Wake Forest Athletics
Photo by: BryceMitchell
Deacs to Visit Arkansas in 2026 SEC/ACC Challenge
6/5/2026 10:27:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Wake Forest will match up with the Razorbacks for a second meeting all-time.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – A first official matchup in the 2026-27 season for Wake Forest women's basketball was announced on Friday, as the Demon Deacons are set to face Arkansas in the annual SEC/ACC Challenge. Wake Forest will visit the Razorbacks in a road tilt on Thursday, Dec. 3 inside Bud Walton Arena.
A tipoff time and network information will be announced at a later date.
The Deacs last participated in the SEC/ACC Challenge during the 2023-24 campaign, hosting Texas A&M on Nov. 30, 2023. The event enters its fourth edition this winter.
Wake Forest totaled 14 victories during 2025-26 en route to making its second WNIT postseason appearance within the Megan Gebbia era. In addition, the team opened the winter with nine consecutive wins, good for its best start since the 2008-09 campaign when the team had 12 straight.
Arkansas finished 12-20 overall this past season, as its slate included matching up with nine ranked opponents. The Razorbacks went 1-15 in conference play before falling to No. 9-seed Kentucky in the opening round of the 2026 SEC Tournament.
Series History vs. Arkansas
Series: Arkansas leads, 1-0
Last Time: Nov. 27, 2020
Result: L, 82-98
Women's Basketball Staff Updates
Last month, Jimmy Colloton was announced as the newest addition to Wake Forest's coaching staff. Colloton will serve as an assistant coach for the Deacs, holding primary responsibilities of implementing the team's defense and working with the perimeter players. The Arlington Heights, Ill., native brings over 12 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, including stops as an assistant at Saint Louis, Navy and Indiana. On the professional side, Colloton worked as a WNBA Advanced Scout for the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun during the 2017 and 2019 seasons.
In addition to Colloton's hire, head coach Megan Gebbia announced further updates to her coaching during the month of May. Assistant coach Emily Stallings has added the role of Offensive Coordinator to her position while Nikki Flores is transitioning to serve as Chief of Recruiting and Operations for the Deacs. Teren Hart steps into a new role of Assistant Coach/Player Development and Recruit Experience Coordinator. Joey White is set to work as an Assistant Coach/Analytics and Scouting Coordinator within the staff.
The 2026-27 Deacs
Six players make up Wake Forest's returning core – Aurora Sørbye, Mary Carter, Opal Bird, Madisyn Jordan, Grace Galbavy and Savannah Metcalfe.
Starting as a forward, Carter was the second leading scorer for the team this past winter, averaging 11.0 points per game during her first year in Winston-Salem. The Rocklin, Calif., native also led the Deacs in three-pointers made (70) and free throw percentage (.864). Sørbye paced the team in both total assists (95) and assists per game as a sophomore (3.0) while appearing in all 32 contests and adding 7.2 points a night. Bird had an immediate first-year impact, tying with Carter as the team leader in blocks (21) while also ranking second among ACC freshmen in assists per game (2.8). Jordan and Galbavy provided valuable depth for the team as perimeter pieces while Metcalfe made 14 appearances as a freshman before her season was cut short due to injury.
Wake Forest has added a total of seven newcomers on scholarship to the 2026-27 roster, featuring four freshmen and three transfers:
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. During the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule included four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
A tipoff time and network information will be announced at a later date.
The Deacs last participated in the SEC/ACC Challenge during the 2023-24 campaign, hosting Texas A&M on Nov. 30, 2023. The event enters its fourth edition this winter.
Wake Forest totaled 14 victories during 2025-26 en route to making its second WNIT postseason appearance within the Megan Gebbia era. In addition, the team opened the winter with nine consecutive wins, good for its best start since the 2008-09 campaign when the team had 12 straight.
Arkansas finished 12-20 overall this past season, as its slate included matching up with nine ranked opponents. The Razorbacks went 1-15 in conference play before falling to No. 9-seed Kentucky in the opening round of the 2026 SEC Tournament.
Series History vs. Arkansas
Series: Arkansas leads, 1-0
Last Time: Nov. 27, 2020
Result: L, 82-98
Women's Basketball Staff Updates
Last month, Jimmy Colloton was announced as the newest addition to Wake Forest's coaching staff. Colloton will serve as an assistant coach for the Deacs, holding primary responsibilities of implementing the team's defense and working with the perimeter players. The Arlington Heights, Ill., native brings over 12 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level, including stops as an assistant at Saint Louis, Navy and Indiana. On the professional side, Colloton worked as a WNBA Advanced Scout for the Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun during the 2017 and 2019 seasons.
In addition to Colloton's hire, head coach Megan Gebbia announced further updates to her coaching during the month of May. Assistant coach Emily Stallings has added the role of Offensive Coordinator to her position while Nikki Flores is transitioning to serve as Chief of Recruiting and Operations for the Deacs. Teren Hart steps into a new role of Assistant Coach/Player Development and Recruit Experience Coordinator. Joey White is set to work as an Assistant Coach/Analytics and Scouting Coordinator within the staff.
The 2026-27 Deacs
Six players make up Wake Forest's returning core – Aurora Sørbye, Mary Carter, Opal Bird, Madisyn Jordan, Grace Galbavy and Savannah Metcalfe.
Starting as a forward, Carter was the second leading scorer for the team this past winter, averaging 11.0 points per game during her first year in Winston-Salem. The Rocklin, Calif., native also led the Deacs in three-pointers made (70) and free throw percentage (.864). Sørbye paced the team in both total assists (95) and assists per game as a sophomore (3.0) while appearing in all 32 contests and adding 7.2 points a night. Bird had an immediate first-year impact, tying with Carter as the team leader in blocks (21) while also ranking second among ACC freshmen in assists per game (2.8). Jordan and Galbavy provided valuable depth for the team as perimeter pieces while Metcalfe made 14 appearances as a freshman before her season was cut short due to injury.
Wake Forest has added a total of seven newcomers on scholarship to the 2026-27 roster, featuring four freshmen and three transfers:
- Oshauna Holland | Freshman | Guard
- Adora Nwude | Freshman | Guard
- Awele Okoh | Freshman | Center
- Helena Danielewicz | Freshman | Forward
- Ramiyah Byrd | Redshirt Junior | Guard/Forward
- Breauna Ware | Graduate | Guard
- Mckenzie Swanson | Redshirt Sophomore | Forward
About ESPN Events
ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. During the 2025-26 academic year, the 35-event schedule included four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, the premiere regular season college softball and gymnastics events, as well as the Band of the Year National Championship. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans.
Follow the Deacs
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | GoDeacs.com
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
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