's side, senior Elizabeth Whaley secured Second Team All-ACC honors in a tightly-contested final in the women's 1500 meters. Whaley finished the race with a time of 4:15.12 to clinch fourth place, marking her highest career finish at the ACC Championships.

Last Year at the NCAA East Region First Round
The Demon Deacons recorded a solid outing last season at the 2025 NCAA East Region First Round, highlighted by four Deacs earning their spots at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, including three in the men's 5000 meters.

Rocky Hansen and Luke Tewalt secured their spots in the final of the men's 5000m by finishing first and second in their semifinal heat. Hansen took top prize in the semifinals as he crossed the finish line at 13:36.54, while Tewalt finished just behind in second at 13:39.60.

JoJo Jourdon joined Hansen and Tewalt in the top five of their semifinal heat, placing fourth at 13:53.89 to qualify for his first NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Meanwhile, Rynard Swanepoel notched a season-best time of 1:45.42 to place first in his men's 800m quarterfinal heat, earning him an automatic qualification spot in the semifinals of the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Oregon for the second-consecutive 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 outdoor track and field alone, the Deacs have earned 78 All-ACC honors under Hayes, as well as individual ACC championships by Thomas Vanoppen in the 1500m back in 2022 and Rosalind Gergely in the women's javelin this season.

2026 Outdoor Track and Field Top-10 Marks in Program History

Men's 400m
- 7th - Ryan Harper (47.28)
Men's 800m
- 10th - Rocky Hansen (1:49.27)
Men's 1500m
- 1st - Rocky Hansen (3:35.75)
- 8th - Wes Shipsey (3:40.48)
Men's 3000m Steeplechase
- 5th - Max Cervi-Skinner (8:50.00)
Men's 5000m
- 4th - Aurelien Radja (13:29.86)
- 8th - Charlie Sprott (13:40.70)
- 10th - Bryce Gilmore (13:48.82)
Men's Javelin
- 5th - Nick Masterman (64.54m)
Women's 100m Hurdles
- 4th - Seren Rodgers (13.89)
Women's 800m
- 1st - Natalia Issler (2:02.28)
- 4th - Amy Weybrecht (2:05.69)
Women's 1500m
- 1st - Elizabeth Whaley (4:09.78)
- 10th - Natalia Issler (4:19.96)
Women's 3000m Steeplechase
- 4th - Victoria Rodriguez (10:09.14)
- 5th - Issy Goldstein (10:16.27)
Women's 5000m
- 2nd - Angelina Perez (15:32.20)
Women's 10,000m
- 1st - Angelina Perez (32:44.58)
- 9th - Mackenzie Hart (33:58.49)
Women's Discus
- 4th - Jazmine Thompson (50.48m)
Women's Heptathlon
- 2nd - Seren Rodgers (5,575 points)
Women's Javelin
- 3rd - Rosalind Gergely (52.99m)
Women's Long Jump
- 5th - Seren Rodgers (6.05m)
Women's Shot Put
- 4th - Casey Sullivan (15.73m)
- 8th - Jazmine Thompson (15.00m)

Next Up
The Demon Deacons close their 2026 outdoor season at the NCAA Track and Field Championships, which will be held from June 10-13 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.

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