Wake Forest Athletics
Demon Deacons Announce 2026 Cross Country Schedule
8/7/2026 4:41:00 PM | Cross Country
Wake Forest will compete in four regular-season invitationals, including an in-state showing in Cary.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Demon Deacons unveiled their 2026 cross country schedule on Friday, announced by Wake Forest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes.
"We've put together a schedule that strikes the perfect balance between staying local early on and progressively building toward peak performance when it matters most," said Coach Hayes. "Starting off at the adidas XC Challenge gives our men's squad a great opportunity to find their rhythm in a smaller field before stepping onto the national stage.
"Heading to the Nuttycombe Invitational three weeks later will be a crucial test – navigating a field that usually features 60 to 75 percent of the NCAA Championship field is exactly the preparation our group needs. From there, we transition into the championship phase, battling through one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA at the ACC Championships, followed by the Southeast Regional and the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute. I am very excited about our team this year."
"I'm excited about the schedule we have put together," said head women's cross country coach Brandon Hazouri. "We will have an early chance to race a lot of our women's roster up at the Virginia Invitational and then some critical opportunities to pick up qualifying points at both Princeton and Nuttycombe. As with any season, we're focused on making sure that, above everything else, the women are prepared to compete at their best when it comes to the championship segment from ACC's to NCAA's."
The women open the fall first with participation at the Virginia Cavaliers' hosted invitational in Earlysville on Sept. 11. A week later, the men will have their first appearance at the adidas XC Challenge in nearby Cary (Sept. 18).
Near the end of the month, the women will head north for Princeton's Meadows Challenge on Sept. 26. Both the men and women teams will wrap the regular season at the 17th annual Nuttycombe Invitational, hosted by the Wisconsin Badgers.
Postseason play begins on Oct. 30 with the ACC Championships held in Blacksburg, Va. Ensuing weeks will feature the NCAA Southeast Region Championships (Nov. 13) and NCAA Cross Country Championships (Nov. 21).
The full schedule can be found here.
2025 Season Highlights
The John Hayes Era
Entering his 11th season as Director of Wake Forest Track & Field and Cross Country, 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 four seasons, happening in 2022 and 2024. 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 developed standouts to earn seven All-American selections in cross country, including Rocky Hansen, who finished as national runner-up at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships and was named the 2025 ACC Performer of the Year while winning the individual league title.
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 seen 52 student-athletes earn 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 last season. For recent indoor competition, Seren Rodgers is the reigning ACC champion in the women's pentathlon while Paul Specht was crowned the league champ of the men's mile this past February. A total of 42 Demon Deacons have notched All-ACC recognition for indoor play during the Hayes era.
Hazouri at the Helm for Women's Cross Country
Brandon Hazouri was most recently elevated to Women's Cross Country Head Coach and Associate Head Coach of Track & Field, announced by John Hayes on July 24.
Joining the program in July 2021 as an assistant coach, Hazouri has since played a critical role in both team and individual success. He has spent time as an event coach for track and as the lead recruiting coordinator for the men's cross country team. During Hazouri's time in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest has seen 10 men's and women's student-athletes earn All-ACC honors in cross country, 24 in indoor track and field, and 37 in outdoor track and field. He helped Rynard Swanepoel break the school record in the 800-meter outdoors in 2024 and also developed Natalia Issler and Emma Douglass to set new program marks in the outdoor 800-meter, good for a first since 2003.
Hazouri inherits a women's cross country team that is coming off its first NCAA championship appearance since 2006. Angelina Perez, a 2025 All-American, headlines the fall roster, as the senior earned All-ACC honors for the second-straight season after placing ninth at the ACC Cross Country Championships.
Program History/Accolades (Men)
Program History/Accolades (Women)
2026 Cross Country Schedule
"We've put together a schedule that strikes the perfect balance between staying local early on and progressively building toward peak performance when it matters most," said Coach Hayes. "Starting off at the adidas XC Challenge gives our men's squad a great opportunity to find their rhythm in a smaller field before stepping onto the national stage.
"Heading to the Nuttycombe Invitational three weeks later will be a crucial test – navigating a field that usually features 60 to 75 percent of the NCAA Championship field is exactly the preparation our group needs. From there, we transition into the championship phase, battling through one of the toughest conferences in the NCAA at the ACC Championships, followed by the Southeast Regional and the NCAA Championships in Terre Haute. I am very excited about our team this year."
"I'm excited about the schedule we have put together," said head women's cross country coach Brandon Hazouri. "We will have an early chance to race a lot of our women's roster up at the Virginia Invitational and then some critical opportunities to pick up qualifying points at both Princeton and Nuttycombe. As with any season, we're focused on making sure that, above everything else, the women are prepared to compete at their best when it comes to the championship segment from ACC's to NCAA's."
The women open the fall first with participation at the Virginia Cavaliers' hosted invitational in Earlysville on Sept. 11. A week later, the men will have their first appearance at the adidas XC Challenge in nearby Cary (Sept. 18).
Near the end of the month, the women will head north for Princeton's Meadows Challenge on Sept. 26. Both the men and women teams will wrap the regular season at the 17th annual Nuttycombe Invitational, hosted by the Wisconsin Badgers.
Postseason play begins on Oct. 30 with the ACC Championships held in Blacksburg, Va. Ensuing weeks will feature the NCAA Southeast Region Championships (Nov. 13) and NCAA Cross Country Championships (Nov. 21).
The full schedule can be found here.
2025 Season Highlights
- The men's cross country team secured their sixth-consecutive and 15th overall appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships after winning their first NCAA Southeast Regional Championship since 2021.
- Five Demon Deacons placed inside the top-20 to earn All-Region honors as the Deacs clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
- Rocky Hansen - 1st
- Charlie Sprott - 9th
- Daniel Winter - 10th
- Hunter Jones -16th
- Joe O'Brien - 19th
- Five Demon Deacons placed inside the top-20 to earn All-Region honors as the Deacs clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.
- Rocky Hansen and JoJo Jourdon also earned All-ACC honors, as the team placed third at the ACC Cross Country Championships.
- Individually, Rocky Hansen was nothing short of incredible, as he capped off his incredible 2025 season as national runner-up and an All-American for the first time in his career.
- The Hendersonville, N.C., native also earned All-Region and All-ACC honors as he brought home both the NCAA Southeast and ACC Cross Country Individual Championships.
- Hansen also took home top spot at the Panorama Farms Invitational in his first race of the season.
- Hansen ultimately set course records during his victories at the Panorama Farms Invitational and the ACC Cross Country Championships.
- His performance at the ACC Championships obliterated the previous course record at the E.P. "Tom" Sawyer State Park course by 40 seconds.
- The Hendersonville, N.C., native also earned All-Region and All-ACC honors as he brought home both the NCAA Southeast and ACC Cross Country Individual Championships.
- The women's cross country team had a historic season, earning a trip to the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2006.
- It also marked the first time that both the men's and women's teams competed in the NCAA Championships in the same season since 2000.
- Overall, the women's team secured six top-10 finishes, including three team victories at the Queen City Invite, the Spartan Classic, and the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
- Wake Forest also earned a tenth place finish at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo., where the Demon Deacons had three runners place inside the top-50.
- Angelina Perez ended her outstanding season with All-American, All-Region, and All-ACC honors.
- The Ringwood, N.J., native also added her first career individual title during the opening meet of the season at the Queen City Invite.
- Perez also earned a runner-up finish at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
- Brooke Wilson earned her third-consecutive All-Region honor after placing 17th in the 6k race at the NCAA Southeast Regional.
The John Hayes Era
Entering his 11th season as Director of Wake Forest Track & Field and Cross Country, 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 four seasons, happening in 2022 and 2024. 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 developed standouts to earn seven All-American selections in cross country, including Rocky Hansen, who finished as national runner-up at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships and was named the 2025 ACC Performer of the Year while winning the individual league title.
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 seen 52 student-athletes earn 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 last season. For recent indoor competition, Seren Rodgers is the reigning ACC champion in the women's pentathlon while Paul Specht was crowned the league champ of the men's mile this past February. A total of 42 Demon Deacons have notched All-ACC recognition for indoor play during the Hayes era.
Hazouri at the Helm for Women's Cross Country
Brandon Hazouri was most recently elevated to Women's Cross Country Head Coach and Associate Head Coach of Track & Field, announced by John Hayes on July 24.
Joining the program in July 2021 as an assistant coach, Hazouri has since played a critical role in both team and individual success. He has spent time as an event coach for track and as the lead recruiting coordinator for the men's cross country team. During Hazouri's time in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest has seen 10 men's and women's student-athletes earn All-ACC honors in cross country, 24 in indoor track and field, and 37 in outdoor track and field. He helped Rynard Swanepoel break the school record in the 800-meter outdoors in 2024 and also developed Natalia Issler and Emma Douglass to set new program marks in the outdoor 800-meter, good for a first since 2003.
Hazouri inherits a women's cross country team that is coming off its first NCAA championship appearance since 2006. Angelina Perez, a 2025 All-American, headlines the fall roster, as the senior earned All-ACC honors for the second-straight season after placing ninth at the ACC Cross Country Championships.
Program History/Accolades (Men)
- NCAA Championship Appearances (15)
- 1988 (14th), 1989 (3rd), 1990 (18th), 1992 (9th), 1993 (20th), 1995 (20th), 1996 (11th), 2000 (18th), 2001 (19th), 2021 Spring (15th), 2021 Fall (10th), 2022 (5th), 2023 (24th), 2024 (7th), 2025 (12th)
- ACC Champions
- Team (6)
- 1989, 1990, 1993, 1994, 2022, 2024
- Individual (3)
- Nolan Swanson (1996), Nathan Sisco (2001), Rocky Hansen (2025)
- Team (6)
- All-Americans (9)
- John Hume (1989), Ben Schoonover (1989), Jon Russell (1996), Nolan Swanson (1997), Zach Facioni (2020, 2021, 2022), Aaron Las Heras (2022), Luke Tewalt (2022), Charlie Sprott (2024), Rocky Hansen (2025)
- ACC Performer of the Year (1)
- Rocky Hansen (2025)
- All-ACC (39)
- Ron Rick (1985), Bill Babcock (1988, 1989), Scott Hayward (1988) Jon Hume (1988, 1989), Ben Schoonover (1989, 1990), John Sence (1989, 1990, 1991), Kyle Armentrout (1990, 1993), Eric Lorenz (1991), Stuart Burnham (1992, 1993), Brant Armentrout (1992, 1993), Pat Phillips (1992, 1993), Dennis Hearst (1993), Craig Longhurst (1994), Eric Dunn (1994, 1996), Ben Boyd (1994, 1996), Paul Kinser (1995), Jon Russell (1995, 1996), Nolan Swanson (1995, 1996, 1997), Stephan Pro (1998) Ted DeVos (2000) Chris Estwanik (2001) Garick Hill (2001), Nathan Sisco (2001), Sean Stevens (2003, 2005), Mitchell Day (2017), Zach Facioni (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022), Jack Tiernan (2019), Carter Coughlin (2020), Jonathan Velasco (2020), Ben Mitchell (2020), Coen Roberts (2020), Aaron Las Heras (2021, 2022), Luke Tewalt (2022, 2023, 2024), Thomas Vanoppen (2022), Joe O'Brien (2023, 2024), Charlie Sprott (2024), Aidan Ross (2024), JoJo Jourdon (2024, 2025), Rocky Hansen (2025)
- ACC Freshman of the Year (4)
- Mitchell Day (2017), Zach Facioni (2018), Charlie Sprott (2023), JoJo Jourdon (2024)
Program History/Accolades (Women)
- NCAA Championship Appearances (12)
- 1987 (10th), 1992 (19th), 1994 (12th), 1997 (17th), 1998 (15th), 2000 (29th), 2002 (9th), 2003 (21st), 2004 (19th), 2005 (17th), 2006 (27th), 2025 (21st)
- ACC Champions
- Team (1)
- 2002 (Co-Champions)
- Individual (2)
- Seana Arnold (1989) and Janelle Kraus (1997, 1998)
- Team (1)
- All-Americans (10)
- Karen Dunn (1985), Jennifer Rioux (1987), Seana Arnold (1989), Nicole Stevenson (1993), Janelle Kraus (1997, 1998, 1999), Annie Bersagel (2002, 2003, 2005), Selina Sekulic (2004), Michelle Sikes (2006), Samantha Jones (2015), Angelina Perez (2025)
- All-ACC (28)
- Karen Dunn (1985, 1986), Jennifer Rioux (1985, 1986, 1987), Sue Vander Wagen (1986, 1987), Monica Magnusson (1987), Anne Letko (1988), Seana Arnold (1989), Liz Becker (1989), Mary Powell (1989, 1990), Jennifer Finnegan (1992, 1994), Cynthia Moreshead (1992, 1995), Nicole Stevenson (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995), Liz Cotter (1996), Janelle Kraus (1997, 1998), Kelly Brady (1997), Sara Day (2000), Annie Bersagel (2002, 2005), Risa Rutland (2002), Anna Sherman (2003), Michelle Sikes (2003, 2004, 2006), Selina Sekulic (2004), Allison Kieffer (2008), Anna Nosenko (2010), Nicole Irving (2011, 2012), Samantha Jones (2014, 2015), Sam Halvorsen (2017, 2018, 2019), Elise Wright (2019), Brooke Wilson (2023, 2024), Angelina Perez (2024, 2025)
- ACC Freshman of the Year (2)
- Michelle Sikes (2003) and Anna Nosenko (2008)
2026 Cross Country Schedule
| Date | Event | Location |
| Friday, Sept. 11 | Virginia Invitational (Women) | Earlysville, Va. |
| Friday, Sept. 18 | adidas XC Challenge (Men) | Cary, N.C. |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | Meadows Challenge (Women) | Princeton, N.J. |
| Friday, Oct. 9 | Nuttycombe Invitational (Men & Women) | Madison, Wis. |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | ACC Championships (Men & Women) | Blacksburg, Va. |
| Friday, Nov. 13 | NCAA Southeast Region Championships (Men & Women) | Spartanburg, S.C. |
| Saturday, Nov. 21 | NCAA Cross Country Championships (Men & Women) | Terre Haute, Ind. |
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
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Friday, August 07
Thursday, August 06
Thursday, August 06
Wednesday, August 05