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From the Quad
11/4/2024 12:17:00 PM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
We're coming to you with a rare Monday edition of From the Quad as we have a plethora of Demon Deacons contests this week, including ACC Tournament action for field hockey (Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. inside Kentner Stadium), men's soccer (Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside Spry Stadium) and women's soccer (Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Cary at WakeMed Soccer Park)!
And, the November Demon Deacons' pace has been set as Coach John Hayes' men's cross country team won Wake Forest University's 58th ACC team Championship this past Friday! With the win, our program's second in the last three years, Wake Forest became the first institution to capture an ACC championship in our new 18-school league. It was fun to join other athletic staff and coaches in welcoming our victorious harriers home on Friday afternoon. It is really hard to Win Championships, so we love to see our student-athletes celebrating the moment!
Meanwhile, the ball goes up at 5 p.m. tonight for Opening Night inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum as our veteran Demon Deacons hoops programs launch their 2024-25 campaigns with a home doubleheader. I can't wait to see Coach Megan Gebbia's squad tipoff the season first against Queens, followed by our men's game vs. Coppin State at 8 p.m.
Click here to read our season hoops fan information and check out the full promotional schedule too. Remember that our men's team competes again on Thursday inside Joel Coliseum at 7 p.m. as North Carolina A&T will make the quick trip over from Greensboro. Speaking of Greensboro we have a seismic non-conference tilt on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. at the First Horizon Coliseum as Deacon Nation will come together for a neutral site game between Wake Forest and Big Ten power Michigan. Buy your tickets now and join us at Steel Hands Brewing for our pregame event before tipoff!
Later this week for the women, Coach Megan Gebbia will take her senior-laden team on a two-game road swing that begins on Thursday at Charlotte and continues on Sunday at Villanova. Follow @WakeWBB for more information on those games.
More Joel Enhancements Awaiting Opening Night Fans
Since 1989, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum has hosted thousands of events (including concerts like Billy Strings, Elton John, & Garth Brooks; high school, Wake Forest, WSSU and other graduations, NCAA and CIAA basketball games and more) and millions of fans, of course including 35 seasons of Wake Forest basketball.
Last year, men's basketball fans rolled back into the Joel, achieving the highest season attendance total in 10 years (153,426) and helping propel the Deacs to 17 home victories including five wins over 2024 NCAA tournament teams (SEC runner-up Florida, ACC Champ/Final Four participant NC State, No. 8 Duke, Clemson and Virginia). Our home record of 48-7 over the past three seasons ranks first in the ACC and second in the country!
In 2013, Wake Forest purchased Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum from the City of Winston-Salem and assumed responsibility for stewarding this community treasure. While some needed investments are mundane (like replacing the main boilers and emergency generator in 2024 for $900,000) and others are more exciting (the new center video board in 2017), we maintain an ongoing commitment to elevating our home court advantage and the experience for Demon Deacons fans in a fiscally responsible manner.
Tonight, fans in attendance and television viewers on ACC Network Extra will notice two new atmosphere enhancements that will make the venerable home of the Deacons even more intense and intimate as we deliver the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina for every LJVM event.
First, the theatrical feel of the building has been transformed thanks to a new coat of black paint applied to the ceiling, steel superstructure and upper back walls. And, regardless of the event, there will be no mistaking whose home this is following the installation of a new "WAKE FOREST" panel in the upper north end of the venue.
Positioned above row F in sections 215 through 227, this semi-permanent panel "right-sizes" LJVM's basketball capacity to 12,799, the sixth largest capacity of the 18 ACC home buildings. This brings the Joel more in line with the last decade's national college basketball trend towards more intimate (i.e. smaller) capacities, such as the University of Texas' 10,763 seat Moody Center, Miami's Watsco Center (7,972), Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion (8,600) and Auburn's Neville Arena (9,121), while continuing to serve our broader mission for the community. Come check it out tonight!!
Goal No. 4 – Win Championships! Men's Cross Country Captures Conference Crown
Pacing the squad to its sixth men's team ACC title were Luke Tewalt, JoJo Jourdon, Charlie Sprott, Joe O'Brien, as they all finished inside the top 16 and earned All-ACC honors. Not to be overlooked, Coach John Hayes' and Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron's improving women's team finished ninth overall and Angelina Perez earned All-ACC honors with a ninth-place finish. I am so proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff who put in a tremendous amount of effort each day to achieve their goals and their accomplishments are celebrated and appreciated by all in the Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem community!
