John Hayes - Cross Country Coach - Wake Forest University Athletics

Photo by: Jaylynn Nash LLC

John Hayes

Title:
Director, Track & Field and Cross Country
Email:
hayesjw@wfu.edu

Hayes by the Numbers:

2022 & 2024 ACC Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
4-time Southeast Region Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
2-time South Central Region Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
2003 South Central Region Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year
2-time Big Sky Conference Cross Country Coach of the Year
14 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championship team appearances
20 Top-15 NCAA Division I team finishes in track and cross country
17 Division I conference championship team titles
7 NCAA Division I Champions
61 All-America Citations, including 33 at Wake Forest
4 ACC Cross Country Freshman of the Year awards
70 new Wake Forest school records
3rd in 2012 and 5th in 2013 USTFCCCA Program of the Year standings
3 USA 1500m National Champions

John Hayes has served as Wake Forest's director of track and field and cross country since August of 2016. Over his career, Hayes has led his teams to 14 NCAA Division I cross country championship appearances, 20 top-15 NCAA team finishes in track and cross country, and 61 All-America honors, including seven NCAA individual titles. He coached two athletes to three USA 1500m titles between 2009 and 2014 and was selected a USA national team assistant coach at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia.

At the helm of Wake Forest, Hayes has returned the Demon Deacons to prominence in the ACC and on the national stage. Under his direction, Wake Forest student-athletes have broken school records 70 times, earned 154 All-ACC honors, and received 33 NCAA All-America honors. For his performance, Hayes was named USTFCCCA Southeast Region Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024 as well as ACC Cross Country Coach of the Year in both 2022 and 2024.

Notably, Wake Forest men’s cross country improved its finish at the ACC Championships from 14th in 2015 prior to Hayes’ arrival to 1st in both 2022 and 2025, and from 23rd in the Southeast Region in 2015 to 1st in 2021, the team’s first regional title in 28 years. The team has qualified for nationals five years in a row, improving its finish from 15th to 10th to 5th in 2022, its best performance in nearly three decades. Over the past seven seasons, Demon Deacons have earned 26 All-ACC, 27 All-Region, and six All-America honors in cross country (Zach Facioni x3, Luke Tewalt, Aaron Las Heras, and Charlie Sprott); four were named ACC Freshman of the Year (Mitch Day in 2017, Zach Facioni in 2018, Charlie Sprott in 2023, and JoJo Jourdon in 2024); and Zach Facioni was selected the 2020 Southeast Region Men’s Athlete of the Year. Not to be outdone, a young and promising women’s squad just missed qualifying for the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, finishing the season just outside a top-30 ranking. It was the best result for the combined program in 23 years.

On the track since Hayes’ arrival, Demon Deacons have brought home 126 All-ACC honors, led by 2023 ACC Indoor Champion Tommy Kitchell (shot put), 2022 ACC Outdoor Champion Thomas Vanoppen (1500m), and 2021 ACC Indoor Champions Anna Bush (pentathlon) and Tony Jones (high jump) . All-America honors were earned by JoJo Jourdon (2025 outdoor 5000m); Tommy Kitchell (2024 indoor shot put); Robbie Grace (2024 outdoor long jump); Rynard Swanepoel (2024 & 2025 outdoor 800m); Rocky Hansen (2024 & 2025 outdoor 5000m, 2025 indoor 5000m); Luke Tewalt (2023 & 2025 outdoor 5000m, 2025 indoor 3000m); Andrew White (2023 weight throw); Thomas Vanoppen (2022 1500m and 2023 indoor mile); Zach Facioni (2022 outdoor 5000m); Robert Heppenstall (2017-2019 indoor 800m and 2017-2018 outdoor 800m); Samantha Halvorsen (2018 10000m); Ellie Abrahamson (2017 3000m steeple); the 2020 distance medley relay comprised of Amy Harding-Delooze, Cydney Delley, Aleeya Hutchins and Johanna Schulz, which also took first at the ACC Indoor Track Championships in a school record time of 11:08.40; and the 2025 distance medley relay comprised of Foster Shelbert, Rynard Swanepoel, Luke Tewalt, and Paul Specht.

Representing Wake Forest on the international stage, freshman Isabelle Dutranoit set the Bermuda national record in the indoor 3000m, posting a time of 9:50.80 at the 2020 Camel City Invitational. Johanna Schulz finished third in the 1500m at the 2019 German Athletics National Championships in a personal best time of 4:13.47, and Aaron Las Heras earned gold for Spain in the 5000m at the 2019 European Athletics U20 Championships and silver at the 2021 European Athletics U23 Championships (13:43.13). Most recently, Luke Tewalt earned a spot representing the U.S. in the 1500m at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships, capping off a year in which he set an American U20 3000m record and became the first Demon Deacon to run a sub four-minute mile in Wake Forest history.

Wake Forest student-athletes have delivered on the academic front as well, recording the highest team GPA across all Wake Forest men’s sports in 2018, 2019 and 2023. Over the last eight years, Demon Deacons have received 192 All-ACC Academic awards, earning USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic Team honors a total of 20 times. Individually, four Demon Deacons have earned ACC Postgraduate Scholarships in Madeline Rehm (2023), Zach Facioni (2022), Elijah Shalaway (2020), and Mimi Smith (2019); Elise Wright earned a Fulbright Scholarship in 2023; and Madeline Rehm earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2024.

Prior to joining Wake Forest, Hayes led a competitive group of post-collegiate athletes in Austin, Texas, including Olympic silver-medalist Leo Manzano whom he mentored to a 3:30.98 1500m personal record (5th fastest U.S. time ever) and 2014 USATF national title. Manzano achieved additional success in 2015 both in the 800m (1:45.24) and 1500m as an IAAF World Championships finalist and 10th place finisher. Under the direction of Hayes, it was his second highest finish at any global championships.

Hayes spent five years (2008-13) at the University of Texas as cross country coach for the men's team and assistant coach for the men's track and field program. During his time with the Longhorns, Hayes' student-athletes posted six school records, claimed 90 All-Big 12 honors, and captured three Big 12 team titles along with eight top-12 NCAA team finishes. A total of 28 NCAA qualifiers garnered 14 First-Team All-America honors, and one was crowned NCAA champion under Hayes, who helped build the nation's No. 1 and 3 ranked recruiting classes in 2011 and 2013, respectively. Top performers included 2009 indoor 800m NCAA champion Jacob Hernandez; 2009 outdoor 800m NCAA runner-up Tevan Everett; 10K sophomore and cross country All-Americans Ryan Dohner and Craig Lutz; and two All-American distance medley relay teams.

A three-time South Central Region Cross Country Coach of the Year, Hayes' teams won back-to-back South Central Region titles in 2011 and 2012, the first in program history, and improved their placement both at conference and nationals four years in a row -- culminating in a 2nd place finish at the Big 12 Championships (matching UT’s best conference showing in school history) and a 9th place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2012.

It was the second stop at Texas for Hayes, who was the women's cross country and assistant track coach from 2001-2004. On the women’s side, he led the cross country team to three-straight NCAA Cross Country Championship appearances, claiming the team’s first regional title in 15 years, while coaching one student-athlete to All-American status. With the assistance of Hayes, the track and field program won four Big 12 Championships, and five individuals qualified for the NCAA Championships.

Hayes spent the 2007-08 season at the U.S. Air Force Academy where he served as head men's and women's cross country and assistant track and field coach. In 2007, the men's cross country team finished third at the Mountain West Championships and saw one individual qualify for the NCAA Championships, the first NCAA appearance by Air Force in four years. On the track, Hayes coached four conference champions, 12 All-MWC recipients, six regional qualifiers, and one national qualifier.

From 2004-2007, Hayes served as head men's and women's cross country and assistant track coach at Northern Arizona University. Under his watch, 17 NCAA qualifiers earned nine First-Team All-American honors and six NCAA titles, breaking 10 school records along the way. Ida Nilsson took the 5000m title at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships, while sister Johanna Nilsson won the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championships, finished third at the 2005 European Cross Country Championships, and went on to claim 2006 NCAA championship titles in the indoor mile and 3000m. Johanna Nilsson set a new course record at the 2005 NCAA Cross Country Championships and was named NCAA Cross Country Athlete of the Year and 2006 NCAA Indoor Athlete of the Year. While at NAU, Hayes also coached Lopez Lomong to 2007 NCAA titles in the indoor 3000 and outdoor 1500. Hayes was twice named the Big Sky Cross Country Coach of the Year, assembling one of the strongest men's and women's distance programs in the country by the fall of 2007.

Hayes got his collegiate coaching start at Division II Morehouse College from 1997-2000 as an assistant cross country and track coach. In his three years with the Tigers, Hayes coached his athletes to 20 Division II All-America honors and saw his teams break a total of 12 program records.

On the post-collegiate front, in addition to mentoring Leo Manzano (HOKA), Hayes coached Lopez Lomong (Nike) to two USATF national titles (2009 & 2010) and an eighth-place finish in the 1500m at the 2009 IAAF World Championships. Lomong also qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and served as U.S. flag bearer during the Opening Ceremonies. His 3:32.20 personal best ranked 9th on the U.S. all-time list in 2010.

Hayes also coached former Texas walk-on turned All-American Talis Apud-Martinez in her professional career, highlighted in 2005 by first-place finishes at the Pan-American Duathlon Championships and U.S. Championships and in 2007 by a silver medal in the 3000m steeplechase at the Pan-American Games. Apud-Martinez set the Mexico steeple record in 2007. In total, Hayes has coached 11 athletes across four events to 19 appearances at the USA National Championships or U.S. Olympic Trials, including five athletes who reached the finals a total of 10 times.

Most recently, Hayes coached Athanas Kioko (On Running) to personal best times of 3:36.58 in the 1500m, 13:09.51 in the 5000m, and 27:23.84 in the 10000m. Kioko was 8th in the 10000m at the 2023 Kenyan Trials for World Championships and finished the year with a #14 world ranking. In 2024, Hayes mentored Wake Forest graduate Thomas Vanoppen to a Belgian national record in the indoor mile (3:52.66) which enabled him to qualify for the 2024 Indoor World Championships.

A native of Randolph, N.J., Hayes received a bachelor's degree in statistics from the University of Georgia, where he was a scholarship athlete in track and cross country and team captain his final two seasons. Hayes transferred to Georgia after spending his freshman year at the U.S. Military Academy, where he was a scoring member of Army's cross country team at the 1986 NCAA Championships. He continued his education at the Defense Language Institute's Russian Language School, serving as a Russian linguist in the U.S. Army for four and a half years. For his service, Hayes received the Good Conduct Medal in 1994 and Meritorious Service Medal in 1995. Hayes and his wife Stacey, who competed in the hurdles for Colorado State University and is currently a senior financial analyst at Wake Forest, have two sons -- Christian (age 19, attending Roanoke College) and Austin (age 12, attending Fork Union Military Academy).