Wake Forest Athletics News

Gold Rush: Q&A With Athletics Director Wellman
Wake Forest athletics change a great deal in the last year.

June 25, 2002

Ron Wellman has been athletics director at Wake Forest for nearly 10 years, but none has been as tumultuous, as newsworthy or as successful as the last year and a half. Wellman has overseen the hiring of new coaches in football and men's basketball, the debut of a new academic/athletic facility in the Miller Center and the first individual national championship won by a student-athlete at the school in half a decade. Recently, Wellman answered questions from Gold Rush's Jay Reddick about the year's success and the state of the athletic program.

Gold Rush: It's been another incredible year. Many teams enjoyed their highest national rankings ever, and others had quite a resurgence. What have been your favorite things to watch this season?
Wellman: Obviously, watching our teams and student-athletes experience so much success is very enjoyable.

Bea Bielik is our first-ever female national champion. She joins a remarkable list of Wake Forest national champions...Arnold Palmer, Curtis Strange, Gary Hallberg, Jay Haas and Andy Bloom.

In addition to Bea's national championship, there were numerous teams that brought recognition and glory to Wake Forest this year. The field hockey team advanced to its second consecutive Final Four, both soccer teams advanced to the NCAA tournament, the men's golf team was ranked No. 1 in the country for a number of weeks, baseball was ranked No. 2 in the country for awhile, women's tennis was ranked No. 2 in the country for a long time, women's golf advanced to the national championship round, all of our spring teams went to the NCAA tournament, football had its second winning season in the last three years and was bowl eligible, men's basketball went to the NCAA tournament and just missed going to the Sweet Sixteen, men's cross country performed better than anticipated, individual performers in men's and women's track had excellent years. This year very well could be described as our best year ever competitively. We said the same thing last year which certainly indicates a positive trend.

Gold Rush: Obviously, Bea Bielik's national championship is a great honor, not only for her, but for the school. What have her accomplishments meant?
Wellman: Bea Bielik has meant so much to our program. She obviously represents us well competitively but she is also equally impressive off the court. She is just a wonderful person who has always taken the "high road" regardless of the circumstances and has emerged as one of the all-time greats of our department. Her march to the national championship while setting an NCAA record of fewest losses on her road to the championship suggests how dominant she was in the NCAA tournament.

Gold Rush: This was a big year for the revenue sports, with both adding new coaches. What have Skip Prosser and Jim Grobe's successes meant to you?
Wellman: Both coaches have done a superb job. Both Jim and Skip made wholesale changes in the style of play used by their teams. The players responded to the changes very well and, consequently, both teams had very good years. The future of both programs is extremely bright with Jim and Skip as our coaches.

Gold Rush: How have they changed the way Wake Forest sports is seen by outsiders?
Wellman: With the success that both teams had in the first year with Jim and Skip, there is no doubt that expectations of our fans have risen. That is a natural result of the successes we enjoyed this year. Both Jim and Skip are excited about next year, but they are not willing to take shortcuts. They recognize that we want a great program that is sustainable for many years and building such a program cannot be done in a year or two. Personally, I have not witnessed so much enthusiasm for both programs since I have been here. During the Tim Duncan era, there was tremendous anticipation each year, but that was a time when our football program was experiencing difficulties. Now we have both programs at a level that gives our fans much to anticipate. This year should be a very good year for both...our fans will continue to enjoy both teams.

Gold Rush: The Miller Center has now been open for one full school year. How has it changed campus and academic life for student-athletes?
Wellman: The Miller Center is a fabulous facility for all of our student-athletes. Most of the new facilities are sport specific but the Miller Center serves every student-athlete and nonathlete on campus. With the Student Services area housed in the Miller Center, we want every student-athlete to use the building on a daily basis.

Gold Rush: What other big projects are on the horizon for Wake Forest athletics?
Wellman: There are projects that need consideration in the near future. Undoubtedly, the biggest of those projects is the golf course project (Wake Forest Golf Club). We have been working on this project for many years and need to determine if it is a realistic possibility. I hope it will become a reality. It would be a boon for our golf teams and University.