The Demon Deacons return to competition next Friday, Nov. 15 at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Our student-athletes will be looking to lock up individual berths as well as a potential team appearance at the NCAA Championships that is set for Saturday, Nov. 23 in Madison, Wisc. Stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and @WakeTrack for all the latest news and information.
IT'S WINNING TIME! Postseason is Upon Us for Field Hockey & Soccer Programs
Coach Jen Averill and our field hockey program begin ACC Championship action tomorrow afternoon inside Kentner Stadium at 3:30 p.m. against second-seeded Duke. Admission is FREE and the match will be broadcast on ACC Network. There are four quarterfinal matches tomorrow, semifinals on Wednesday and the final will be on Friday at noon. Winston-Salem and Wake Forest are proud to host the best field hockey programs in the country for the ACC Championship!
Meanwhile, men's soccer locked up fifth seed and a home ACC Tournament game against Syracuse on Wednesday at 7 p.m. thanks to a Big Four win over No. 12 NC State last Friday night in front of a boisterous crowd! With the Orange coming to town, we need the full Congregation in Spry to help the Deacs advance!
And, following perhaps the best regular season in program history (including a single game home attendance record set last week), our No. 3-ranked women's soccer team earned a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament, finishing second in the league with a program-record seven conference wins and 22 points. The Deacs return to the pitch at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. for the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. against Florida State. Tickets can be purchased here for both Thursday's match – that will be broadcast on ACC Network – and Sunday's noon title match, which will air on ESPNU. If you are in the Triangle or able to go support this special group, make plans now to help the Deacons bring home more hardware!
Also, we recently signed Coach da Luz to a long-term contract extension! Over his 28-year Wake Forest career leading our women's soccer program, he has positively impacted countless lives of student-athletes and helped elevate Demon Deacons soccer to national prominence while compiling a record of 315-199-61.
Athletics Staff Members Dialing it Up to "11" to Welcome Guests to Wake Forest!
When you see a Wake Forest staff member at the ball games tonight, be sure and thank them! We are in the midst of hosting 18 total athletics contests in the first 10 days of November, including seven matches in the ACC Field Hockey Championship tomorrow through Friday. Led by Assistant AD James Overstreet, our in-house ACC Network staff will produce 14 total broadcasts for ACC Network and ACCNX in this stretch. Additionally, including our Friday night football game against Cal inside Allegacy Stadium and our men's basketball neutral site game in Greensboro on Sunday, we'll host nearly 85,000 fans for these events! A home court advantage is a huge part of A World Class Student Athlete Experience while all those fans and participants coming to our community is another example of our third goal of bringing Value to Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem & Triad Communities. I'm grateful to all our staff members and partners for their dedication and hard work.
Friday Night Lights! Wake Forest Football Hosts Cal in Crucial ACC Contest
Coach Dave Clawson's football team is coming off two big road wins over UConn and Stanford to close out the month of October. Our student-athletes and staff have shown great resilience going 3-1 last month and getting back in position for a postseason berth for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. I know our team is excited to feel the energy from Deacon Nation on Friday night at kickoff at 8 p.m. in front of a national television audience on ACC Network.
As I shared in the last edition of From the Quad, football is a sport about relationships, moments and memories. Watch redshirt senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier's interview after the win at Stanford where he held back tears about what it was like to compete against his brother and win for our University. Additionally, Coach Clawson and the program honored one of our own, alum Johnny Foster, in the locker room after the victory.
Act now to secure your seats for Friday's game as the Cal Golden Bears make their first-ever visit to Allegacy Stadium. Single game tickets and a limited number of Bojangles 4 Packs are available! Fans should call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or email tix@wfu.edu for more information.
Click here for gameday information and be sure to be in front of McCreary Tower at 5:45 p.m. for the Deacon Walk and check out the free DEACTOWN Fan Zone presented by Lowes Foods with live music, food, and games for all ages. Thanks for continuing our reputation for hospitality and a great experience for all inside Allegacy Stadium. Anytime you need help or have concerns during the game, call or text our Gameday Hotline at 336-758-GAME.
Show Humanitate: Wake Forest Athletics Offering Unique Ticket Packages to Support Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts
In the spirit of Pro Humanitate, Wake Forest Athletics is proud to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Western North Carolina. For the men's basketball game against Western Carolina on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and football's home finale against Duke on Saturday, Nov. 30, $15 from every promotional ticket sold will go directly to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.
This support aligns with the University's Community Day of Action on Nov. 16, dedicated to aiding those affected. Additionally, our concessions partner, Proof of the Pudding, has used the kitchens at Allegacy Stadium and David F. Couch Ballpark to prepare thousands of meals for relief workers since early October.
It's an honor to serve our Western North Carolina neighbors in this way, showing the Pro Humanitate spirit that defines Wake Forest.
Project Pumpkin Brings Community Together
Last week, Wake Forest welcomed hundreds of local children to campus for the 36th annual Project Pumpkin, one of the University's biggest student-led events. With a "Wild Adventures" theme, Wake Forest students from over 60 clubs and organizations transformed Hearn Plaza into rainforest, ocean, desert, and arctic zones, where kids enjoyed carnival games, trick-or-treating, and learned about different habitats. In addition, Project Pumpkin volunteers supported city-wide fall festivals at local recreation centers, serving even more kids in the Winston-Salem area.
Rounding Out Recent Demon Deacon Victories
Before we get to the Big 3, I want to spotlight some recent success from our other competing programs too! Specifically, Coach Kim Lewellen and our women's golf team won its first team title of the 2024-25 season by two strokes last week at the Charles Schwab Women's Collegiate Fall Invitational. Individually, senior Carolina Chacarra was recently named the ACC Women's Golfer of the Month as she placed in the top-five at each tournament she competed in!
Additionally, we had some great wins yesterday as Coach Randi Smart's volleyball team downed Syracuse in four sets and our men's tennis team was led by a perfect weekend in singles from Ioannis Xilas at the Wake Forest Invitational.
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
As always, I appreciate your sharing your thoughts, questions and suggestions with me at wfuad@wfu.edu. Thank you for your loyal support, and …
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
We're coming to you with a rare Monday edition of From the Quad as we have a plethora of Demon Deacons contests this week, including ACC Tournament action for field hockey (Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. inside Kentner Stadium), men's soccer (Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside Spry Stadium) and women's soccer (Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Cary at WakeMed Soccer Park)!
And, the November Demon Deacons' pace has been set as Coach John Hayes' men's cross country team won Wake Forest University's 58th ACC team Championship this past Friday! With the win, our program's second in the last three years, Wake Forest became the first institution to capture an ACC championship in our new 18-school league. It was fun to join other athletic staff and coaches in welcoming our victorious harriers home on Friday afternoon. It is really hard to Win Championships, so we love to see our student-athletes celebrating the moment!
Meanwhile, the ball goes up at 5 p.m. tonight for Opening Night inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum as our veteran Demon Deacons hoops programs launch their 2024-25 campaigns with a home doubleheader. I can't wait to see Coach Megan Gebbia's squad tipoff the season first against Queens, followed by our men's game vs. Coppin State at 8 p.m.
Click here to read our season hoops fan information and check out the full promotional schedule too. Remember that our men's team competes again on Thursday inside Joel Coliseum at 7 p.m. as North Carolina A&T will make the quick trip over from Greensboro. Speaking of Greensboro we have a seismic non-conference tilt on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. at the First Horizon Coliseum as Deacon Nation will come together for a neutral site game between Wake Forest and Big Ten power Michigan. Buy your tickets now and join us at Steel Hands Brewing for our pregame event before tipoff!
Later this week for the women, Coach Megan Gebbia will take her senior-laden team on a two-game road swing that begins on Thursday at Charlotte and continues on Sunday at Villanova. Follow @WakeWBB for more information on those games.
More Joel Enhancements Awaiting Opening Night Fans
Since 1989, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum has hosted thousands of events (including concerts like Billy Strings, Elton John, & Garth Brooks; high school, Wake Forest, WSSU and other graduations, NCAA and CIAA basketball games and more) and millions of fans, of course including 35 seasons of Wake Forest basketball.
Last year, men's basketball fans rolled back into the Joel, achieving the highest season attendance total in 10 years (153,426) and helping propel the Deacs to 17 home victories including five wins over 2024 NCAA tournament teams (SEC runner-up Florida, ACC Champ/Final Four participant NC State, No. 8 Duke, Clemson and Virginia). Our home record of 48-7 over the past three seasons ranks first in the ACC and second in the country!
In 2013, Wake Forest purchased Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum from the City of Winston-Salem and assumed responsibility for stewarding this community treasure. While some needed investments are mundane (like replacing the main boilers and emergency generator in 2024 for $900,000) and others are more exciting (the new center video board in 2017), we maintain an ongoing commitment to elevating our home court advantage and the experience for Demon Deacons fans in a fiscally responsible manner.
Tonight, fans in attendance and television viewers on ACC Network Extra will notice two new atmosphere enhancements that will make the venerable home of the Deacons even more intense and intimate as we deliver the Best Fan Experience in North Carolina for every LJVM event.
First, the theatrical feel of the building has been transformed thanks to a new coat of black paint applied to the ceiling, steel superstructure and upper back walls. And, regardless of the event, there will be no mistaking whose home this is following the installation of a new "WAKE FOREST" panel in the upper north end of the venue.
Positioned above row F in sections 215 through 227, this semi-permanent panel "right-sizes" LJVM's basketball capacity to 12,799, the sixth largest capacity of the 18 ACC home buildings. This brings the Joel more in line with the last decade's national college basketball trend towards more intimate (i.e. smaller) capacities, such as the University of Texas' 10,763 seat Moody Center, Miami's Watsco Center (7,972), Georgia Tech's McCamish Pavilion (8,600) and Auburn's Neville Arena (9,121), while continuing to serve our broader mission for the community. Come check it out tonight!!
Goal No. 4 – Win Championships! Men's Cross Country Captures Conference Crown
Pacing the squad to its sixth men's team ACC title were Luke Tewalt, JoJo Jourdon, Charlie Sprott, Joe O'Brien, as they all finished inside the top 16 and earned All-ACC honors. Not to be overlooked, Coach John Hayes' and Associate Head Coach Ashley Bastron's improving women's team finished ninth overall and Angelina Perez earned All-ACC honors with a ninth-place finish. I am so proud of our student-athletes, coaches and staff who put in a tremendous amount of effort each day to achieve their goals and their accomplishments are celebrated and appreciated by all in the Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem community!
The Demon Deacons return to competition next Friday, Nov. 15 at the NCAA Southeast Regional. Our student-athletes will be looking to lock up individual berths as well as a potential team appearance at the NCAA Championships that is set for Saturday, Nov. 23 in Madison, Wisc. Stay tuned to GoDeacs.com and @WakeTrack for all the latest news and information.
IT'S WINNING TIME! Postseason is Upon Us for Field Hockey & Soccer Programs
Coach Jen Averill and our field hockey program begin ACC Championship action tomorrow afternoon inside Kentner Stadium at 3:30 p.m. against second-seeded Duke. Admission is FREE and the match will be broadcast on ACC Network. There are four quarterfinal matches tomorrow, semifinals on Wednesday and the final will be on Friday at noon. Winston-Salem and Wake Forest are proud to host the best field hockey programs in the country for the ACC Championship!
Meanwhile, men's soccer locked up fifth seed and a home ACC Tournament game against Syracuse on Wednesday at 7 p.m. thanks to a Big Four win over No. 12 NC State last Friday night in front of a boisterous crowd! With the Orange coming to town, we need the full Congregation in Spry to help the Deacs advance!
And, following perhaps the best regular season in program history (including a single game home attendance record set last week), our No. 3-ranked women's soccer team earned a first-round bye in the ACC Tournament, finishing second in the league with a program-record seven conference wins and 22 points. The Deacs return to the pitch at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. for the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. against Florida State. Tickets can be purchased here for both Thursday's match – that will be broadcast on ACC Network – and Sunday's noon title match, which will air on ESPNU. If you are in the Triangle or able to go support this special group, make plans now to help the Deacons bring home more hardware!
Also, we recently signed Coach da Luz to a long-term contract extension! Over his 28-year Wake Forest career leading our women's soccer program, he has positively impacted countless lives of student-athletes and helped elevate Demon Deacons soccer to national prominence while compiling a record of 315-199-61.
Athletics Staff Members Dialing it Up to "11" to Welcome Guests to Wake Forest!
When you see a Wake Forest staff member at the ball games tonight, be sure and thank them! We are in the midst of hosting 18 total athletics contests in the first 10 days of November, including seven matches in the ACC Field Hockey Championship tomorrow through Friday. Led by Assistant AD James Overstreet, our in-house ACC Network staff will produce 14 total broadcasts for ACC Network and ACCNX in this stretch. Additionally, including our Friday night football game against Cal inside Allegacy Stadium and our men's basketball neutral site game in Greensboro on Sunday, we'll host nearly 85,000 fans for these events! A home court advantage is a huge part of A World Class Student Athlete Experience while all those fans and participants coming to our community is another example of our third goal of bringing Value to Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem & Triad Communities. I'm grateful to all our staff members and partners for their dedication and hard work.
Friday Night Lights! Wake Forest Football Hosts Cal in Crucial ACC Contest
Coach Dave Clawson's football team is coming off two big road wins over UConn and Stanford to close out the month of October. Our student-athletes and staff have shown great resilience going 3-1 last month and getting back in position for a postseason berth for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. I know our team is excited to feel the energy from Deacon Nation on Friday night at kickoff at 8 p.m. in front of a national television audience on ACC Network.
As I shared in the last edition of From the Quad, football is a sport about relationships, moments and memories. Watch redshirt senior quarterback Hank Bachmeier's interview after the win at Stanford where he held back tears about what it was like to compete against his brother and win for our University. Additionally, Coach Clawson and the program honored one of our own, alum Johnny Foster, in the locker room after the victory.
Act now to secure your seats for Friday's game as the Cal Golden Bears make their first-ever visit to Allegacy Stadium. Single game tickets and a limited number of Bojangles 4 Packs are available! Fans should call the Wake Forest Ticket Office at 336-758-3322 or email tix@wfu.edu for more information.
Click here for gameday information and be sure to be in front of McCreary Tower at 5:45 p.m. for the Deacon Walk and check out the free DEACTOWN Fan Zone presented by Lowes Foods with live music, food, and games for all ages. Thanks for continuing our reputation for hospitality and a great experience for all inside Allegacy Stadium. Anytime you need help or have concerns during the game, call or text our Gameday Hotline at 336-758-GAME.
Show Humanitate: Wake Forest Athletics Offering Unique Ticket Packages to Support Hurricane Helene Relief Efforts
In the spirit of Pro Humanitate, Wake Forest Athletics is proud to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in Western North Carolina. For the men's basketball game against Western Carolina on Tuesday, Nov. 19, and football's home finale against Duke on Saturday, Nov. 30, $15 from every promotional ticket sold will go directly to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund.
This support aligns with the University's Community Day of Action on Nov. 16, dedicated to aiding those affected. Additionally, our concessions partner, Proof of the Pudding, has used the kitchens at Allegacy Stadium and David F. Couch Ballpark to prepare thousands of meals for relief workers since early October.
It's an honor to serve our Western North Carolina neighbors in this way, showing the Pro Humanitate spirit that defines Wake Forest.
Project Pumpkin Brings Community Together
Last week, Wake Forest welcomed hundreds of local children to campus for the 36th annual Project Pumpkin, one of the University's biggest student-led events. With a "Wild Adventures" theme, Wake Forest students from over 60 clubs and organizations transformed Hearn Plaza into rainforest, ocean, desert, and arctic zones, where kids enjoyed carnival games, trick-or-treating, and learned about different habitats. In addition, Project Pumpkin volunteers supported city-wide fall festivals at local recreation centers, serving even more kids in the Winston-Salem area.
Rounding Out Recent Demon Deacon Victories
Before we get to the Big 3, I want to spotlight some recent success from our other competing programs too! Specifically, Coach Kim Lewellen and our women's golf team won its first team title of the 2024-25 season by two strokes last week at the Charles Schwab Women's Collegiate Fall Invitational. Individually, senior Carolina Chacarra was recently named the ACC Women's Golfer of the Month as she placed in the top-five at each tournament she competed in!
Additionally, we had some great wins yesterday as Coach Randi Smart's volleyball team downed Syracuse in four sets and our men's tennis team was led by a perfect weekend in singles from Ioannis Xilas at the Wake Forest Invitational.
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- All are welcome for President Susan R. Wente, Ph.D.'s fourth annual presidential address on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024, at 4 p.m. inside the Scales Fine Arts Center in Brendle Recital Hall. Secure your spot with this RSVP form or tune in online here.
- Read John Dell's great article about Nicky Ezell and Jon Kislingbury's trip from Winston-Salem to Palo Alto for the Stanford football game a couple of weeks ago. Two great Wake Foresters! Also, read this excellent feature story from Assistant Director of Communications Keion Robinson who caught up with first-year volleyball student-athlete Cy Rae Campbell as we spotlighted her transition to Wake during National Native American Heritage Month.
- Cheer loud on Friday night inside Allegacy Stadium when we recognize our 1974-75 NCAA Champion men's golf teams who will be honored! We are so excited to welcome back our men's and women's golf alumni for a special Reunion Weekend in Winston-Salem! Golf alums can register for the tours and a football-gameday tailgate here and fans can still purchase tickets for the 'Putts & Pancakes' event on Saturday morning hosted by Wake Forest Sports Properties Partner, Roll the Quad.
As always, I appreciate your sharing your thoughts, questions and suggestions with me at wfuad@wfu.edu. Thank you for your loyal support, and …
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics