No. 8 Men’s Cross Country to Open Season Competition at adidas XC Challenge

Friday, September 18

Cary, N.C.

5:50 p.m.

Wake Forest University

adidas XC Challenge (Men)

No. 8 Men’s Cross Country to Open Season Competition at adidas XC Challenge

9/17/2026 12:03:00 PM | Cross Country

The men's first test of the fall will involve an in-state race.

By: Keion Robinson

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The 2026 season officially gets underway for Wake Forest men's cross country this week, as the No. 8 Demon Deacons will compete in the annual adidas XC Challenge on Friday evening.

Entering its 14th year, the adidas XC Challenge features a 6k race on the men's side. A start time is scheduled for 5:50 p.m. and will be held at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.

The men's cross country team makes its first fall appearance following the women's season opener last Friday – securing a top-three finish at the Virginia Invitational.

The Race

2026 adidas XC Challenge
Men's 6k – 5:50 p.m.
WakeMed Soccer Park - Cary, N.C.

The Men's Field

Bob Jones University
Campbell
Davidson
East Carolina
High Point
Liberty
Longwood
NC Central
NC State
Richmond
Shaw
South Carolina State
UNC Greensboro
UNC Pembroke
Virginia State
No. 8 Wake Forest

Competing for Wake Forest

Season Outlook
The men's cross country team captured the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship last fall, its first since 2021. Additionally, the Deacs made a sixth-consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships and 15th overall in program history.

Five Demon Deacons placed inside the top-20 to earn All-Region honors, as Wake Forest clinched an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships.

The men also secured a top-three finish at the 2025 ACC Championships, as Hansen claimed the individual title. JoJo Jourdon joined him as one of two Deacs to be named to the All-ACC team.

Wake Forest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes is in his 11th season at the helm, having led men's cross country to two ACC championships over the past four seasons – happening in 2022 and 2024. The men's team has also finished inside the top-10 at the NCAA 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 developed standouts to earn seven All-American selections in cross country.

Preseason Recognition
The men earned strong preseason nods from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) earlier this month, landing a national ranking of No. 8. The Deacs were the only ACC team to rest inside the top 10.

In the USTFCCCA Southeast Regional rankings, Wake Forest was picked first among the preseason poll – a first such feat since 2022.

For a second consecutive season, the Wake Forest men's cross country team was selected first in the ACC Preseason Poll, announced in late August. The Demon Deacons earned 269 points to tie with Syracuse. In addition to repeating as the preseason favorites, this marks the third time in the last five years in which the men have been tabbed first in the poll.

Meet the Team
The 2026 Demon Deacons roster features major returning production along with some new faces.

Returning Deacs
A total of 13 runners are back as members of this year's Wake Forest squad:

Max Cervi-Skinner | R-Fr. | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Cervi-Skinner took a redshirt season last fall during his first year on campus.
Zackery Cervi-Skinner | R-Fr. | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
- Cervi-Skinner took a redshirt season last fall during his first year on campus.
Gavin Ehlers | R-Sr. | Westhampton Beach, N.Y.
- After competing at the Gans Creek Classic last September, Ehlers finished 26th at the Panorama Farms Invitational. During postseason play, he secured a top-100 finish at the ACC Championships.
Bryce Gilmore | R-Sr. | Carlsbad, Calif.
- Gilmore was especially a standout for the Deacs in the 2025 postseason, setting a new career-best time in the 8k at the ACC Championships while also competing in the NCAA Southeast Regional and NCAA Championships. His highest finish at 31st happened during October at the Panorama Farms Invitational.
Rocky Hansen | Sr. | Hendersonville, N.C.
- Hansen turned in one of the best individual seasons in program history as the NCAA National Runner-Up and ACC Performer of the Year. He joined Angelina Perez as one of just two Demon Deacons to earn All-American, All-Region and All-ACC honors during the 2025 campaign. At the ACC Championships, he became the first Wake Forest runner to win the league individual title since Nathan Sisco in 2001.
Hunter Jones | Sr. | Thompsonville, Mich.
- Jones played a noteworthy role in helping Wake secure the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship last fall, clocking a 10k PR to finish 16th and earn All-Region honors. Additionally, he placed 25th at the ACC Championships with a PR in the 8k.
JoJo Jourdon | Jr. | Salt Lake City, Utah
- After being named the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2024, Jourdon repeated as an all-conference runner last fall – placing 16th in the ACC Championships. He also added a 26th-place finish at the Gans Creek Classic early in the season.
Grant Morgenfeld | R-So. | Palo Alto, Calif.
- Morgenfeld made appearances in both the Gans Creek Classic and Panorama Farms Invitational through 2025 – the former being his collegiate debut after redshirting in 2024. During the ACC Championships, he recorded a 53rd place result.
Landon Pretre | R-Fr. | Atherton, Calif.
- Pretre took a redshirt season last fall during his first year on campus.
Aidan Ross | R-Jr. | Uxbridge, Mass.
- A 2024 All-ACC performer who helped the Deacs capture the conference crown that same fall, Ross is back on the roster after taking a medical redshirt last season.
Wes Shipsey | Jr. | Portland, Ore.
- As a freshman in 2024, Shipsey competed in several events, including the ACC Championships and adidas XC Challenge, recording a 6k PR at the latter. He did not make an appearance during the 2025 season.
Paul Specht | Gr. | Sindelfingen, Germany
- A true veteran among the roster, Specht notched career-best marks in both the 8k and 10k last year – happening at the Gans Greek Classic and NCAA Southeast Regional, respectively. He was a key contributor for the Deacs during the postseason, competing in the ACC Championships and NCAA Championships.
Charlie Sprott | Sr. | Brisbane, Australia
- Sprott was exceptional in helping Wake take home the NCAA Southeast Regional Championship last November, finishing ninth en route to All-Region honors. Just over a week later, he went for a 10k PR at the NCAA Championships. Across Sprott's impressive resume, he was also tabbed an All-American in 2024 and the ACC Freshman of the Year a season prior.

Two other Demon Deacons also add into the mix:

John Maguire | So. | Queanbeyan, Australia
- Maguire enters his first season of cross country with the Deacs after competing as a member of the track and field team in 2025-26.
Aurelien Radja | So. | Bonnelles, France
- Radja is in his first season with men's cross country following a standout 2026 outdoor track and field season in which he earned First Team All-ACC honors in the 5000m.

New Deacs
Wake Forest has added one transfer to its fall roster:

Alex Thompson | Gr. | Skipton, England | Boise State
- A member of the Boise State program from 2022-25, Thompson enjoyed a standout season this past year, earning All-Mountain West First Team honors. As a junior, he placed 23rd at the 2024 Mountain West Championships while also representing the Broncos at the 2024 NCAA West Regionals, taking 50th. Thompson has also excelled in the classroom, being named a three-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and twice landing on the Academic All-Mountain West Team.

Five freshmen round out the Deacs' group of newcomers: