Wake Forest Athletics 2017-18 Year in Review by Wake Forest Athletics

MISSION DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

CORE VALUES INTEGRITY EXCELLENCE LEADERSHIP TEAMWORK

CONTENTS 2017-18 YEAR IN REVIEW Letter from Ron Wellman

Sport Recaps

7-11

A Journey to Victory Men's Tennis: We Won Everything Bobby Muuss Makes History Jennifer Kupcho: One for the Books Home Court Advantage

12 13 17 18 20

Honors & Awards

23-26

Best of the Best 2017-18 Hall of Fame Class

26 28

Developing Champions

Academic Highlights Campus & Community Highlights Career Development Health & Wellbeing

31 35 40 41

Investing in Champions

Facilities Deacon Club Highlights

44 48

WAKE FOREST ATHLETICS SENIOR ADMINISTRATION RON WELLMAN

B A R RY FA I R C L O T H

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD, DEVELOPMENT & SALES

B A R B A R A WA L K E R

TODD HAIRSTON

DEPUTY AD/SENIOR WOMAN ADMINISTRATOR

SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD, COMPLIANCE & ADMINISTRATION

JA N E C A L D W E L L

B I L L OA K E S

SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD, STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES

SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD, SPECIAL PROJECTS

R A N DY C A S S T E V E N S SENIOR ASSOCIATE AD, CFO

A LETTER FROM RON WELLMAN

few years ago, while updating Wake Forest’s Athletic Department strategic plan, a good deal of time was spent trying to succinctly express what the ultimate goal was for Wake Forest Athletics. It was decided that “DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS” was a concise description of what we expect from every coach, staff member and student-athlete.

In the Learfield Director's Cup standings, we finished 48th in the nation, our best finish since the 2008-09 season.

The 2017-18 season was a living embodiment of that goal.

FROM JENNIFER KUPCHO’S INDIVIDUAL TITLE IN THE NCAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP TO THE MEN’S TENNIS TEAM’S NATIONAL TITLE AND PETROS CHRYSOCHOS’ CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE NCAA MEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP, THE DEMON DEACONS DID INDEED DEVELOP CHAMPIONS!

Wake Forest won three national championships last year and, ironically, all within one week’s time. From Jennifer Kupcho’s individual title in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship to the men’s tennis team’s national title and Petros Chrysochos’ championship in the NCAA Men’s Tennis Championship, the Demon Deacons did indeed DEVELOP CHAMPIONS. But the success of the department goes deeper than just winning on the field and court. The NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate had Wake Forest as one of the best in the country at graduating its student-athletes with a 94 percent success rate. Seven of our teams (men’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s basketball, field hockey, women’s golf, women’s tennis and volleyball) all had graduation rates of 100 percent. Even more impressive, five teams (women’s basketball, volleyball, women’s tennis, men’s tennis, women’s golf) have had 100 percent graduation rates since the GSR was first compiled in 2004-05. Leadership development continued to be a strong focus for our department as we refined and grew the Deacon Leaders System. There were numerous opportunities throughout the year for our student-athletes to develop their leadership skills and gain valuable experience in leading themselves and others. One of the many ways they shined as leaders was through their ongoing commitment to Pro Humanitate, as our Demon Deacon student-athletes volunteered thousands of hours on campus and in the local community. Of the many highlights of the 2017-18 season, one that stands out was the presentation given by John Trautwein to our student-athletes and our community. John lost his son to suicide and has made it his mission to spread a message of positivity and hope to those facing mental health crises. His “Will to Live” Foundation has inspired thousands and his words at Wake Forest were powerful. You can see John’s presentation on our Wake Forest Athletics YouTube channel. I encourage you to watch his meaningful and helpful presentation as it is a message that everyone should hear. On the playing field, Wake Forest had a very good year as well. In the Learfield Director’s Cup standings, we finished 48th in the nation, our best finish since the 2008-09 season. Men’s soccer and men’s tennis won Atlantic Coast Conference championships. The football team won the Belk Bowl and Robert Heppenstall continued to excel on

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the track, winning All-America honors in both indoor and outdoor track. Three teams concluded the postseason with a Top 10 finish in their NCAA Championship and six teams finished among the Top 25. Our fall sports teams excelled as men’s soccer won the ACC regular season and tournament championships and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. Bobby Muuss won an unprecedented third straight ACC Coach of the Year award and the staff was recognized as the South Region coaching staff of the year by the United Soccer Coaches. Jon Bakero was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year and went on to win the MAC Hermann Trophy which is awarded to the top collegiate soccer player in the nation. Kevin Politz was awarded the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. In addition, Politz was the ACC’s men’s soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was named the Division I Men's Soccer Academic All-America of the Year by CoSIDA. Tony da Luz's women’s soccer team returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and advanced to the second round of play. Field hockey also returned to the NCAA Tournament and posted six wins against ranked opponents during the regular season. The volleyball team continued to show improvement under head coach Bill Ferguson and the return to Varsity Gym in the fall will greatly benefit the team. Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams showed vast improvement in 2017. The women finished fifth at the ACC Championship and the men placed sixth, both large improvements over 2016. The growth of the football team under Dave Clawson has been gratifying to watch. When he arrived in 2014, Dave knew he had a lot of work to do in order to get the team to a championship level. With an abundance of patience, a talented staff of assistant coaches and a knack for developing student-athletes, the football team in 2017 grew into an offensive juggernaut that set 105 records and produced an 8-5 record. The thrilling 55-52 win over Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl was our second straight bowl victory. Our basketball teams continue to give reasons for an optimistic future. While both missed the postseason in 2018, their recruiting successes and the strength of the coaching staffs lend confidence to bright seasons ahead. And what more can be said about our spring sports? Hosting the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships was a great achievement that not only benefitted our student-athletes but the entire Winston-Salem community with a large influx of teams, officials and fans. The crowds cheering on the Demon Deacons were amazing and brought an atmosphere to the Tennis Complex that was unmatched. Simply put, the men’s tennis team won everything. The Deacons claimed the Intercollege Tennis Association National Team Indoor Championship, the ACC regular season title, the ACC Tournament title and both the team and individual national championships. They became the ninth team in school history to win a team national title. Both Petros Chrysochos and Jennifer Kupcho exemplified the spirit, grit and determination that permeates throughout our student-athletes. Jennifer was able to overcome a disappointing runner-up finish in the 2017 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship by winning the individual title in 2018. From an opening round seven-under 65 to a dramatic four-under back nine in the final round, Jennifer became the first NCAA women’s golfer to lead the championship wire-to-wire. Her amazing performance earned her the Honda Award as the national player of the year.

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Petros was able to grind through the 12-day NCAA Championship to become our first-ever men’s tennis individual champion. After leading the team to a rousing semifinal win over Texas A&M and a championship victory over Ohio State, Petros then endured another six days of individual competition to triumph over the 64 best players in the nation, including fellow Demon Deacon Borna Gojo whom he faced in the finals. Women’s tennis also had a good season, reaching the second round of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2006-07 and notching 20 wins for the first time since 2004. The baseball team, coming off a Super Regional performance in 2017, used a freshman-dominated line-up for the majority of the 2018 season and showed progress throughout the year. Men’s golf finished third at the ACC Championship following an incredible final day and advanced to the NCAA Regionals. On the track, Robert Heppenstall continues to excel, winning two more All-American honors giving him six in his three years as a Demon Deacon. Robert finished third in his specialty, the 800 meters, at the NCAA Indoor Championship and eighth in the NCAA Outdoor Championship. Our facilities continued to progress throughout the year and two new game-changing venues are slated to open early in 2019. The Shah Basketball Complex and the Sutton Sports Performance Center will provide our student-athletes with cutting edge practice and training facilities. We also look forward to completing the second floor of the Player Development Center at David F. Couch Ballpark, which is expected to open this coming fall. The 2017-18 season also served as a farewell for women’s golf coach Dianne Dailey. In Dianne’s 30 years as our head coach, she compiled an impressive list of championships including 30 team titles, 39 individual titles, won four ACC Championships and qualified for 15 NCAA Championships. She coached 28 All-Americans, 39 All-ACC selections, five ACC Players of the Year, four ACC Freshmen of the Year and 2018 NCAA Champion Jennifer Kupcho. Jennifer’s championship was a very sweet farewell for a coach who will be missed. However, we also feel we have brought on the best available coach in the nation in Kim Lewellen who led her Virginia team to back-to-back ACC Championships in 2015 and 2016, is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year and was named National College Coach of the Year by the LPGA in 2011. We look forward to her first season as a Demon Deacon, and we wish her all the best. All in all, the 2017-18 season was a very good year. We intend to continue to improve in 2018-19 and have every reason to believe that will be the case. Thanks to the outstanding coaches and superb student-athletes who remain committed to making us all proud to be Demon Deacons, DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS is our very realistic expectation! GO DEACS!

RON

WELLMAN

DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

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SPORT RECAPS

2017-18 SEASON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL: 14-17 | CONFERENCE: 5-11

Griffin Roberts recorded one of the best seasons in program history and was drafted No. 43 overall by the Cardinals.

BASEBALL

The Deacs took down a trio of top-15 opponents in ACC series, including No. 3 Florida State, No. 10 Duke and No. 11 Louisville.

OVERALL: 25-32 | CONFERENCE: 13-17

The Wake Forest baseball team experienced a number of highlights in 2018. The Deacs took down a trio of top-15 opponents in ACC series, including No. 3 Florida State, No. 10 Duke and No. 11 Louisville. Wake Forest featured one of the youngest rosters in the nation, having the second-most games started by freshmen in the country. That youth paid off as the season went on, with a trio being named Freshman All-Americans in Bobby Seymour, Chris Lanzilli and DJ Poteet. On the mound, Griffin Roberts recorded one of the best seasons in program history. He went 5-4 with a 3.82 ERA and struck out 130 batters, most by a Deacon in more than 25 years, a total which led the ACC. His efforts paid off as he was drafted No. 43 overall by the St. Louis Cardinals, making Wake Forest one of just three programs to have a top-50 selection in each of the past three years. He was joined in the MLB Draft by Rayne Supple (13th round - Rockies) and Johnny Aiello (14th round - Blue Jays).

MEN’S BASKETBALL

OVERALL: 11-20 | CONFERENCE: 4-14

The Wake Forest men’s basketball team posted an 11-20 overall record in 2017-18, including a 4-14 record in the ACC. Among the 11 victories were three wins over NCAA Tournament teams, including Sweet 16 teams Syracuse and Florida State. The Demon Deacons were led by junior guard Bryant Crawford, who earned honorable mention All-ACC accolades after averaging 16.9 points and 4.9 assists per game. He became the ﬁfth player in ACC history to have at least 400 points and 125 assists in each of his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons, joining Jay Williams, Travis Best, Johnny Dawkins and Phil Ford. Doral Moore was runner-up for the ACC’s Most Improved Player award. He averaged 11.1 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, posting 12 double-doubles. In ACC play, he was one of just two players in the conference to average a double-double. Bryant Crawford

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The 2017-18 Wake Forest women’s basketball team advanced to the second round of the ACC Tournament, marking the ninth time in the last 10 years that the Deacs have won a game in the conference tournament. Wake Forest closed out nonconference play with six consecutive wins, including a home victory over an Elon team that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Deacs’ first road trip of ACC play resulted in a 2-0 weekend, including a come-from-behind victory over a Miami squad that was receiving votes and was selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament. The season also featured a 17-point victory over a Virginia Tech squad that finished runner-up in the WNIT. Amber Campbell ended her Wake Forest career as the program’s all-time leader in minutes played and games started while ranking tied for second in games played, fifth in steals, tied for sixth in free throws made, seventh in field goals and eighth in career scoring with Elisa Penna 1,489 points. The senior also became the first Demon Deacon since 2004 to be named to the ACC All-Defensive Team. Junior Elisa Penna began her season by being named to the Italian Senior National Team and followed up by being the first Deac since 2015 to garner All-ACC honors when she was named to the second team by the league’s coaches. Penna picked up ACC Player of the Week accolades, the Deacs’ first since 2016, following a career performance against NC State. The junior scored a career-high 34 points on record-tying nine made 3-pointers, marking the most points a Demon Deacon has scored in a single game since 2015. The ensuing game she became the most recent member of Wake Forest’s 1,000-point club, joining Campbell and Ariel Stephenson, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark earlier in the year. It is the first time Wake Forest has had three active 1,000-point scorers. Penna and sophomore Alex Sharp were recognized for their success in the classroom as well as on the court as the pair were named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 6TH AT ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Wake Forest men’s cross country team demonstrated much improvement in the 2017 season. They took sixth place at the ACC Championships, their highest team finish since 2010. Mitchell Day became Wake Forest’s first-ever Freshman of the Year honoree after a 13th-place finish at the conference meet. It was the best finish by a Deac since 2005 and it marked the first time a male Deacon earned All-ACC honors since 2005 as well. As a team, the men finished 11th at the NCAA Regional. At Mitchell Day became Wake Forest’s first-ever the conclusion of the season, Mitchell Freshman of the Year honoree in cross country. Day earned All-ACC Academic Team honors while the team was named an AllAcademic team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

SPORT RECAPS

2017-18 SEASON WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY 5TH AT ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Wake Forest women’s cross country team saw great improvement in the 2017 season. They took sixth place at the ACC Championships, their highest team finish since 2008. Samantha Halvorsen earned All-ACC honors at the conference meet after finishing 14th. Halvorsen then garnered All-Region honors after taking 20th at the NCAA Southeast Regional. As a team, the women finished sixth at the NCAA Regional. Following the season, Hannah Brookover, Mimi Smith and Eliza Lukens-Day earned All-ACC Academic Team honors and Sam Halvorsen team was named an All-Academic team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

FIELD HOCKEY

OVERALL: 12-8| CONFERENCE: 3-3

The Wake Forest field hockey team finished the 2017 season with a 12-8 record and a 3-3 mark in the ACC. The Demon Deacons returned to the NCAA Championships, where they fell to eventual runner-up Maryland in the first round. During the regular season, six of the team’s 12 wins came against ranked opponents. Three of those wins were against top-10 opponents, highlighted by a home win over No. 4 North Carolina (Sept. 8) and a road victory against No. 3 Syracuse (Sept. 16). Seven of the team’s eight losses were against ranked teams. Wake Forest accumulated numerous individual accolades throughout the season. Sophomore Nicola Pluta earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 18 after scoring the overtime game-winner at No. 3 Syracuse. Senior back Shannon Eby won ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 23 for her role in back-toback shutout wins over No. 9 Boston College (Oct. 20) and Jule Grashoff Davidson (Oct. 22). After the season, Pluta and junior Jule Grahoff earned All-ACC First Team honors. Grashoff was named an NFHCA Second Team All-American in addition to earning a spot on the NFHCA All-South Region First Team. Pluta was also named the AllSouth Region First Team while junior Megan Anderson was named to the Second Team. Grashoff tied for the ACC lead in assists (14) and was tied for third in the conference with 14 goals. Pluta tied for sixth in the league in goals (11) and Anderson was fifth in the ACC with 13 assists. Anderson, Grashoff and senior Rachel Hirsch were selected to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Football team celebrates its 55-52 victory over Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl.

FOOTBALL

OVERALL: 8-5 | CONFERENCE: 4-4

The 2017 Wake Forest football season was among the most successful in school history.

The 2017 Wake Forest football season was among the most successful in school history. An 8-5 record, a record-setting offense, and a thrilling 55-52 Belk Bowl win over Texas A&M were among the Demon Deacons’ fondest memories from last fall. After a 4-0 start to the season, including road wins at Boston College and Appalachian State, the Deacons won four of their final six games with an offense that was nearly unstoppable. The Deacons scored 42 points in a win over Louisville, tacked 64 points on Syracuse and defeated No. 25 NC State at BB&T Field en route to a 7-5 regular season record and a third place finish in the ACC. Quarterback John Wolford spearheaded the most prolific offense in school history, an offense that, among its 105 records set, became the highest-scoring team in school history. Wolford, a second team All-ACC pick, set 25 records including school marks for passing yards, touchdown passes and total offense yards in a season. Tight end Cam Serigne became the most prolific tight end in ACC history while a veteran offensive line helped Wake Forest’s offense to unparalleled heights. Safety Jessie Bates and defensive end Duke Ejiofor led the Deacon defense to a school record for tackles for loss in a season. The Belk Bowl was an opportunity for the Deacons to shine. Wolford tossed four touchdown passes, Matt Colburn rushed for 150 yards and the Deacons overcame an early 14-0 deficit to become just the seventh team in school history to win eight or more games in a season.

MEN’S GOLF

3RD AT ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

The Demon Deacons finished the 2017-18 season ranked No. 28 nationally by GolfStat. Wake Forest competed in the NCAA Regionals for the 29th time, finishing eighth in Columbus, Ohio. The Deacs finished 3rd at the ACC Championship with a score of 26-under, the lowest 54-hole score at the event in the program’s history. All-ACC selection Cameron Young had a stroke average of 70.11, the third lowest in program history. Wake Forest opened the year by posting victories at the Rod Cameron Young Myers Invitational and the Shoal Creek Intercollegiate, the 11th and 12th team victories of the last four years.

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SPORT RECAPS

2017-18 SEASON WOMEN’S GOLF

5TH AT ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

The 2017-18 Wake Forest women’s golf season was capped by a 16th place finish at the NCAA Championship and the team ended the year ranked 18th in the GolfStat rankings. Jennifer Kupcho became the first player in program history to be a national player of the year, winning the 2018 Honda Award. She ended the season by winning ACC Freshman of the Year Emilia Migliaccio the NCAA Tallahassee Regional and becoming the first Demon Deacon to win the NCAA Championship. The first-team All-American broke her own school scoring record with an average of 70.60 while posting four victories. Emilia Migliaccio was the 2018 ACC Freshman of the Year and earned second-team AllAmerica honors. She won the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate in September, becoming the second player in program history to win one of her first two collegiate events. After the conclusion of the season, head coach Dianne Dailey retired following a 30-year career.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Maddie Huster

OVERALL: 11-6-4 | CONFERENCE: 5-3-2

The Wake Forest women’s soccer team made its return to both the ACC and NCAA Tournaments in 2018. The team went 11-6-4 on the season, including a 5-3-2 mark in the ACC, the best records since 2013, and debuted in the national rankings for the first time since 2014.The team finished fifth in the ACC regularseason standings while making their 20th ACC Tournament appearance and 19th NCAA Championship appearance, including their 12th appearance in the second round. Four Demon Deacons earned postseason honors from the conference. Seniors Maddie Huster and Lindsay Preston were named to the All-ACC second team, junior Bayley Feist was named to the All-ACC third team and Vicky Krug was named to the All-Freshman Team. In addition to those accolades, Huster was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Second Team while Feist earned a spot on the third team. The women’s soccer team also saw a program-record six student-athletes named to the All-ACC Academic Team. Maddie Huster was called up to the U.S. U-23 National Team Camp after the completion of the 2017 season. Freshman Hannah Betfort was then invited to the U-18 National Team Camp in February before representing Team USA in the La Manga 12 Nations Tournament in Spain. Seniors Ally Haran and Maddie Huster were both selected in the NWSL Draft. Haran was selected No. 25 overall by the Seattle Reign and Huster was selected No. 26 overall by the Washington Spirit. .

Men’s soccer wins its second-straight ACC Championship

MEN’S SOCCER

OVERALL: 19-2-2 | CONFERENCE: 7-0-1

Wake Forest made its third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Quarterfinal and won its second-straight ACC Championship in 2017, finishing the year with a 19-2-2 overall record. The Demon Deacons became the first team since 1999 to finish undefeated in ACC play, including the regular season and tournament. Wake Forest led the nation in goals, points, assists and winning percentage and also finished in the top five nationally in goals-against average. Several of the top national awards were handed to Deacons, including the MAC Hermann Trophy and Senior CLASS Award to Jon Bakero, and the CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year and ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award to Kevin Politz. Bobby Muuss became the first coach in league history to be named ACC Coach of the Year in three-straight seasons as he helped seven Deacs sign with MLS teams.

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Men’s tennis wins its first National Championship

MEN’S TENNIS

The Deacs’ historic season concluded with The Wake Forest men’s tennis team’s historic the program’s first-ever season concluded with the program’s ﬁrst-ever NCAA title. NCAA title with a 4-2 victory over Ohio State. OVERALL: 31-2 | CONFERENCE: 11-1

Wake Forest, who was ranked No. 1 in the country all season, ended the year on a recordsetting 16-match winning streak and finished with a 31-2 record and a 11-1 mark in conference play. The Demon Deacons captured their second ACC tournament title in three years after being named ACC regular season co-champions. Wake Forest kicked off the spring season in thrilling fashion, winning the program’s first-ever ITA National Team Indoor Championship. Head Coach Tony Bresky was named the ITA National Coach of the Year for his efforts guiding the Deacs during the 2017-18 season. Individually, junior Petros Chrysochos became the program’s first-ever NCAA individual champion when he won the NCAA Singles Championship, defeating teammate Borna Gojo in an all-Wake Forest finale. The duo of Deacs

SPORT RECAPS

2017-18 SEASON were named ITA All-Americans, Chrysochos’ third consecutive honor and Gojo’s second-straight accolade. Chrysochos ﬁnished the year on a 30-match winning streak and a 44-4 record on the year, a school record for single season victories. Six diﬀerent Deacs were ranked throughout the course of the season while six doubles teams also spent time in the national rankings. Chrysochos (No. 3) and Gojo (No. 6) were the highest ranked singles players while the doubles pairings of Gojo and Skander Mansouri (No. 14) and Chrysochos/Mansouri (No. 15) led the way in the doubles rankings. Chrysochos and Mansouri won the ITA National Fall Championships doubles title and a total of four Demon Deacons were named All-ACC. Mansouri became the program’s career leader in both singles wins and doubles victories, ending his career with 119 singles wins and 117 doubles wins. Emma Davis

WOMEN’S TENNIS

OVERALL: 20-14 | CONFERENCE: 5-9

The Wake Forest women’s tennis team reached new heights in 2017-18 as the team advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2007. The Demon Deacons capped the season with a 20-14 record, marking the first 20-win season for the Deacs since 2004. Wake Forest opened the spring season by qualifying for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the first time since 2006. Individually, Emma Davis was named First Team All-ACC and qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship. Davis and partner Chandler Carter advanced to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Doubles Championship, the deepest run by a Wake Forest duo since 2011. Davis would go on to end the season ranked 28th in the national singles rankings while she and Carter ended the year ranked 11th nationally, one spot shy of earning All-America status. Robert Heppenstall

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD 13TH AT ACC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS | 14TH AT ACC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Robert Heppenstall earned his fifth and sixth All-American honors this year after finishing third in the 800m at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships and eighth at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Heppenstall also set the school record in the 1500m earlier in the season and now holds three school records. At the ACC Indoor Championships, two Demon Deacons earned All-ACC Honors. Robert Heppenstall earned First Team All-ACC honors after finishing third in the 800m, while Sebastian Fischbach earned Second Team honors after taking sixth in the men’s mile. The team totaled six top-10 finishes in the three day competition. At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Elijah Shalaway earned Second-Team All-ACC honors after finishing fifth in the javelin.

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

14TH AT ACC INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS | 14TH AT ACC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS

Sam Halvorsen earned Second Team All-America honors after taking 16th in the 10,000m at the NCAA Championships. She was the first Wake Forest NCAA qualifier and All-American in the women’s 10k since 2005. Alva Hicks eclipsed her school record in the weight throw by nearly three feet at the Camel City Invitational while the women’s 4x400m relay team consistently ran the fastest time by a women’s relay squad since the school record was set in 2010. At the ACC Indoor Championships, Alex Florent earned First Team All-ACC honors after finishing second in the high jump. At the ACC Outdoor Championships, Rachel Alex Florent Kern earned First-Team AllACC honors in the javelin after finishing second. Mimi Smith, Alex Florent, and Jordan Banks all earned Second-Team All-ACC honors.

VOLLEYBALL

OVERALL: 13-19 | CONFERENCE: 5-15

The Wake Forest volleyball team finished the 2017 season with a 13-19 overall record along with a 5-15 mark in ACC play. The team began the season strong, winning all three of its matches and taking home the championship of the Spartan-Demon Deacon Classic Caroline Wolf in Greensboro. Senior Kylie Long was named Tournament MVP, while fellow senior Caroline Wolf and sophomore Caitlyn Della were selected to the alltournament team. The Demon Deacons also took home the title at the Wake Forest Invitational at LJVM Coliseum. The Deacs swept Maryland Eastern Shore, 3-0, on Sept. 9 to clinch the championship. This time, Wolf was named tournament MVP, while Long and junior Katie Moore earned all-tournament team honors. Conference play was highlighted by home wins over Duke (Nov. 8) and North Carolina (Nov. 22). It marked the first time since 2008 that Wake Forest defeated Duke and North Carolina in the same season. In the team’s match at Pittsburgh on Nov. 10, Wolf passed Trina Maso de Moya to set the school record for career digs. She finished her career with 2,091. Long finished her outstanding career second in career kills (1,581), trailing only Maso de Moya. After the season, Long was named to the All-ACC Second Team. She joined Wolf on the All-ACC Academic Team.

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2017-18 SEASON

A JOURNEY TO VICTORY Win No. 4 was hardany team had previously against Notre Dame in a fought with a scrappy 48-37 defeat that still showcased the explosive Deacon Appalachian State offense. Wake Forest had 587 yards of total offense in team that led the their first outing since losing Dortch for the season to Deacons 16-10 in the an abdominal injury. third quarter. Wolford Those good feelings about the offense were put to the and his trusty tight test at Syracuse on November 11 as Wake Forest trailed end Cam Serigne, both 41-27 midway through the third quarter. But Wolford, survivors of that 2014 Colburn and Serigne, powered by a junior-dominated season, connected on offensive line, stomped on the accelerator, outscoring a 6-yard touchdown the Orange 37-3 over the final 24 minutes for a pass for a 17-16 lead. historic 64-43 win that ensured the Deacons a second The Mountaineers consecutive bowl. reclaimed a 19-17 It seems like ancient history now. That 2014 football Wake Forest matched its 2016 win total with a 30-24 advantage with just over 10 minutes to play in the season opener at Louisiana-Monroe when Dave Clawson made his very first play call as Wake Forest’s game. Senior kicker Mike Weaver staked the Deacons win over No. 19 NC State at BB&T Field on November to a 20-19 lead and left the game in the hands of the 18. Linebacker Demetrius Kemp made perhaps the head coach. The Deacons lined up and . . . drew a defense. Appalachian State drove into chip shot field defensive play of the year when he was able to strip a delay of game penalty. Wolfpack receiver near the goal line to help preserve goal range before trying a game-winning 39-yard Not much is memorable from that inaugural season. field goal. The Deacons inserted 6-5 wide receiver the win. Not Wake Forest’s 3-9 record, or its 479 total rushing Scotty Washington who was When it comes to yards on the season, or the 45 times that quarterback able to leap and block the kick college football John Wolford was sacked. to preserve the win. name brands, few Out of the adversity of that 2014 season, forged match that of Texas A pair of losses to No. 25 Florida by fire, off-season workouts, intense strength and A&M. The Aggies, the State and No. 2 Clemson and a conditioning, the maturation process of a young team, defeat at Georgia Tech left the 12th Man, and Bear creative recruiting and a never-stop-grinding coaching Deacons at 4-3 on the season. Bryant, are all part staff, was born the 2017 season. of the Aggie legacy. You can’t pinpoint it now, nor But in the Belk Bowl, That the Deacons won three games in 2014 was a could you then, but something Bear Bryant wasn’t testament to a stout and mature defense. That the happened to the Demon coaching and the Deacons won eight games in 2017, set 105 school Deacons the week before the Aggies only played 11 records and won a second straight bowl game, is a Louisville game. Perhaps it was men on the field as testament to four years of hard labor. a string of close losses to the Wake Forest won a Deacon fans will long remember a plethora of Cardinals in the four previous see-saw battle by a outstanding games and standout players from 2017. meetings. Perhaps it was being Belk Bowl MVP John Wolford 55-52 score. Wolford Wolford, as a senior in 2017, thrived behind a mature back at BB&T Field after two was named the MVP offensive line that cut its sack total by nearly 50 weeks on the road. But the change was real. after throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns. percent from the previous year. Wolford set school The Deacons, starting with a 42-32 win over Louisville, A four-year journey for the Deacon seniors, including records for the most passing yards and top passing became an offensive juggernaut the likes of which efficiency rating in a season. The team posted more Wake Forest fans had never seen. The Deacons rolled Wolford, Serigne, Weaver, Duke Ejiofor, Wendell Dunn, Grant Dawson, Devin Pike, A’Lique Terry and Jaboree total offense yards and scored more points than any to 625 yards of total offense against Louisville as Williams, had come to a joyous end. team in school history while setting 105 records. Wolford threw five touchdown passes and redshirt And the last play that Clawson and his staff called in For the second straight year, the Deacons jumped freshman Greg Dortch caught four of them. Matt out to a 4-0 start. Those first four games included a Colburn rushed for 134 yards and the Deacons sacked 2017 couldn’t have been sweeter. The single play that rout of FBS Presbyterian, a 34-10 road win in the ACC former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson seven every coach dreams of calling in every single game. opener at Boston College, and a 46-10 score-fest at times. Victory formation. home against Utah State. The Deacons put up more points and more yards than

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WE WON EVERYTHING After being ranked No. 1 all season and winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, followed by the ACC regular season and tournament titles, the Wake Forest men’s tennis team saved its best for last by capturing the 2018 NCAA Championship on its own courts.

thank so many people. Tennis is such an individual sport, so to accomplish something in tennis as a team, it feels great.”

It will be a scene to always remember for the home team and all of its supporters on Court 4 when Bar Botzer secured the team’s victory in the title match against Ohio State. The freshman from Israel won his first set in the No. 4 singles but was down 5-2 in the second set before rallying to win the next five games to secure the clinching point for Wake Forest, which finished 31-2 in the memorable season.

The Deacons held off thirdranked Ohio State 4-2 in the tense finals before a raucous, standing-room only crowd at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex on May 22 for the program’s first-ever national championship. And if that wasn’t enough, Wake Forest capped that incredible run in the six days following the team competition, putting its top two singles players in the championship match of the NCAA Men’s Singles Championship with fourthseeded Petros Chrysochos beating seventh-seeded Borna Gojo for the individual title (see related story) in an all-Deacon final. “It feels amazing,” head coach said Tony Bresky after winning the team title. “A lot of time, sacrifice and hard work goes into something like this. It is a special group of guys that we have. They care so much, and the biggest challenge for us is to get them to care less. “For me, it is so rewarding with all the people this means so much to. To see our alumni and our supporters and so many people out there crying, it means so much. I am going to have to

days on the courts. “And you keep finding more in them. To do this at home, it’s fantastic. What a way to end the year.”

When the Buckeyes’ Tim Seibert dumped Botzer’s serve into the net on the final point, Botzer fell back on the court in joy while his teammates rushed to pile on. The celebration spread to Court 2 for the trophy presentation as hugs were exchanged and tears flowed among the Deacon contingent.

But the Deacons weren’t done as Chrysochos and Gojo carried the mantle even farther. “Then the day after win the team thing, you’re so tired, and you’ve given everything,” Bresky said after the conclusion of singles … and 11 straight

“There are no words,” said senior captain Skander Mansouri, who holds the program’s record for both career singles and doubles wins. “Like for this match, I don’t know, there were goose bumps. I was shivering during my match. It was unbelievable playing out here in front of this crowd. This is a dream come true.” After the extremely tight doubles point, which was secured by 7-5 victories at No. 1 with Mansouri and Borna Gojo, and at No. 2 with Petros Chrysochos and Botzer, a convincing victory in singles at No. 2 Chrysochos was

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2017-18 SEASON sandwiched between losses by Alan Gadjiev and Christian Seraphim at No. 5 and 6, respectively. That made the match score 2-2, but Mansouri then prevailed at No. 3 to put the Deacons up 3-2.

“You never really know when a match is going on, but when Petros and Skan won, I felt like I knew,” Bresky said. “That is how much I believe in him. When the pressure comes and it is his turn to shine, he just plays better and better. Obviously, I felt incredibly comfortable with Borna left on the court. The guy is an absolute warrior. I knew one of those guys were going to get it done.”

to actually win the match last night when Christian (Seraphim) put us in position to win the final. And we are so fortunate to have Bar on the team. This has been a great team effort.” Seraphim, playing at No. 6, has been a vital cog in the lineup. The semifinal match against Texas A&M, which was plagued by a three-hour delay due to rain and lightning, was tied 3-3, with the Aggies overcoming a 3-0 deficit, and ultimately came down to Seraphim’s match against Barnaby Smith under the lights on Court 6.

Botzer, who had won 16 straight matches before losing in straight sets in the Deacons’ semifinal victory the previous day over Texas A&M, said he felt like he started to “find my groove a Seraphim won the opening set 7-6 little bit” after falling behind 3-0 in the some six hours earlier before the second set against Ohio State’s Seibert. weather delays, but Smith stayed alive by taking the second set 6-4. That set “It’s a team effort,” Botzer said. up a final set to determine which team “Yesterday, I didn’t play that well, and would advance to the finals against my friends were there to pick me up. Ohio State, which defeated No. 2 That is the great thing about our team. UCLA in its semifinal match. There is always someone that is going So Wake Forest needed to win one of to step up. For me, it gives me a lot of The lanky 6-10 redshirt senior seized the remaining two singles matches confidence to play my match because I his big moment in the spotlight, on court – Botzer or Gojo at No. 1 know they are going to play well. cruising 6-0 in the deciding set singles. Gojo, dropped his first set to to propel the Deacons into the sixth-seeded Mikael Torpegaard before “A guy like Petros (Chrysochos), people championship match. fighting back into a tiebreaker in the don’t pay enough attention. He finishes second set. his matches in an hour. For me to play “It’s fitting,” Bresky said of Seraphim’s next to a guy like that and see how he clinching victory. “All of the guys Meanwhile, Botzer, who had jumped cruises from the first point to the last work so hard, and they deserve this. out to a 4-0 lead in the first set at No. point, it gives me a lot of energy and Christian Seraphim has been with me 4, held on to win that set 6-4 but then motivation.” for the longest of anyone. He’s made a looked like he was in big trouble with lot of sacrifices to be here and to be a the 5-2 deficit in the second set before The steady Chrysochos, who is ranked part of this and to be playing the way storming from behind to win 7-5 and No. 4 in the nation in singles and he is. He deserves it. You can see that claim the decisive match and team stretched his personal winning streak in the way that he played at the end. He point. to 30 when he won the singles title, played fearless.” cruised to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ohio “I told everyone I knew, he was going to State’s JJ Wolf. He said that this was a Seraphim, who also won the clinching come back,” Mansouri said. moment he would cherish forever. match in the 4-0 victory over Illinois in the quarterfinals, was overjoyed Bresky said that the match was “pretty “I can’t even imagine what this national with those victories, the national nerve-racking from the first point of championship can do for the program,” championship and having the chance doubles” but after claiming that crucial he said. “We won the National Indoors for his family to come from Germany point, he had a good feeling about this year, and I thought that was huge, to see him play in college for the first Botzer after Chrysochos and Mansouri but I can’t imagine what this one time. won their singles matches. means. We were fortunate enough

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2017-18 SEASON “This means everything to me,” Seraphim said. “The beauty of it is that it’s college tennis. It’s a team effort. We share it. Every point matters out there. We have some great guys who always deliver. “I started out here four and a half years ago. There has been constant improvement in this program. To go out like this with a national championship title, I couldn’t imagine anything better.” Certainly, Wake Forest has been building to this special moment for some time under Bresky, who was named the ITA National Coach of the Year the day after his team brought home the team trophy. He took over the program prior to the 2011-12 season with a roster of only three players with significant collegiate experience and a team ranking of No. 69 in the country. Bresky started out by changing the culture, expectations and talent, starting with some “tough American kids,” followed by the “amazing”

recruiting class for the 2014-15 season that netted Mansouri from Tunisia and Seraphim along with American Noah Rubin, a Wimbledon junior champion who was ranked as the ITA’s top newcomer for NCAA Division I. Adding Rubin, who only played one year here, “changed everything” for the program, according to Bresky. Then came Chrysochos from Cyprus the next year, followed by Gojo, who is from Croatia, and Alan Gadjiev from Uzbekistan last year and then Botzer this year.

national ranking and the top seeding in the NCAA Championship, leading to this magical year – one for the record books.

The Deacons climbed into the top 15 in 2015 before taking the next step in 2016, opening the season at No. 11 before finishing at No. 8 and securing the unforgettable ACC tournament championship over perennial powerhouse Virginia.

“That was one of the reasons I chose to come to this school,” said Botzer, the newcomer of the group. “It was a goal that we had from the beginning of the year. We were trying to win everything that we could, especially knowing we were hosting NCAAs. Everybody always gave us the best conditions and the best chance to succeed. I couldn’t imagine how much fun it would be.”

Last year saw Wake Forest win the ACC regular season title, a No. 1

Now he knows – along with everyone else who is a part of Deacon Nation.

This story was originally published in Gold Rush, June 2018

Following its national championship win, the men's tennis team visited the White House.

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CHRYSOCHOS CLAIMS SINGLES CROWN IN ALL-DEACON FINAL There’s no way Wake Forest could have lost in the finals of the NCAA Men’s Singles Championship.

everything this year, but he admitted it was difficult for the two players who are friends and teammates.

Less than a week after claiming the coveted team trophy for the school’s first national championship, the weary Deacons came back from that exhilarating moment to place the two top singles players in their lineup – Petros Chrysochos and Borna Gojo – in the finals.

“Going into that match was really tough for them,” Bresky said. “Yesterday, they actually both did not want to play, and both were asking if they could be cochamps. It’s not that the title doesn’t mean a lot. It does. It’s just they are so close, and our team is so close. They just had no interest in playing each other, but they competed with class and character.”

Chrysochos, the No. 4 seed, grinded out a 6-3, 6-3 victory over his teammate, Gojo, Chrysochos concluded his spring season the No. 7 seed, to take the individual with a 33-1 record, including a 30-match championship as Wake Forest fans winning streak, and said he planned to rooted them both on – although there was no celebration on the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center court at the conclusion. That happened the previous week. “I just walked on the court with my friend, my teammate,” Chrysochos said. ”You saw at the end I didn’t celebrate at all. There was no need to. Both of us being in the finals, it was a team effort. It wasn’t individual. Most of the times it is an individual accomplishment, if you make it to the finals, especially if you win. “In my mind, I keep thinking about the team accomplishment, the team win we had over Ohio State in the finals. I don’t think I’ll be thinking about this as much as the team – sharing the moments with my teammates on the court being next to them instead of across the net.” It was the first-ever individual national title for a Deacon men’s tennis player, and Chrysochos and Gojo became just the second and third WFU players to reach the championship match, joining Noah Rubin, who lost in the finals in 2015. It was only the fourth time in NCAA men’s singles history that two teammates had met in the finals. Head coach Tony Bresky said that it was yet another special moment for a program that has basically won

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afterward. Chrysochos advanced to the finals by knocking off top-seeded Martin Redlicki of UCLA 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 in the semifinals of the 64-player field and then moved beside the court next to him to join his teammates and the fans in the stands to root on Gojo to a 2-6, 7-5, 6-2 triumph over third-seeded Nuno Borges. The previous day, Gojo eliminated second-seeded William Blumberg of North Carolina 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. Skander Mansouri, the third Wake Forest player in the singles draw, won his opening match before falling to Borges in three sets in the second round. Chrysochos and Bar Botzer lost in the first round of the NCAA Doubles Championship. Although the tennis season came to an end on Memorial Day, the Deacon men’s team looked forward to one more chance to celebrate as a trip to the White House was planned two days later.

return for his senior season after fans chanted “One more year” to both players after the match. “I’m not going anywhere,” said Chrysochos, who said he was to begin summer school the day after winning the singles title. “I started this degree and my college career, and I have to finish it. How can you not embrace these people and my teammates?” Gojo, a 6-5 sophomore who had been struggling with a leg injury and considered pulling out of the tournament except for playing in the national championship before the home fans, had no comments about turning pro

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In the NCAA Women’s Doubles Championship, Wake Forest’s Emma Davis and Chandler Carter, who had a 23-7 record together and won three matches in the past month over top-15 opponents, upset Stanford’s third-seeded doubles team in their first match before losing in a third-set tiebreaker to Winthrop’s Lauren Proctor and Megan Kauffman in the Round of 16. Davis, who was 22-8 in dual matches at No. 1 singles and made the All-ACC First Team, lost in the first round of the Women’s Singles Championship to Washington’s Vanessa Wong 6-2, 6-2. The Deacon women’s team won 20 matches for the first time since 2004 and made it to the NCAA Regionals in Athens, Ga., beating Arizona State 4-2 in their first match before losing to host Georgia 4-0.

This story was originally published in Gold Rush, June 2018

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2017-18 SEASON BOBBY MUUSS NAMED ACC COACH OF THE YEAR FOR THIRD-STRAIGHT SEASON Despite being just three years into his tenure as the head coach of the Wake Forest men’s soccer team, Bobby Muuss has already taken a red pen to the record books. Muuss became the first coach in league history to be named the ACC Coach of the Year in threestraight seasons. He has led the Demon Deacons to back-to-back ACC Championships, just the second and third tournament trophies in program history, as well as three-straight ACC Atlantic Division crowns. Wake Forest has a 55-8-7 record so far in Winston-Salem, more wins than any other Division I program in that span. While Muuss’ squads have always been solid defensively – ranking in the top 10 in the nation each season – his 2017 team took a step forward offensively. Wake Forest scored 58 goals, the most in the country. That total was sparked by the nation’s leader in points, Jon Bakero, who won the MAC Hermann Trophy as the top player in college soccer by totaling 16 goals and 14 assists in 23 games. Playing in what is widely known as the top conference in college soccer, the Deacs ran through ACC competition. Wake Forest went 7-0-1 in league play and followed the regular season by winning the ACC Championship, becoming the first team in the league to finish the ACC regular season and Championship undefeated since 1999. The Deacs were rewarded with ACC Offensive Player of the Year (Bakero) and Defensive Player of the Year (Kevin Politz) honors, as each was also named an All-American, while the coaching staff was named the Region Staff of the Year for the second-straight season. Three regular-season victories over top-10 ACC foes (No. 8 Louisville, No. 6 Clemson, No. 4 North Carolina) propelled the Deacs into the ACC Championship, where they shut out Virginia Tech, took down No. 5 Clemson, and then edged No. 17 Virginia in PKs of the championship game to claim their second-straight title. NCAA Tournament wins over Columbia and No. 19 Butler sent Wake Forest to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third-straight year, where the Deacs fell to No. 3 Stanford despite a capacity crowd of nearly 5,000. Following the season, Wake Forest sent seven players into the MLS ranks. Bakero and Ema Twumasi were firstround MLS SuperDraft selections and Luis Argudo was picked in the third round. Politz, Brandon Servania and Mark McKenzie signed homegrown contracts, while Steven Echevarria inked a deal with NY Red Bulls II. Despite those losses, the future remains bright for the Deacs. Wake Forest brought in the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation, including three players with U.S. Youth National Team experience. Wake Forest will begin the 2018 regular season with a marquee matchup at Spry Stadium against No. 2 Indiana – the national runner-up a season ago.

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ONE FOR THE BOOKS Over the long and storied history of the women’s golf program and the list of players whose accolades warranted induction into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame, it is not without thoughtful consideration to write that junior golfer Jennifer Kupcho may be the best to have ever played here. Comparisons are difficult, and statistics provide insight, but Wake Forest has never had a NCAA women’s individual national champion … until now. “All the awards are great, but this is the one thing you look toward and want to do,” Kupcho said after her wire-to-wire victory at Karsten Creek Golf Course in Stillwater, Okla., in the NCAA Championship. “Besides winning the U.S. Open, it (the NCAA title) is just a really big goal I had.” The national championship was Kupcho’s fourth victory of the year and seventh career title. She won this season at the Ocean Course Invitational, Bryan National Collegiate and the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. Kupcho finished this season with a school-record 70.60 scoring average, eclipsing the record of 70.61 she set during her sophomore season. She was named a first team AllAmerican by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association for the second straight year. “We’ve never had a national champion, and we’ve only had one four-time All-American in Stephanie Neill,” said Dianne Dailey, who announced shortly after the tournament that she was retiring after 30 years as head coach of the Deacons. “But Jennifer has broken all the scoring records, and she is on track to break the number of tournaments won. She’s won seven, and Stephanie won 10. I think she is, right now, the best player we’ve ever had. I don’t put those words out there

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lightly, but she had a scoring average of 69-something in the fall, and we’ve never had anybody shoot those kids of scores.” Perhaps Kupcho’s victory in the NCAA Championships was something those on the outside should have seen coming, as she was the runner-up for the national title just one year ago. With a 4-under back-nine, she earned a two-shot victory – finishing birdie, par, birdie to post a final round score of 71 and win the title with a score of 8-under par. “Winning the national championship has been great, but it was great having my teammates there to walk alongside me in the final round and helped keep me loose going through the back nine,” Kupcho said. Wake Forest’s team qualified for the NCAA Championship with a sixthplace finish at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The Deacons tied Clemson for the sixth and final NCAA Championship qualifying place but won a one-hole playoff as Kupcho birdied and the other four players parred for a one-shot victory. “I was so nervous over both putts and what was able to calm me was we were sitting on the 18th hole watching Clemson come up,” Kupcho said. “A couple of girls had putts of the same distance, but my team just looked at me and said they wouldn’t want anyone else there but me. When I looked at that putt (of about 4 to 5 feet), I thought about that, thought I got this, I can make it, and after I made it, it was great to break through knowing my team would be there right beside me competing for the national championship.” Considering her accomplishments, it’s

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even more intriguing that just a few years ago that Kupcho was a virtual unknown junior player before Dailey discovered what she called “a diamond in the rough.” Golf was a family affair at the Kupcho house, and Jennifer said she first felt forced to play the sport when she began around age 5 before falling in love with the game. Her parents, Mike and Janet, played golf, and her brother, Steven, played collegiately at Northern Colorado. Ed Oldham, the director of Instruction at The Ranch Country Club in Kupcho’s hometown of Westminster, Colo., helped develop her game. Kupcho ultimately ended up at Wake Forest but only because the booming sound of one drive off the tee caught the ear of Dailey. She was recruiting at the U.S. Junior Championships in Fort Wayne, Ind., and stopped, watched and followed Kupcho through the end of her round, and quickly determined there was something special about her.

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2017-18 SEASON “It was really by accident,” Dailey said of discovering Kupcho. “It was the first time Jennifer had played much outside the state of Colorado. I had been out there recruiting in the hot sun for two days and was getting ready to go home. As I was walking to the parking lot, I had to wait before I could cross the fairway to get to my car and I was looking at my phone and all of a sudden I heard this drive – a big whack – and I asked myself who did that? I looked up, and there were a couple of coaches from the state of Colorado watching, so I thought I’d just watch her play this hole. I watched a little bit, and I thought, this girl is pretty good. I went up to the next tee to see her drive, and she hits another drive that was just really, really good. I’m thinking, where did this girl come from? I had never seen her before. “I texted my assistant at the time (former assistant coach Kevin Diaz) and said to get over here because she only has two holes to go, and I think this girl is really, really good. We followed her the last two holes. We didn’t know how to get in touch with her and ended up leaving right away, but I drove, and within 30 minutes Kevin Diaz had her teacher on the phone. We talked about her and asked him if she would call us. The U.S. Amateur was in Charleston, S.C. that year (2013), so they decided to stop at Wake Forest on the way down to visit,

and we started the recruiting process during that visit when she was a junior in high school. “I think she was thinking about staying in Colorado, and she just slipped under everybody’s radar. I tried to put a big bug in her ear to get her to come here, and I think she liked our facilities. She could come out and within walking distance practice as much as she wanted and liked the small size of the school. The academics were attractive, especially to her parents, because they knew she was going to get a great education.” As good as an impression Wake Forest made with Kupcho during that visit, she still left undecided as to where she would play collegiate golf. It wasn’t until signing day of her junior year at Jefferson Academy that a phone call to her brother Steven, who played college golf at Northern Colorado, helped her make her final decision, – to leave Colorado to become a Demon Deacon. “I don’t know how (Coach Dailey) convinced me to do it, but it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made,” she said. “Wake is a long ways away from home, and that added a little bit of fear. But a few of my top schools were in Kansas and here in Colorado. It’s not warm here. At Wake, I could practice yearround. The school is smaller, I went to a small high school, so I didn’t want to go to a huge state school. Then just the coaches knew what they were doing, knew where my boundaries were, and helped me, so it was just a really good fit for me.” Dailey said when Kupcho came to Wake Forest she was ranked in the 1300s in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. By the end of her sophomore fall, she was ranked first by Golfweek.

This story was originally published in Gold Rush, June 2018

“In two years, she went from under the radar to being one of the top players in college golf and No. 3 in the world amateur rankings,” Dailey said. “As a freshman, she still wasn’t on anybody’s radar and snuck into an Honorable Mention All-American. Then last year (as a sophomore) she was First-Team WGCA and First Team Golfweek AllAmerican.” Last season, Kupcho won multiple first-team All-American honors and finished as the NCAA runner-up. This year she wanted to finish strong and got plenty of help from her teammates. “My team had kind of quieted down after I had a rough start, but after I made birdie on 11, they were screaming so loudly and trying to make me laugh, loosen me up, and I think that was a big factor,” Kupcho said. “It wasn’t just the birdies but them being so loud the group in front of us could hear them. They were the leaders along with the girl in my group, who was also one of the leaders. That was a little intimidation. Then when I got to 16 and made birdie, I was excited, everyone screamed and yelled so loudly. I think that just shows how much of a factor they were and influenced me as well. “(Assistant Coach) Ryan (Potter) and I made a deal not to look at scoreboards, so we had no idea how I was doing. I kind of had a feeling I was up a couple of shots but didn’t know. I had 215 into the green, which was a perfect hybrid, and I knocked it onto the green, got up there figuring a two-putt would win it. I hit the first putt down to about four feet, and then on my line, I can see my teammates lined up with multiple bottles of water behind a camera. At that point, I knew they were either confident I was going to make this putt or I had multiple putts to win this, so it was great to finish out with a birdie.”

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HOME COURT ADVANTAGE H

istory was made in May 2018 as the Wake Forest men's tennis team claimed their first-ever NCAA championship, and it happened in front of a home town crowd! From May 17-28, the Wake Forest Tennis Complex served as the epicenter for collegiate tennis. To start things off, the final 16 teams in both the men's and women's brackets converged in Winston-Salem for the team championships. After the team champions were crowned, the individual championships began, and ultimately ended with an all-Demon Deacon finale. It was the fifth time that Wake Forest had hosted an NCAA championship in any sport, and the Deacs rose to the occasion and put on an incredible event.

More than 2,000 fans cheered on the Deacs in the team finals

Approx. 320 student-athletes competed at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex 20

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Over 150 volunteers helped make the tournament possible

Set new attendance record since moving to David F. Couch Ballpark with 3,018 fans ________________________

8,702

Increased baseball ticket sales by 704%

people in attendance throughout the course of the championship

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2017-18 SEASON WAKE FOREST DEDICATES NEW SOCCER VIDEO BOARD In August 2017, Wake Forest Athletics completed work on a state-of-the-art video board at Spry Stadium featuring stats, instant replay and more. An impressive $800,000 was raised for the video

game at Spry Stadium. In the fall of 2014, Jack was diagnosed with nonHodgkin’s lymphoma. After valiantly ﬁghting the battle for over two years, he joined many past Deacon faithful in April 2016. After Jack’s passing, the family contemplated diﬀerent ways of honoring him. Based on Jack’s love of Wake Forest and the deep connection between the family and the University, it became clear that they wanted to represent his dedication to the Deacs, knowing that’s what he would have wanted.

board, which was named for the late Jack W. Owen II (’85). Jack not only loved Wake Forest, but he was truly a Demon Deacon in every sense. During his time at Wake Forest, he was a passionate member of the University community; a physics major, member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and a faithful attendee of Wake Forest sporting events. Wake Forest cemented Jack’s destiny when he met the love of his life, Amy Sanborn Owen (’83), and settled down after graduation to raise future Demon Deacons. Jack, along with his sister, Linda Owen Hanson (’81), helped create a family legacy at Wake Forest. Two of Jack’s children, Jack (’11) and Courtney (’14) both attended Wake Forest, while his other two children, Lindsay and Mark, remained Demon Deacons at heart, even while attending other universities. In addition, all three of Jack’s nieces, Laura (’12), Beth (’15) and Kate (’20), also joined the Wake Forest community. While Jack always bled Old Gold and Black, his love of Wake Forest Athletics grew even deeper when his daughter, Courtney, committed to playing soccer for the Deacs. Jack and his family thoroughly studied each season’s schedule in an eﬀort to maximize the number of games they could attend. Some of the most memorable moments for the family were watching the Wake Forest women’s soccer team win an ACC Championship, as well as watching Courtney score the game-winning goal at an NCAA tournament

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Unsure of exactly what project they wanted to be involved with, the family reached out to the Deacon Club to determine what items were on the “wish list” and which would be the best ﬁt. Throughout this process, and with a little help from Courtney who was working with the women’s team at the time, the Owen family learned that the soccer teams had a video board on their wish list. Once that option was discovered, the entire family

agreed that a soccer video board would be the best way to honor Jack. “It seems like fate that we were able to ﬁnd a project to help support the soccer teams after Jack spent many of his last years at Spry stadium watching Courtney play,” Amy said. Courtney recalls how Jack got to witness her ﬁrst career goal, which was also the game winning shot, at an NCAA Tournament game at Spry Stadium. “He said this was one of the happiest moments of his life and I know he would want other parents to experience that same joy with

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their own kids,” she remarked, “The video board seems like a great way to help promote that joy for so many.” The entire extended family, including Amy's brothers, Linda’s sister, and mom, Charlotte, have worked together to raise the necessary funds to make the video board a reality. Between letters, emails and phone calls, countless people have stepped up to show their support for Jack and the Owen family. Linda reflects on the process, stating, “It is amazing and moving to see how much support we have gotten from family, friends and the entire Wake Forest community.” Additionally, an anonymous donor initiated a match to assist in the soccer video board effort. The Owen family is extremely grateful for that added support, which has helped make the project possible. The Owen family found the perfect project to honor Jack, and Amy wants to help spread an important message to others looking to honor their loved ones. “I encourage you to seek out your options, as there are numerous projects available and different teams have wish lists that you can help get involved with.” The soccer video board was installed for the 2017 season and everyone who donated in honor of Jack will have their name listed on a plaque that is displayed at Spry Stadium. With the addition of the video board, Wake Forest became the only NCAA school to have a 10-millimeter display for a soccer venue. As the assistant coach of the Wake Forest women’s soccer team, Courtney looked forward to experiencing the video board and plaque on a daily basis. “For me in particular, I feel like I’m the luckiest one in the family,” she said, “I’ll get to see the video board every day and it will be a daily reminder that he's still here and is looking out for us.”

HONORS & AWARDS

2017-18 WAKE FOREST AWARD WINNERS ARNOLD PALMER AWARD

MARGE CRISP AWARD

EDWIN G. WILSON MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

EDWIN G. WILSON FEMALE SCHOLARATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Petros Chrysochos Jennifer Kupcho Sebastian Fischbach Maddie Huster MEN’S TENNIS

WOMEN’S GOLF

ACC

CHAMPIONS

Men’s soccer (regular season & tournament) Men’s tennis (regular season & tournament)

NATIONAL

CHAMPIONS

Men’s Tennis (ITA National Team Indoor Championship) Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis (NCAA Singles Champion) Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf (NCAA Champion)

NATIONAL

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Jon Bakero, men’s soccer (MAC Hermann Trophy) Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf (Honda Sport Award)

NATIONAL

COACH OF THE YEAR

Tony Bresky, men’s tennis (ITA National Coach of the Year)

ALL-AMERICA

FIRST TEAM

Jon Bakero, men’s soccer Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis Borna Gojo, men’s tennis Robert Heppenstall, men’s indoor/outdoor track & ﬁeld Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf

ALL-AMERICA

SECOND TEAM

Jule Grashoff, field hockey Samantha Halvorsen, women’s outdoor track & field Emilia Migliaccio, women’s golf

ALL-AMERICA

THIRD TEAM

Kevin Politz, men’s soccer

ALL-AMERICA

HONORABLE MENTION Cameron Young, men’s golf

ALL-AMERICA

FRESHMAN

Greg Dortch, football Chris Lanzilli baseball DJ Poteet, baseball Bobby Seymour, baseball

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MEN’S TRACK & FIELD

WOMEN’S SOCCER

ACC MALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

ACC FEMALE SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

John Wolford

Jule Grashoff

FOOTBALL

FIELD HOCKEY

FIRST TEAM ALL-ACC Jon Bakero, men’s soccer Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis Emma Davis, women’s tennis Mitchell Day, men’s cross country Alexandria Florent, women’s indoor track & field (high jump) Borna Gojo, men’s tennis Jule Grashoff, field hockey Samantha Halvorsen, women’s cross country Robert Heppenstall, men’s indoor track & field (800m) Rachel Kern, women’s outdoor track & field (javelin) Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf Emilia Migliaccio, women’s golf Nicola Pluta, field hockey Cam Serigne, football Ema Twumasi, men’s soccer Cameron Young, men’s golf

HONORABLE MENTION ALL-ACC Essang Bassey, football Jessie Bates III, football Bryant Crawford, men’s basketball Greg Dortch, football Dom Maggio, football

SECOND TEAM ALL-ACC Ryan Anderson, football Jordan Banks, women’s outdoor track & field (heptathlon) Greg Dortch, football Duke Ejiofor, football Sebastian Fischbach, men’s indoor track & field (mile) Alexandria Florent, women’s outdoor track & field (high jump) Maddie Huster, women’s soccer Kylie Long, volleyball Skander Mansouri, men’s tennis Elisa Penna, women’s basketball Kevin Politz, men’s soccer Lindsay Preston, women’s soccer Griffin Roberts, baseball Elijah Shalaway, men’s outdoor track & field (javelin) Mimi Smith, women’s outdoor track & field (10,000m) Mike Weaver, football John Wolford, football

ALL-ACC FRESHMAN TEAM Omir Fernandez, men’s soccer Vicky Krug, women’s soccer Brandon Servania, men’s soccer

THIRD TEAM ALL-ACC Luis Argudo, men’s soccer Bar Botzer, men’s tennis Brad Dunwell, men’s soccer Bayley Feist, women’s soccer Phil Haynes, football Justin Herron, football

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ACC PLAYER OF THE YEAR Jon Bakero, men’s soccer (oﬀensive) Kevin Politz, men’s soccer (defensive) ACC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Mitchell Day, men’s cross country Emilia Migliaccio, women’s golf ACC COACH OF THE YEAR Bobby Muuss, men’s soccer

ALL-ACC TOURNAMENT TEAM Jon Bakero, men’s soccer Michael DeShields, men’s soccer Mark McKenzie, men’s soccer Andreu Cases Mundet, men’s soccer ACC TOURNAMENT MVP Andreu Cases Mundet, men’s soccer ACC ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM Amber Campbell, women’s basketball ACC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis Kevin Politz, men’s soccer ACADEMIC ALL-ACC Megan Anderson, ﬁeld hockey Eric Bae, men’s golf Jordan Banks, women’s outdoor track & ﬁeld Hannah Betfort, women’s soccer Bar Botzer, men’s tennis

HONORS & AWARDS

2017-18 WAKE FOREST AWARD WINNERS Hannah Brookover, women’s cross country Andreu Cases Mundet, men’s soccer Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis Emma Davis, women’s tennis Mitchell Day, men’s cross country Wendell Dunn, football Brad Dunwell, men’s soccer Bayley Feist, women’s soccer Omir Fernandez, men’s soccer Sebastian Fischbach, men’s indoor track & field Alexandria Florent, women’s indoor track & field Alexandria Florent, women’s outdoor track & field Jule Grashoff, field hockey Sam Halvorsen, women’s outdoor track & field Ally Haran, women’s soccer Robert Heppenstall, men’s indoor track & field Robert Heppenstall, men’s outdoor track& field Justin Herron, football Rachel Hirsch, field hockey Maddie Huster, women’s soccer Rachel Kern, women’s outdoor track & field Vicky Krug, women’s soccer Siyun Liu, women’s golf Kylie Long, volleyball Eliza Lukens-Day, women’s cross country Luke Masterson, football Emilia Migliaccio, women’s golf Eliza Omirou, women’s tennis Elisa Penna, women’s basketball Kevin Politz, men’s soccer Lindsay Preston, women’s soccer Christian Seraphim, men’s tennis Cam Serigne, football Brandon Servania, men’s soccer Elijah Shalaway, men’s outdoor track & field Alex Sharp, women’s basketball Mimi Smith, women’s cross country Mimi Smith, women’s outdoor track & field Yuval Solomon, men’s tennis Caroline Wolf, volleyball John Wolford, football Keyshawn Woods, men’s basketball Cameron Young, men’s golf Julian Zlobinsky, men’s tennis WEAVER-JAMES-CORRIGAN ACC POSTGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIP Maddie Huster, women’s soccer Kevin Politz, men’s soccer Christian Seraphim, men’s tennis Cam Serigne, football ACC PLAYER OF THE MONTH Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf, October SENIOR CLASS AWARD Jon Bakero, men’s soccer

ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK Brandon Servania, men’s soccer, Aug. 28 Maddie Huster, women’s soccer, Aug. 29 Essang Bassey, football, Sept. 11 Cameron Glenn, football, Sept. 18 Nicola Pluta, field hockey, Sept. 19 Emu Twumasi, men’s soccer, Oct. 2 Greg Dortch, football, Oct. 2 Bayley Feist, women’s soccer, Oct. 17 Shannon Eby, field hockey, Oct. 23 John Wolford, football, Oct. 29 Greg Dortch, football, Oct. 29 John Wolford, football, Nov. 13 Cam Serigne, football, Nov. 13 Ryan Anderson, football, Nov. 20 Demetrius Kemp, football, Nov. 20 Tabari Hines, football, Nov. 20 Dom Maggio, football, Nov. 27 Emma Davis, women’s tennis, Jan. 30 Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis, Feb. 13 Borna Gojo/Skander Mansouri, men’s tennis, Feb. 20 (doubles) Borna Gojo, men’s tennis, Feb. 20 (singles) Eliza Omirou, women’s tennis, Feb. 27 Griffin Roberts, baseball, March 5 Griffin Roberts, baseball, March 19 Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis, April 3 Ian Dempster/Skander Mansouri, men’s tennis, April 3 (doubles) Griffin Roberts, baseball, April 16 Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis, April 17 Eliza Omirou, women’s tennis, April 17

NFCHA ALL-SOUTH REGION Jule Grashoff, first team Nicola Pluta, first team Megan Anderson, second team

NCAA APR PUBLIC RECOGNITION AWARD Men’s cross country Men’s golf Women’s tennis Men’s track and ﬁeld

CAMPBELL TROPHY SEMIFINALIST Cam Serigne, football

COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN OF THE YEAR Kevin Politz, men’s soccer

PAUL HORNUNG HONOR ROLL Greg Dortch, football, Oct. 30

COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA Kevin Politz, men’s soccer

WGCA ALL-AMERICAN SCHOLARS Mai Dechathipat, women’s golf Siyun Liu, women’s golf Emilia Migliaccio, women’s golf Monica Schumacher, women’s golf

COLLEGIATE BASEBALL NAT’L PLAYER OF THE WEEK Griﬃn Roberts, baseball, March 21 Chris Lanzili, baseball, May 21

NFHCA ALL-AMERICAN Jule Grashoﬀ, second team

JOHN MACKEY TIGHT END OF THE WEEK Cam Serigne, football, Sept. 20 NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION HAMPSHIRE SOCIETY Cam Serigne, football A’Lique Terry, football John Wolford, football POP WARNER COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST Wendell Dunn, football BURLSWORTH TROPHY SEMIFINALIST Grant Dawson, football

DAVEY O’BRIEN GREAT 8 AWARD John Wolford, football, Oct. 30

COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT Kevin Politz, men’s soccer

NABC HONORS COURT Britton Anderson, men’s basketball Troy Rike, men’s basketball Aaron Spivey, men’s basketball

NFHCA NATIONAL ACADEMIC SQUAD Megan Anderson, field hockey Isla Bint, field hockey Sam Buzalewski, field hockey Shannon Eby, field hockey Jule Grashoff, field hockey Rachel Hirsch, field hockey Meghan Murphy, field hockey Cat O’Connor, field hockey

USGA CURTIS CUP TEAM Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf PALMER CUP TEAM Jennifer Kupcho, women’s golf (US Team) Emilia Migliaccio, women’s golf (US Team) UNITED SOCCER COACHES NAT’L PLAYER OF THE WEEK Jon Bakero, men’s soccer, Oct. 17 UNITED SOCCER COACHES SCHOLAR-ALL-AMERICAN Kevin Politz, men’s soccer

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HONORS & AWARDS

2017-18 WAKE FOREST AWARD WINNERS UNITED SOCCER COACHES STAFF OF THE YEAR SOUTH REGION Wake Forest, men’s soccer UNITED SOCCER COACHES SCHOLAR ALL-SOUTH REGION Kevin Politz, men’s soccer UNITED SOCCER COACHES ALL-SOUTH REGION Jon Bakero, first team Luis Argudo, first team Kevin Politz, first team Emu Twumasi, second team UNITED SOCCER COACHES ALL-EAST REGION Maddie Huster, second team Bayley Feist, third team UNITED SOCCER COACHES TEAM ACADEMIC AWARD Women’s soccer TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM BEST XI FRESHMEN TEAM Vicky Krug, women’s soccer (2nd team) TOPDRAWERSOCCER.COM TEAM OF THE WEEK Vicky Krug, women’s soccer (Week 7) ITA CAROLINA REGION SENIOR OF THE YEAR Skander Mansouri, men’s tennis ITA CAROLINA REGION COACH OF THE YEAR Tony Bresky, men’s tennis ITA CAROLINA REGION ARTHUR ASHE, JR. LEADERSHIP AND SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Petros Chrysochos, men’s tennis POSTSEASON ALL-STAR GAMES Shannon Eby, field hockey, NFHCA Senior Game Duke Ejiofor, football, East-West Shrine Game Cam Serigne, football, Senior Bowl DRAFT CHOICES Johnny Aiello, MLB, 14th round, Toronto Blue Jays Luis Argudo, MLS, 3rd round, Columbus Crew Jon Bakero, MLS, 1st round, Chicago Fire Jessie Bates III, NFL, 2nd round, Cincinnati Bengals Duke Ejiofor, NFL, 6th round, Houston Texans Ally Haran, NWSL, 3rd round, Seattle Reign FC Maddie Huster, NWSL, 3rd round, Washington Spirit Griffin Roberts, MLB, Comp. Balance Round A, St. Louis Cardinals Rayne Supple, MLB, 13th round, Colorado Rockies Ema Twumasi, MLS, 1st round, FC Dallas FREE AGENT SIGNINGS Steven Echevarria, men’s soccer, New York Red Bulls Chris Farish, baseball, Detroit Tigers Mark McKenzie, men’s soccer, Philadelphia Union (Homegrown) Kevin Politz, men’s soccer, New York Red Bulls (Homegrown) Brandon Servania, men’s soccer, FC Dallas (Homegrown)

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THE BEST OF THE BEST Two Demon Deacon student-athletes were recognized as national players of the year in 2017-18, making them the best of the best in their respective sports. Senior Jon Bakero was named the top college soccer player in the country, the third Deacon to ever win the award, and Jennifer Kupcho became the first Wake Forest women’s golfer to win the award.

BAKERO WINS 2017 MAC HERMANN TROPHY Wake Forest senior Jon Bakero won the 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy, awarded by the Missouri Athletic Club to the top collegiate soccer player, on January 5, 2018. Bakero became the second-straight and third-ever Demon Deacon to win the award, joining Ian Harkes (2016) and Marcus Tracy (2008). The MAC Hermann Trophy, a 10-pound crystal soccer ball awarded annually since 1967, honors the United Soccer Coaches National Players of the Year in NCAA Division I men’s and women’s soccer based on voting conducted by NCAA Division I coaches. Bakero claimed the honor over finalists Tomas Hilliard-Arce of Stanford and Grant Lillard of Indiana. "I couldn't be more excited for Jon to win the MAC Hermann Trophy," head coach Bobby Muuss said. "It's the most prestigious award in college soccer and he repeatedly showed that he was the best in the country. He has been a model representative of Wake Forest soccer both on and off the field, and we're absolutely elated for him and his family." This season, Bakero was the top offensive player on the top offense in the nation. The senior captain led the country with 46 points on 16 goals and 14 assists, pacing a Deacon offense which ranked atop the nation with 58 goals and 66 assists. The Sitges, Spain native wraps up his collegiate career with 37 goals, 26

HONORS & AWARDS

2017-18 WAKE FOREST AWARD WINNERS assists and 100 points, all marks which rank in the top 10 in program history. He became just the third Deacon to reach the 100-point plateau. "I want to thank Coach Muuss and my mom for being here, my dad and sister watching from home, and my girlfriend Ally for being here," Bakero said upon receiving the award. "I'm just very thankful for everyone who helped me get here." Bakero previously won the Senior CLASS Award, was a first team All-American in voting by the United Soccer Coaches and voted as the ACC Offensive Player of the Year.

JENNIFER KUPCHO WINS 2018 HONDA AWARD Junior Jennifer Kupcho was named the Honda Sport Award winner for Golf as announced by Chris Voelz, Executive Director of THE Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) on June 4, 2018. The Honda Sport Award has been presented annually by the CWSA for the past 42 years to the top women athletes in 12 NCAA- sanctioned sports and signifies “the best of the best in collegiate athletics”.

Kupcho was chosen by a vote of administrators from over 1,000 NCAA member schools. Finalists included Andrea Lee (Stanford), Lauren Stephenson (Alabama) and Lilia Vu (UCLA). "It is a great honor to win the Honda Award and it is exciting to be among the greatest college golfers who have won it in the past,“ said Kupcho. “To be the first player from Wake Forest to win the award is awesome and I could not have been able to win with this award without the amazing support of my teammates and coaches.” Kupcho hailing from Westminster, Colo., was the 2018 NCAA Championship individual medalist after shooting a 4-under back nine to secure the title with a two-stroke victory. She is the first wire-to-wire NCAA Champion since 2002 and as the 2017 NCAA runner-up, became first player to win the title after a second-place finish the year before since 1990. A two-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) first-team All-American, she shot a school record round of 64 at the NCAA Regionals and tied her own Wake Forest 54-hole scoring record with a 15-under 201 to win the regionals. She finished the season with a school record 70.60 scoring average and had six top five finished on the season. She finished in fifth-place in the Golfstat Cup standings and was name to the 2018 Curtis Cup team. “Jennifer has worked so hard to be the best player she can be,” stated WFU head coach Dianne Dailey. “All of those long hours paid off when she won the NCAA Regional and the NCAA Championship this season. To be recognized for her work and accomplishments by being the Honda Award recipient is very deserving, rewarding and exciting.”

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2017-18 HALL OF FAME CLASS I n 2017-18 the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame elected five new members, including four who were voted in on their very first appearance on the ballot. The five new inductees combined for 14 All-ACC berths, nine AllAmerican slots, four ACC individual championships and three national championships. The 2017-18 induction class includes Winston-Salem native Chris Paul, Rhodes Scholar track and field athlete Michelle Sikes, field hockey All-American Lauren Crandall and football All-American Steve Vallos. John Gerring, a member of the Demon Deacon men’s golf team and the 1957 ACC champion, rounds out the class as the Heritage inductee. While Chris Paul had to defer his induction due to his responsibilities with the NBA All-Star game, five inductees participated in the induction ceremony on Feb. 17, including Chris Barclay. Barclay was previously elected to the Hall of Fame in 2016 but had to defer his induction.

Michelle Sikes (‘07), Steve Vallos (‘06), John Gerring (‘57), Lauren Crandall (‘07) and Chris Barclay (‘06) at the induction ceremony on Feb. 17.

LAUREN CRANDALL Crandall (’07) was a first ballot inductee. She was a three-time All-American in field hockey and a member of two of Wake Forest’s national championship teams in 2003 and 2004. A native of Doylestown, Pa., Crandall was the ACC Tournament MVP in 2006, a two-time ACC All-Tournament selection and a two-time NCAA All-Tournament selection. She earned first team All-ACC honors three times and was the first Wake Forest player to earn All-South Region honors all four seasons. Crandall was a first team AllAmerican in 2005 and 2006 after earning third team All-America honors in 2004. Following her collegiate career, Crandall played for the U.S. at the Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile in 2006 and led the team in scoring. She went on to become a member of the USA Field Hockey Olympic teams in 2008, 2012 and 2016.

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JOHN GERRING Gerring (’57), originally from Union, S.C., was the Heritage Committee’s selection for Hall of Fame induction. Gerring played golf for the Deacons from 1953-57 and won ACC medalist honors in 1957 with rounds of 69-72-141 at Old Town Club in Winston-Salem. Gerring had entered the final round trailing teammate Sonny George by two strokes. Gerring’s efforts helped the Deacons win the 1957 ACC team title by eight strokes over North Carolina. During the 1957 season, Gerring was Wake Forest’s medalist in five of seven home matches in an era where teams played dual matches rather than strictly tournaments. He was Wake Forest’s top golfer in 1955, ’56 and ’57 before serving in the Rifle Company of the United States Army following graduation. John has served as a PGA golf professional for over 50 years. A member of the PGA Hall of Fame, Gerring was named the National PGA Professional of the Year in 1981. He has served as the club

professional at a number of prestigious courses including Peachtree in Atlanta, the Atlanta Country Club, Sea Island Golf Club and Bloomfield Hills Country Club. Most recently, Gerring was inducted into the Carolinas Golf Association Hall of Fame.

MICHELLE SIKES Sikes (’07) was elected in her first year of eligibility, is one of the most decorated studentathletes in Wake Forest history. A mathematical economics major, she received the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in 2007, becoming just the third student-athlete in school history to earn the award. On the track, Sikes was just as impressive. The Lakewood, Ohio native won the NCAA Outdoor Championship in the 5,000 meters in 2007 with a meet and school record of 15:16.76, becoming the first Demon Deacon female student-athlete to win an NCAA individual track championship. She was the ACC indoor 5,000 meters champion in 2007 and won the outdoor 5,000 and 10,000 meters in 2007. Sikes was a five-time All-American and an eighttime All-ACC honoree, earning all-league honors three times in cross country, three times in outdoor track and twice in indoor track. To this day, Sikes continues to hold school records in the 1,500 meters, mile, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. She was the ACC Performer of the Year at the 2007 outdoor championships and a four-time All-ACC Academic honoree. Sikes was the 2006-07 Marge Crisp Award winner as Wake Forest’s female student-athlete of the year. She earned the Edwin G. Wilson ScholarAthlete of the Year award from Wake Forest in 2007 and was the recipient of the ACC Award for Excellence in Academics and Athletics that same year. Besides the Rhodes Scholarship, Sikes received the Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship from the ACC.

STEVE VALLOS Vallos (’06) was elected to the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Vallos earned first team All-ACC honors at offensive tackle in 2006 as he helped the Demon Deacons win the ACC Championship. A native of Boardman, Ohio, Vallos earned first team All-America honors in 2006 from both Sports Illustrated and the Sporting News while being

named a second team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation. He twice earned ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week honors in 2006 and finished his career with 48 career starts, the most-ever among Deacon offensive linemen. Vallos was a second team All-ACC pick as a sophomore and an honorable mention allleague honoree as a junior when he helped pave the way for ACC Player of the Year Chris Barclay. A seventh round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks in the 2007 NFL Draft, Vallos played seven seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks, Browns, Eagles, Jaguars and Broncos, earning a berth in Super Bowl XLVIII with the Denver Broncos.

CHRIS BARCLAY Barclay, Wake Forest’s all-time rushing leader, was the Atlantic Coast Conference football Player of the Year in 2005 when he carried the ball 218 times for 1,127 yards. He broke into the Demon Deacon lineup as one of just three true freshmen to see action in 2002. He led the team in rushing in 2003 with 1,192 yards and earned second team All-ACC honors. As a junior in 2004, Barclay had 1,010 yards on 243 carries and was named first team All-ACC. He capped his career in 2005 with another first team All-ACC selection and his recognition as the league’s Player of the Year. For his career, Barclay finished with 4,032 rushing yards and set school records at the time for career points (240), rushing touchdowns (40), all-purpose yards (4,930), 200-yard rushing games (3) and 1,000yard rushing seasons (3). He was the first player in ACC history to lead the league in rushing yards during the regular season in three consecutive seasons and was also the first ACC player with three consecutive 1,000yard rushing seasons. Named team MVP as both a junior and senior, Barclay is one of just three Demon Deacons to earn the award in back-to-back seasons, joining Norm Snead (1959-60) and Brian Piccolo (1963-64). 2 0 17-1 8 Y E A R I N R E V I E W // WA K E F O R E S T AT H L E T I C S 2 0 1 6 -17 Y E A R I N R E V I E W // WA K E F O R E S T AT H L E T I C S

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DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS/STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

IN THE CLASSROOM A

key emphasis of “Developing Champions” is the pursuit of excellence in the classroom. Wake Forest student-athletes continued to impress with their academic performance throughout the 2017-18 year, and for 65 deserving student-athletes, representing 17 states and six countries, their years of hard work and dedication paid off as they received their undergraduate or graduate degrees from Wake Forest.

ACC ACCOLADES • 50% of all student-athletes made the ACC Honor Roll. The Honor Roll is comprised of studentathletes who participated in a varsity-level sport and registered a grade point average of 3.0 or better for the full academic year.

94 % Graduation Success Rate

WAKE FOREST ACCOLADES • Dean’s Cup honors for 2017-18 went to the women’s golf and men’s cross country/track & ﬁeld teams. The Dean’s Cup recognizes the team with the highest GPA for the year.

Monica Schumacher (women’s golf), Alexandra Sharp (women’s basketball), Mark Smith (men’s track & ﬁeld), Mimi Smith (women’s cross country) and Zachary Tom (football).

• John Wolford (football) was recognized as Wake Forest’s ACC Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. • Jule Grashoff (women’s ﬁeld hockey) was recognized as Wake Forest’s ACC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

63%

Women’s golf earned Dean’s Cup honors for 2017-18

• Chris Seraphim (men’s tennis), Kevin Politz (men’s

soccer), Maddie Huster (women’s soccer) and Cam Serigne (football) were honored by the Atlantic Coast Conference as 2018 Weaver-JamesCorrigan Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. The Demon Deacons were among 52 student-athletes recognized by the conference for their excellence on the ﬁeld as well as in the classroom. Each recipient receives $5,000 toward his or her graduate education on behalf of the ACC.

• Nine Wake Forest studentathletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the of graduating spring semester: Veerle student-athletes Bos (women’s field earned a cumulative hockey), Anna Campbell GPA of 3.0 or (women’s cross country), better. Kaitlin Derry (women’s cross country), Kristen Haynes (women’s track & field), Rachel Hirsch (women’s field hockey), Eliza Omirou (women’s tennis), Monica Schumacher (women’s golf), Alex Sharp (women’s basketball) and Mark Smith (men’s track & field).

Men’s cross country/track & field earned Dean’s Cup honors for 2017-18

• The Edwin G. Wilson Scholar-Athlete Awards, which are awarded annually to the most outstanding Wake Forest male and female junior or senior student-athletes based on academic excellence, were presented to Maddie Huster (women’s soccer) and Sebastian Fischbach (men’s track & ﬁeld). •

Eleven Wake Forest student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the fall semester: Anna Campbell (women’s cross country), Caitlin Clarke (volleyball), Kristen Haynes (women’s cross country), Maddie Huster (women’s soccer), Antonio Menendez (baseball), Eliza Omirou (women’s tennis),

• Wake Forest University held its annual commencement ceremonies on Monday, May 21 with 49 Wake Forest student-athletes receiving their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Wake Forest University President Dr. Nathan O. Hatch addressed the graduates during the ceremony, along with this year’s commencement speaker, Carla Harris, vice chairman, managing director and senior client advisor at Morgan Stanley.

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ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS/STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS ATHLETES IN MEDICINE Athletes in Medicine (A.I.M.) is a program that began in the spring of 2015 in response to studentathletes who needed support in their endeavor to pursue a career in a medical or health-related ﬁeld while also balancing the time demands of being a collegiate athlete at Wake Forest. The group met monthly throughout the 2017-18 year and provided assistance such as advising support, educational sessions, guest speakers and mentoring to student-athletes interested in health-related careers.

Members of the Class of 2018 celebrate at a graduation reception at the Haddock House • The day before graduation, Wake Forest Athletics hosted

a reception at the Haddock House honoring all of the graduating student-athletes. NCAA ACCOLADES • Eight teams posted perfect Academic Performance Rate

(APR) scores above 990: men’s cross country, men’s golf, men’s track & field, women’s basketball, women’s field hockey, women’s tennis, women’s track & field and women’s volleyball. • Men’s cross country, men’s golf, women’s golf, women’s tennis and men’s track & field each earned an APR

INTERNATIONAL NIGHT

Public Recognition Award for having an APR that ranked in the top 10% of their sport nationally. • Eight teams earned perfect Graduation Success Rate (GSR) scores of 100: women’s basketball, ﬁeld hockey, women’s golf, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s tennis, women’s tennis and volleyball.

MAJOR/MINOR FAIR Student-Athlete Services hosted the first athletic department Major/Minor Fair. Designed to help freshmen and sophomore student-athletes become more familiar with the variety of majors and minors available to them, the event featured mostly junior and senior student-athletes representing their respective fields of study, answering questions and offering insights. Patrick Sullivan from the Office of Personal and Career Development as well as Faculty Athletic Representative Dr. Pete Brubaker were also on hand to provide guidance.

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In the fall, Wake Forest’s international student-athletes gathered at the home of Director of Athletics Ron Wellman for the second annual International Student-Athlete Dinner. Fourty-four student-athletes representing 28 diﬀerent countries were in attendance. It was a wonderful evening that provided an opportunity to learn about other cultures and celebrate a diverse group of student-athletes who have traveled from far and wide to compete for the Demon Deacons.

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS/STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS DEACON LEADER SYSTEM Launched in 2017 as a collaborative effort between the Department of Athletics, the School of Business Center for Leadership and Character, the Department of Military Science and the University, the Deacon Leader System is a comprehensive leadership development system designed to identify, train and develop student-athlete leaders from their arrival on campus, through their senior year and beyond graduation. The system was designed to meet the unique needs of the Wake Forest athletic community based on input and feedback from coaches, administrators and student-athletes alike. Following a successful pilot program in 2017, the Deacon Leader system was further refined, and the initial stages of broader implementation commenced in 2017-18. Iconic events like the Walk of Champions for freshmen and the Black & Golden Globes bookended a year filled with leadership development programming. From guest speakers to special events to in-depth training for captains and rising team leaders, there were many opportunities for student-athletes to develop their leadership skills and take advantage of resources to help them effectively lead both themselves and their teams.

“Our team captains who have participated in the Deacon Leaders system are flourishing. Not only are they better leaders, but they have engaged in a great deal of self-reflection and as a result, they have an even stronger understanding of who they are as individuals and as leaders.” -Jen Averill

The core of the system is the commitment to developing “Deacon Leaders” who exhibit exceptional character, a positive attitude, competitiveness, commitment and selflessness, and the impact of the program is already being felt by student-athletes, coaches and administrators alike. “We are excited about the Deacon Leader System and how it is positively impacting the development of the student-athletes and the Athletic Department” said Director of Athletics Ron Wellman. “This system is beneficial to not only our student-athletes, but also our coaches, staff, administration and everyone associated with our Athletic Department. This program will produce individuals that are not only great leaders here at Wake Forest, but also great leaders in life.”

GUEST COACH PROGRAM The Wake Forest Athletics Guest Coach program acknowledges Wake Forest faculty and staﬀ by inviting them to various sporting events throughout the year and celebrating their dedication to educating our student-athletes. Each Wake Forest team hosted at least one Guest Coach event throughout the 2017-18 year.

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ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS/STUDENT-ATHLETE SERVICES

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

SCHOLAR ATHLETES With 50% of all Wake Forest student-athletes making the ACC Honor Roll and 49 student-athletes earning Academic All-ACC honors, the Demon Deacons are known for excellence in the classroom. As a testament to their commitment to academic excellence, the 2017-18 year saw one student-athlete receive national recognition as their sport’s top scholar-athlete in Division I while he and another fellow student-athlete were recognized as the ACC’s top student-athlete in their respective sports.

KEVIN POLITZ

the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have Senior men’s soccer captain maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, Kevin Politz earned many as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters. academic accolades during the 2017-18 year, including earning a first team PETROS CHRYSOCHOS Academic All-America spot and being named the Wake Forest rising senior Division I Men's Soccer Petros Chrysochos was Academic All-America of recognized as the league's the Year by CoSIDA. By top men’s tennis studentbeing named Academic athlete, as he was named All-America of the Year, he was recognized as the top the ACC Men’s Tennis scholar-athlete in Division I. Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In the classroom, Politz was a mathematical business Chrysochos is the first major and computer science minor with a 3.94 GPA. player in program history He also earned first team Scholar All-Region honors to earn Scholar-Athlete of last year. He has been on the Dean's List every semester the Year honors since the and has had a perfect 4.0 GPA in three of his six award's inception in 2008. A communications major, completed semesters so far. Chrysochos led the Deacs to their first-ever NCAA Championship. The native of Larnaca, Cyprus led Politz is just the fourth member of the men's soccer the team with a record-breaking 44-4 singles record, program to earn Academic All-America honors, including a 30-match winning streak to end the season joining Zach Schilawski (2008, 09), William Hesmer en route to the program's first-ever NCAA Singles (2003) and Donald Heck (1988). Championship. He is the second student-athlete in Wake Forest The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were history to earn Academic All-America of the Year established in September of 2007 to be awarded honors, following Anne Bersagel of track & cross annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete country in 2006. in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for Politz was also named the 2017 ACC Men's Soccer their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two Scholar-Athlete of the Year, making him the secondsemesters. straight Demon Deacon to receive the honor after Jacori Hayes won the award last year. The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to

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CAMPUS & COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

IN THE COMMUNITY P

ro Humanitate comes to life in our community programming. Throughout the 2017-18 academic year Wake Forest student-athletes volunteered thousands of hours on campus and in the local community. This year, each team was tasked with choosing a charity of choice. Some of the organizations our teams invested into were, Team Impact, YMCA of Northwest NC, The Boys & Girls Club, H.O.P.E., Brenner Children’s Hospital, JDRF Walk/Run for Diabetes and 3,2,1 Deacon Dash for Down Syndrome.

100 % of teams

participated in community service

Student-athletes continued to work with the greater campus community by volunteering at Freshman Move-In Day, Eat With the Deacs, Project Pumpkin, Hit the Bricks, H.O.P.E., Santa’s Helper, D.E.S.K., Wake ‘N Shake and many more. Wake Forest Athletics is proud of our student-athletes’ commitment to serving others while balancing a rigorous schedule of academics and athletics. To stay up to date on the many things that Wake Forest student-athletes are doing for the local community and beyond, follow Wake Forest Student-Athlete Development on Facebook called “Developing Deacs.”

“GAME CHANGERS” - CHARITY OF CHOICE This year each team was encouraged to choose a “charity of choice.” so that team members could invest their time and energy into organizations that they were particularly passionate about. Teams chose a wide range of charities and made a tremendous impact in the community. The “Charities of Choice” for 2017-18 included:

AN OLD TRADITION WITH A NEW RECORD Each December, Wake Forest student-athletes, coaches and staff come together over the course of two days to wrap and deliver thousands of gifts to local children as part of the Santa’s Helper program. In it’s 32nd year, Santa’s Helper saw a record number of studentathletes, coaches and staff onsite to wrap gifts, but it also set a record for the first ever blizzard to prohibit Santa’s sleigh from delivering! Thanks to athletic department volunteers, all gifts were bagged, labeled and distributed through alternate routes! Kids in the community were still positively impacted by our Demon Deacon and was able to enjoy the holiday season. The program, which was started in 1986 by Wake Forest football player Chip Rives now serves over 1,000 families in the Winston-Salem community and has helped provide holiday presents to children in Winston-Salem every year since its inception.

SKIP PROSSER LITERACY PROGRAM Named for the late men’s basketball coach Skip Prosser the Skip Prosser Literacy Program has been encouraging fourth graders in the Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County school system to be successful through reading since 2009. Each school had the opportunity to schedule a visit from a Wake Forest student-athlete to kick oﬀ the program in the fall. This year, 60 classrooms participated in the program with more than 2,000 children reading a grand total of 13,415 books! Students who achieved the highest rank of “Deacon Champion” by reading at least 25 books during the 12-week program were recognized during halftime of a men’s basketball game.

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ON CAMPUS MOVE-IN DAY

few laps to raise awareness and to honor our former As incoming students arrived on campus prior student-athlete and Wake to the 2017-18 year, they received a warm and Members of the women’s basketball team support Hit the Bricks spirited welcome as Wake Forest student-athletes Forest football great, Brian Piccolo. Many of our and staff helped them move into their dorms. athletic teams came to place to study and learn in their homes. Each year, encourage participants and run laps with them. Track & field and field teams of Wake Forest student volunteers sign up hockey jumped in to run laps for the campus to paint desks for elementary school children. This teams that had been going all day. The event year, the desks were donated to children from Old lasted for eight hours and concluded with a Town Elementary School. Six of our athletic teams final remembrance walk in honor of those who had lost the battle to cancer. painted a desk with their designated child from Old Town Elementary School. Move-in Day PROJECT PUMPKIN From unloading cars to carrying their belongings upstairs and into their new rooms, the studentathletes and staff were eager to help the newest Demon Deacons get settled in and start the year off right. HIT THE BRICKS

Project Pumpkin is a campus-wide service event that’s been held every year since 1988. It is intended to bring together the campus and Winston-Salem communities. Each year more than 1,000 children ﬁll the Quad while students and faculty provide trick-or-treating, carnival games and other fun activities for the kids. Last fall, Student-Athlete Development set up in front of Reynolda Hall with a basketball hoop, freeze dance, hula hoops and other fun games. Hundreds of kids passed by to play with the student-athletes while also showing oﬀ their great costumes and trick-ortreating for Halloween candy. D.E.S.K.

Hit the Bricks

Hit the Bricks was started in 2003 as a campuswide philanthropy to raise money for the Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund. Each year teams of students, faculty, staﬀ and alumni gather on Hearn Plaza and take turns running/walking laps around the Quad to show their solidarity as Wake Nation in the ﬁght against cancer. Throughout the day, participants, volunteers and passersby enjoy fun activities, live music, special guest speakers and food and gifts from our generous sponsors. This year many Wake Forest student-athletes and coaches came out to support the event and run a

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Discovering Education through Student Knowledge (D.E.S.K.) is another annual campus-wide community service project that began in 2000. The goal of D.E.S.K. is to provide desks and school supplies for children in the WinstonSalem community who are in need of a

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D.E.S.K.

EAT WITH THE DEACS Eat with the Deacs is a monthly event hosted by the SAAC Community Outreach Committee. It provides elementary and middle school children a chance to attend a Wake Forest athletic event or to campus for dinner with student-athletes. The Eat with the Deacs Committee helps plan and publicize these activities and also recruits volunteers for the events. Multiple events were held throughout the 2017-18 year giving dozens of local children the opportunity enjoy some fun and fellowship with Demon Deacon student-athletes.

Eat With the Deacs

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

WORKING TOGETHER O

ur student-athletes make it a priority to not only get involved with the community, but also become leaders who speak up about subjects that are important to them. Their passion for specific topics, such as, mental health, gender equity and race relations were all topics of conversations that prompted them to partner with other student-athletes, coaches and administrators to host events aimed at raising awareness and bringing about change.

NATIONAL GIRLS AND WOMEN IN SPORTS DAY For the ﬁrst time ever, Wake Forest Athletics partnered with Winston-Salem State and Salem College to celebrate the National Girls and Women in Sports Day. The event was hosted at Wake Forest University's LJVM Coliseum on Sunday, February 11th, 2018 where we invited local girls from the community to participate in a clinic, receive autographs and watch Wake Forest women's basketball game against Syracuse. This collaboration brought together women in the Winston-Salem community as well as a Division I, II and IIII institution to better serve our youth.

AMPLIFY! WOMEN'S EVENT On March 20th, Women of Wake ("WOW"), in partnership with our Women's Center on campus hosted their first ever event titled "AMPLIFY." This event for female staff and student-athletes included journaling with motivational stickers, lunch, icebreaker activities and guest speaker Melissa Proctor, the CMO and Executive VP of the Atlanta Hawks. Over 75 female athletics staff and student-athletes were in attendance. As a former Wake Forest graduate, Melissa shared insights on working in athletics as a female from the hardships to the highlights. It was a great time together while learning tips on how to be successful as a female in athletics. The two "WOW" snapchat filters were used and viewed over 4,000 times (the number of people who used it and viewed it!).

ROSS INITIATIVE IN SPORTS FOR EQUALITY Wake Forest Athletics was fortunate to work with RISE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to harnessing the unifying power of sports to improve race relations and drive social progress. A half-day workshop was offered to our SAAC leaders and coaches/staff, to learn how to use sports to bring people together to promote understanding, respect and equality. The goal of our workshop was to provide content and programming that educates athletic administrators, coaches and student-athletes about race related issues, concepts and discussions. It gave us an opportunity to evaluate the content that is currently implemented and work with campus partners to create an action plan for diversity and inclusion initiatives.

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STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE T

he Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is the athletic department’s primary student-athlete leadership organization. SAAC is a 35-member (2-3 representatives per athletic team) group that meets monthly to discuss issues relevant to the quality of the experience of Wake Forest student-athletes. SAAC also offers input on the rules, regulations and policies that affect student-athletes’ lives on NCAA member institution campuses. The mission of SAAC is to serve as a liaison between the student body, faculty, athletic department and student-athletes. SAAC seeks to enhance the student-athlete experience by providing opportunities while fostering a positive student-athlete image as representatives of the University, the ACC and the NCAA.

PRESIDENT

VICE PRESIDENT

SECRETARY

Jordan Banks

Tanner Owen

Karlee Spirit

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD

BASEBALL Ben Casstevens Bobby Hearn Chris Schafer MEN’S BASKETBALL Anthony Bilas Mitchell Wilbekin Keyshawn Woods WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Kortni Simmons Elisa Penna CHEER/DANCE Jessica Cliﬀord Katelyn King FIELD HOCKEY Karlee Spirit Cat O’Connor FOOTBALL Elontae Bateman Demetrius Kemp Dom Maggio Chris Pearcy MEN’S GOLF Tanner Owen WOMEN’S GOLF Toni Eberhard Vinh-Hop Ngo

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MEN’S GOLF

FIELD HOCKEY

MEN’S SOCCER Brad Dunwell Sam Raben WOMEN’S SOCCER Bri Carney Claudia Day MEN’S TENNIS Petros Chrysochos Skander Mansouri WOMEN’S TENNIS Courtney Meredith Anna Ulyashchenko MEN’S TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY Mitch Dyer Rob Heppenstall WOMEN’S TRACK/CROSS COUNTRY Jordan Banks Alex Florent VOLLEYBALL Jaclyn Childress Caroline Kuhn Caroline Rassenfoss

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PROJECT LIFE MOVEMENT In October 2017, SAAC hosted Project Life Movement, a national movement to increase the potential pool of bone marrow and tissue donors by testing and registering college students with a simple cheek swab. They hosted two booths on campus, one on the quad and another at the men’s soccer game. This event brought in over 80 donors, which was the largest 1-day pool the organization has ever received from a college campus. This act of kindness will bring hope for many people who are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other blood cancer and diseases, and possibly save a life. JUST BEAT IT - CPR TRAINING For the second year, SAAC took the lead and continued their own initiative called “Just Beat It.” On Valentines Day 2018, over 100 participants campuswide participated in getting trained in compression only CPR and the Heimlich maneuver. The idea started after a Duke Professor went into cardiac arrest in their campus library. If EMS students had not been around, he may not have survived. Wake Forest University has had similar examples of people who have survived cardiac arrests due to the help of individuals who were CPR certified, but has also witnessed tragic loss for some who were not near help. This instructional class partnered with the American Heart Association and our campus EMS, and is now becoming an ACC-wide initiative. Wake Forest was the second school to host this event. All participants received a certificate for completing the class. DEACS FIGHT THE FOOD DESERT President, Jordan Banks, led the charge on an initiative that was important to her and worked closely with Aramark, the campus dining service provider, to allow unused food dollars to not go to waste. Before heading home for summer break, SAAC members organized, promoted, and coordinated the collection of unused food dollars to purchase bulk items from Aramark. These items were then given to local shelters or organizations in need throughout the Winston-Salem community. GOLD GAMES - ATHLETES SUPPORTING ATHLETES Created to encourage all student-athletes to better support each other, SAAC initiated the “Gold Games,” where each team picked their most important competition of the season, and SAAC amplified those events. Through flyers, posters, social media hashtags, tailgates and even t-shirts, SAAC incorporated fun incentives to gain supporters.

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

TOP SIX FOR SERVICE T

he ACC Top Six for Service is awarded to each conference school annually. The recipients for this award are selected based on their involvement in campus, community and leadership initiatives. These deserving recipients have represented our athletic department admirably by volunteering with countless organizations both on and off-campus including their teams’ charities of choice, local elementary schools, youth clinics and more. Whether they are carrying on Wake Forest’s tradition of “Pro Humanitate” by serving at Santa’s Helper, or spearheading unique projects, these student-athletes have gone above and beyond to positively influence the community and to motivate their teammates to do the same.

KARLEE SPIRIT As a senior captain and starter on the field hockey team, Karlee Spirit, led all student-athletes with the most service hours in the 2017-18 academic year with over 40 hours. Not only did she lead the way for the major community service events at Wake, but Karlee also organized volunteers for the events. Her personality and passion for service encouraged others to follow her. As a result, she made service projects such as Eat With the Deacs, Spikeball for Melanoma, Just Beat It, and Project Life Movement possible. Karlee brought along teammates and impacted the Winston-Salem community in a bright way by encouraging the youth with whom she interacted and also shining a positive light on all those she was serving. Karlee served as the SAAC Secretary for 2017-18. CAT O’CONNOR Cat, a junior on the field hockey team, consistently impacted the greater Winston-Salem community throughout this academic year with over 30 hours of service. She frequently served as a volunteer coach for field hockey clinics where she inspired the kids to work hard and go after their goals. Her desire to give back fuels the impact she makes at Wake Forest. Cat participated in numerous events such as Project Life Movement, Project Pumpkin, Santa’s Helper, Eat with the Deacs and Weed Whackers, a youth field hockey program. ELISA PENNA Junior women’s basketball student-athlete, Elisa Penna, led the women’s basketball team in a weekly partnership with the local YMCA of Northwest NC, contributing over 40 hours of service this year. Even during her season, Elisa brought different teammates with her to teach basketball techniques and drills to more than 50 local girls. She inspired the girls and built relationships with them that will continue throughout her career. She is a positive role model for every child she meets and truly has a heart to give back to the development of children and women’s basketball.

CHAUNDEE BROWN As a first year student-athlete on the men’s basketball team, Chaundee Brown stepped up to be a leader in the Winston-Salem community. Chaundee led his team in service hours and volunteered with Brenner Children’s Hospital, Hit the Bricks, Santa’s Helper, the Wake Forest Men’s Basketball Women’s Clinic, holiday shopping for pediatric patients, and spent time at a local recreational center playing games and assisting with their Easter Egg hunt. Chaundee participated in a financial 101 seminar, team etiquette dinner, stress management seminar and the annual Career Development & Networking Night. SAM RABEN Junior men’s soccer player, Sam Raben, has been an active member of SAAC for the past three years. His involvement increased this year as he spearheaded the “Just Beat It” hands on CPR event for the entire Athletic Department and WFU Campus. Sam has shown character and commitment both on and off the field, and has invested time in Help Our People Eat (H.O.P.E.), Santa’s Helper, 3,2,1 Deacon Dash for Down Syndrome, DESK, and Project Life Movement. Sam has also been an active part of our annual Career Development & Networking Night where he was our student-athlete co-host. Sam will be serving as the SAAC Vice President during the upcoming year. BRI CARNEY Junior women’s soccer student-athlete, Bri Carney, became very involved during her first year as a SAAC representative, accumulating more than 30 hours of community service. Bri took a lead role in choosing the Boys and Girls Club as her team’s charity of choice. Not only does she serve on a weekly basis, but she has coordinated weekly duties with each of her teammates. Bri volunteers on a monthly basis with our Eat with the Deacs program and was a part of Project Pumpkin, Wake n Shake, volunteering at our home track & field meet, Project Life Movement, Santa’s Helper and Wake Forest Science Olympiad.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

LIFE AFTER THE GAME S

tudent-Athlete Development works hand-in-hand with the Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD), which is committed to contributing to every student’s preparation for life after college in competitive professional environments. We want our Demon Deacon student-athletes to be successful academically, athletically, personally and professionally.

Student-athletes are encouraged to start developing their career path as early as freshman year and build upon it throughout their time at Wake Forest. Throughout the 2017-18 academic year, Student-Athlete Development, in conjunction with the OPCD, offered a variety of opportunities for student-athletes to enhance their skills, explore career options and connect with potential employers.

OPCD PARTNERSHIP

The “Monopoly-themed” evening began with dinner and etiquette tips for the student-athletes, Student-Athlete Development continued its strong followed by a keynote address by former men’s partnership with the Oﬃce of Personal and Career soccer All-American Will Hesmer (‘04). Hesmer, Development. Career coach and athletic department who became an Investment Advisor and Financial liaison Patrick Sullivan Planner following a nearly decade long career designated several hours in the MLS, spoke to the crowd about their each week to meet Wake Forest journey and how critical it with studentcareer appointments is to take advantage of resources, build athletes about relationships and do the work to be their resumes, great! jobs, internships,

125

1,025

job applications

etc. Additionally, the OPCD supported our annual Career resumés collected Development & Networking Night event, Lunch ‘N Learns, hosted individual team workshops and oﬀered a menu of services with which to assist our staﬀ. Weekly meetings between Student-Athlete Development and the OPCD were conducted with the intent to create new initiatives that will inspire personal and professional growth for our student-athletes in their “life after the game.”

Following Hesmer’s speech, the student-athletes were given an opportunity to network with 30+ different employers and graduate schools. The concourse at the Coliseum was laid out as if it were a Monopoly board, and each student-athlete received a “networking reward ticket” for each employer or school representative that they visited. The more networking they did, the more tickets they received. The male and female student-athletes with the most tickets at the end of the evening won a new business suit. The winners were Emily Adamson (field hockey) and Elijah Shalaway (men’s track & field).

CAREER NIGHT

Other activities included a LinkedIn profile picture station, on site career counseling with an Office of Personal and Career Development (OPCD) coach, and a session called “Build Your Skills To Build Your Brand.” This included tips on proper eye contact, handshake, posture, as well as translating their skills as a student-athlete into their elevator pitch. Over the course of the evening, a total of 261 resumes were collected from our student-athletes, and each student-athlete was offered a “build your resume” workshop in the weeks leading up to the event.

261

On February 5, 2018, Student-Athlete Development hosted the ﬁfth annual Student-Athlete Career Development and Networking Night, sponsored by Allegacy Federal Credit Union, at the Coliseum.

Coaches and Administrators also were invited to the event to mingle with the employers. Our campus partners

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from the OPCD hosted a session for the employers called “Life After the Game - Why You Should Recruit a WFU Student-Athlete.” The packed room heard from the Associate Vice President and Chief Corporate Engagement Oﬃcer for Market Readiness and Employment, Mercy Eyadiel. Thanks to our title sponsor Allegacy Federal Credit Union and to the OPCD for their partnership in hosting an our largest career event to date.

HEALTH & WELLNESS

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

SPORTS MEDICINE WAKE FOREST UNVEILS NEW ATHLETIC TRAINING FACILITY In December 2017, Wake Forest Sports Medicine unveiled its new state-of-the-art athletic training facility on the ground floor of the Miller Center. With an increase of over 2,600 square feet, the new athletic training room includes treatment and rehabilitation areas, taping space, exam rooms, staff offices, hydrotherapy pools and a designated meeting space for counseling and psychological services. The entire area also features enhanced graphics and audiovisual equipment, which includes ten TVs with an improved sound system. Each of the treatment pods includes a combination of four treatment tables to maximize the ability to treat all student-athletes. Some of the cutting-edge treatments include a LightForce deep tissue therapeutic laser and Owens Recovery Science Blood Flow Restriction Rehabilitation units. Further, an improved physician area includes two private exam rooms, as well as a larger procedure room. A key component to the new training room is a larger space dedicated to the physical therapy and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. With double the square footage from its previous location, the new area features an AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill, Keiser Pneumatic strength equipment, Cybex Arc Trainer and TRUE Stretch unit, to name a few. The new hydrotherapy area includes five HydroWorx pools—two polar plunge pools, two thermal plunge pools and an ultramodern therapeutic pool equipped with an underwater treadmill that aids in physical recovery—as compared to three pools in the former Sports Medicine location in Reynolds Gym. Powerful massage hoses easily attach for specific deep tissue therapy. Now centrally located with convenient access for all student-athletes, the new Wake Forest Sports Medicine and hydrotherapy areas have greatly enhanced the level of care and support afforded to our student-athletes.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT

DEVELOPING CHAMPIONS

TEAMMATES FOR LIFE

One of the most memorable and impactful events of the 2017-18 year came on April 16 when John Trautwein, a former college pitcher at Northwestern who made it through the minor leagues and eventually earned a spot in the Major Leagues with the Boston Red Sox, came to campus for a series of speaking engagements focused on the message of having “Teammates for Life.” In October of 2010, Trautwein’s son Will, a freshman lacrosse player at Northview High School in Johns Creek, Ga., took his own life. To those who knew Will, including his family, he had everything he could possibly want. He was a selftaught guitar player and the leader of a band. He had friends, good grades, and a close-knit family. Following Will’s death, John and his wife Susie struggled to comprehend what could cause such a tragic event. “We were so stunned by our son’s suicide,” Trautwein told USA TODAY Sports. “We thought he was perfect; a happy, big, strong, successful teen. He was successful in all walks of life, in athletics, music, school. The idea he had a mental illness never entered our minds or his siblings’ minds.” John and his wife Susie were able to turn their grief into a message of hope and founded the Will To Live Foundation. The Foundation builds on the emotional teamwork that exists among teenagers and uses the same principles that drives those to achieve success in sports to achieve the same success in all walks of life. John has spoken around the country, delivering a message that emphasizes the need to let teens express their frustrations and difficulties with their own lives. He has detailed his message to teens and parents in his book, “My Living Will: A Father’s Story of Loss and Hope,” and he brought his message of hope and how to help someone struggling with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts to the Wake Forest community. The event, organized by a collaboration of several local partners, including Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and the Mental Health Association in Forsyth County, featured three separate speaking engagements – one for local school teachers and administrators, one for Wake Forest students and faculty, and a public event held at the LJVM Coliseum. In all, nearly 2000 people heard Trautwein’s message, and there is no doubt that they all walked away with a new perspective, greater awareness, and a realization of the importance of talking about depression, suicide, and mental health. The response from our student-athletes, coaches and staff, as well as from the broader community, was tremendous. One student-athlete remarked that the event was one of the best things they had experienced at Wake Forest. Several coaches provided copies of Trautwein’s book to their teams and have been intentional about continuing discussions on mental health. For many of the coaches and staff, Trautwein’s message has even affected the way they relate to their own children. “John’s book, 'My Living Will,' deeply impacted me and how I talk with my children,” explained Barry Faircloth who played a key role in organizing and championing the event. “It gave me a new understanding of the pressures and challenges that kids face today while reminding me of the importance of acknowledging those difficulties and talking about mental health.” The event has also led to ongoing discussions throughout the Wake Forest and Winston-Salem communities about how we can continue to raise awareness and provide tools and resources for young people struggling with depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts. Suicide is among the leading causes of death in youth between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the CDC, so as a department, it is vital that we remain focused on mental health issues and committed to the overall well-being of our student-athletes.

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INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS

FACILITIES

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS

INVESTING IN OUR FACILITIES S

ince the Wake Will campaign first began in 2010, Wake Forest Athletics has experienced the most ambitious buildout in the history of our Athletic Department. This building boom, which has impacted all 16 varsity sports, was made possible through the generous support of loyal donors.

While there has been nearly $150 million in capital projects completed or currently under construction throughout the Wake Will Lead campaign, there is still work to be done to ensure the brightest possible future for Wake Forest Athletics. Over the next three years, there are four facilities that we will look to complete funding for, in addition to making substantial progress on fundraising for the Coliseum.

PROJECTS COMPLETED IN 2017-18

SPORTS MEDICINE/HYDROTHERAPY

COST: $5.4 MILLION | COMPLETED: DECEMBER 2017 | FEATURES:

• • • •

Increased square footage Five hydrotherapy pools (increase of 2 pools) Expanded exam room space Three-times the physical therapy space

SOCCER PRACTICE COMPLEX

COST: $3 MILLION | COMPLETED: AUGUST 2017 | FEATURES:

• • • •

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Two new natural grass ﬁelds with upgraded drainage and irrigation systems Upgraded practice ﬁeld lighting and sound system New fence along Polo Road Four new kicking walls

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COLISEUM RENOVATIONS - PHASE I

COST: $4 MILLION | COMPLETED: NOVEMBER 2017 | FEATURES:

• • • •

Centerhung video board LED ribbon boards & scorer’s tables Corner stat boards New outdoor marquees

VOLLEYBALL RENOVATIONS

COST: $1.5 MILLION | COMPLETED: APRIL 2018 | FEATURES:

• • • •

Renovated competition gym Locker room Team lounge and video room Satellite training room and hydrotherapy area

FACILITIES

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS PROJECTS COMPLETED IN 2017-18

JACK W. OWEN SOCCER VIDEO BOARD

COST: $800,000 | COMPLETED: AUGUST 2017 | FEATURES:

• • •

State-of-the-art viewing experience Stats, instant replay and more 10-millimeter display

JIM LEIGHTON SCOREBOARD

COST: $160,000 | COMPLETED: APRIL 2018 | FEATURES:

• •

State-of-the-art tennis team scoreboard Enhanced experience at Leighton Tennis Courts

FUTURE FACILITY PRIORITIES Wake Forest student-athletes are challenged every day to perform at the highest level and compete for championships in a conference that gets more competitive with each passing year. In order to best equip our student-athletes for success, we must give them the tools, techniques and resources to achieve peak performance, and that includes facilities that provide the best environment for their athletic development. As a result, transformational new facilities— including Sutton Sports Performance Center, McCreary Field House and Shah Basketball Complex—became a reality through the generosity of so many. Now we have the opportunity to impact our programs even further with additional new facilities and renovations, including: BASKETBALL CLUBHOUSES - $7.5 MILLION • Upgraded lockers, furniture and TVs • Enhanced nutrition and treatment areas • Team lounges and gaming spaces to provide space for team bonding, relaxation and studying • Tiered theaters for viewing ﬁlm and hosting team meetings • Equipment rooms • Outdoor living spaces HAROLD POLLARD CENTER (WF TENNIS COMPLEX) - $2.8 MILLION • Multitude of seating options • 2,200 square feet of two-tiered outdoor covered seating, complete with sun shades and ceiling fans • 2,400 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space, including multiple TVs DAVID F. COUCH BALLPARK PHASE 2 - $2.4 MILLION • Construction of a 100’ x 100’ indoor practice facility with a customized netting system that can be utilized to create areas for both batting practice and inﬁeld practice

PRUITT FOOTBALL CENTER RENOVATION - $5 MILLION • Expanded locker room with new graphics, lockers and ﬁnishes to provide more adequate space • New players’ lounge including a nutrition area, movie theater, gaming area and relaxation zone • Full renovation of the Bill Faircloth Foyer including an expanded trophy and memorabilia area to properly showcase the history of Wake Forest football • Upgraded and expanded football training room • Expanded footprint of the football equipment room, increasing both storage and eﬃciency COLISEUM TRANSFORMATION - COST TBD • Entrance transformation • New club areas and premium seating • Renovated locker rooms and team spaces

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FACILITIES

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS PROJECTS UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN 2017-18 SUTTON SPORTS PERFORMANCE CENTER

COST: $36.5 MILLION | EST. COMPLETION: JANUARY 2019 | FEATURES:

• • • •

State-of-the-art strength and conditioning areas Football oﬃces Basketball oﬃces Dedicated nutrition space

SHAH BASKETBALL COMPLEX

COST: $9.0 MILLION | EST. COMPLETION: JANUARY 2019 | FEATURES:

• • •

Regulation-length basketball court State-of-the-art strength and conditioning area Film room and players’ lounge

BASEBALL CLUBHOUSE CONCOURSE LEVEL

COST: $2.5 MILLION | EST. COMPLETION: OCTOBER 2019 | FEATURES: • Coaches’ oﬃces and conference rooms that double as gameday suites

• • • •

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Baseball heritage area Team video room Team meeting space that doubles as press conference space Concessions and restrooms

FACILITIES

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE Nearly ten years ago, Don Flow (MBA ’83) first approached the Athletic Department with a big idea. He envisioned Winston-Salem as an epicenter for world-class tennis at both the collegiate and professional levels. At that point, the tennis teams were competing on campus at the Leighton Tennis Stadium, which only had five courts.

Forest would not have hosted the NCAA championships and wouldn’t have had the opportunity to see the Deacs compete for and win two national championships in its own backyard. Ultimately, Wake Forest facilities enabled fans to rally around its student-athletes and create an unrivaled atmosphere in collegiate tennis.

It quickly became clear that if Wake Forest was going to make this vision a reality, it would need to make a major investment in the men’s and women’s tennis programs and, more specifically, the teams’ facilities. In the months that followed, plans were developed which included building out what is now known as the Wake Forest Tennis Complex near BB&T Field. In addition, there was a goal of securing the rights to an ATP World Tour 250 tournament.

It isn’t just the tennis programs that have reaped the benefits of facility upgrades, however. Other teams, such as men’s and women’s golf, have also seen the impact of these investments. In the spring of 2010, the 17-acre Arnold Palmer Golf Complex was updated. Highlighting those renovations was the 3,500 square foot Dianne Dailey Golf Learning Center, which is equipped with state-of-the-art technology. While this was already revered as one of the top training facilities in the country, the addition of the $4.5 million Haddock House in the spring of 2016 brought the golf facilities to a whole new level.

With the completion of the $3 million, 13 court tennis complex and the $1 million initial phase of seating in 2011, Wake Forest established itself as having one of the best facilities in all of college tennis. In addition, the Wake Forest Tennis Complex hosted the inaugural WinstonSalem Open—an ATP 250 event—in August 2011, leading to increased exposure for its programs and facilities. Since then, several enhancements have boasted the complex’s appeal, including the addition of the $4.5 million Southern Family Seating, renovations to the locker rooms in the Wake Forest Indoor Tennis Center and, even more recently, the installation of a new team scoreboard at the Jim Leighton Courts. Aside from the Winston-Salem Open being recognized as the 2016 ATP World Tour 250 Tournament of the Year and Wake Forest receiving the opportunity to host the 2018 NCAA Division I Tennis Championships, the men’s tennis team capturing its first NCAA title in program history on its home courts was the perfect culmination of all that went into the process. Head coach of the men’s team and 2018 ITA National Coach of the Year, Tony Bresky, and head women’s coach, Jeff Wyshner, have leveraged the facility progress to secure highly-rated recruits. Without these facilities, Wake

Fast forward to this spring, and now Wake Forest is celebrating Jennifer Kupcho’s 2018 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship—the first NCAA individual champion for the Wake Forest women’s golf program. Amidst this excitement, the importance of facilities and how they play a role in recruiting and developing student-athletes like Jennifer—leading them to achieve monumental success—is more evident than ever. In looking ahead at the coming year, the men’s and women’s soccer programs, who experienced massive facility upgrades at Spry Stadium and their practice fields, also have the ability to find themselves among the nation’s best yet again this fall. With that said, however, Wake Forest is only one phase away from having similar advantages in basketball and football. The Sutton Sports Performance Center and Shah Basketball Complex are scheduled to be completed in January 2019, fundamentally changing the landscape of those programs. Pending funding, the final phase will also involve renovating the on-campus football locker room and basketball clubhouses for the men’s and women’s teams, which will include locker rooms and players’ lounges.

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DEACON CLUB HIGHLIGHTS

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS

INVESTING IN THE DEACS D

$22.97M in new commitments during the 2017-18 fiscal year.

eacon Club members provided a catalyst for department success by donating record amounts for the 2017-18 fiscal year—with an impressive total of $22,972,366 in new commitments. Total cash received for all categories totaled $24,786,863. In addition, the Wake Will Lead campaign continued to see unprecedented results, bringing the total raised to $233,789,779 on an original goal of $95,000,000.

This past year was undoubtedly one of our best ever from an athletic standpoint. Between winning a football bowl game, three national championships for the men’s tennis team and the first-ever NCAA individual champion for the women’s golf program, there is certainly a lot to celebrate. The combination of our fundraising and athletic success is truly impressive and will continue to have a major impact as we move forward.

CAPITAL PROJECTS In total, over $11,382,797 in gifts and more than $4,658,887 in new pledges were received in support of capital projects during the 2017-18 fiscal year. This was led by the efforts of several significant gifts including 41 new commitments of $100,000 and above and one new Construction of Sutton Sports Performance Center and Shah Basketball Complex commitment of $1,000,000 and above. Through achieving new fundraising records—with $147,102,006 raised over the course of the Wake Will Lead campaign—donors have helped provide the fuel for the building boom that is currently underway in regard to athletic facilities. Significant milestones this year included the completion of several projects including the Jack W. Owen II Soccer Video Board and Jim Leighton Scoreboard, as well as renovations to the sports medicine/hydrotherapy space, Coliseum, Soccer Practice Complex and volleyball competition gym and locker room. In addition, ground was broken on the concourse level of the baseball clubhouse at David F. Couch Ballpark.

ENDOWMENT It is imperative that we continue to invest in ensuring a bright future for our athletic programs for many years to come. With a current athletic endowment of approximately $35 million, we have set a substantial goal of fully endowing Wake Forest Athletics by 2040, which will require a total investment of $640 million. Whether it’s supporting student-athlete scholarships, coaches’ positions or special programs, there are many ways to help support this cause and, in turn, provide relief to the Athletic Department’s operating budget. One way to make a major impact is through supporting a program endowment. In many cases, standard operating budgets don’t allow coaches to accomplish all that they would like to, as they carefully allocate and put every dollar to use. By making a gift to a program endowment, however, you are making it possible for Demon Deacon coaches to meet the individual and unique needs of their respective programs. This flexibility can enhance travel opportunities, expand recruiting efforts and contribute to cutting-edge technology upgrades. In 2017-18, program endowments were established for the men’s golf, men’s tennis and women’s track & field and cross country programs. In addition to program endowments, funding athletic scholarships remains a key component to realizing our vision of Developing Champions. A minimum pledge of $100,000 is required to establish an endowed fund, and once the value of the fund reaches $100,000, the scholarship is awarded to a Wake Forest student-athlete. In total, 22 new endowed funds were established during the 2017-18 fiscal year, compared to four in the previous year. With 10 previously committed endowments reaching the required threshold, a total of 10 new scholarships will be awarded in the fall of 2018. To date, $14,650,559 has been raised for endowment during the Wake Will Lead campaign.

ESTATE COMMITMENTS In addition to impacting Wake Forest Athletics by making gifts during your lifetime, you can leave a legacy for future generations through an estate gift. Depending on your chosen area of support, estate gifts can help fund scholarships for future student-athletes, increase recruiting and coaching budgets to attract and retain top talent, expand academic support, and provide resources to elevate training and sports medicine. In 2017-18, $3,728,878 was committed in estate pledges and 21 new families made estate commitments.

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DEACON CLUB HIGHLIGHTS

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS

NEWLY ESTABLISHED ENDOWED FUNDS Atluri Family Football Scholarship Established by Anil Atluri (’99) of New York, NY

Slade/Ross-Knapp Men’s Tennis Scholarship Established by David Slade (’98) and Dr. Frank Ross of Indianapolis, IN

Behring-Sherrill Athletic Scholarship Established by David and Lisa Behring (P ’21) of Danville, CA

Spencer Family Track and Cross Country Scholarship Established by Mike (’70, P ’03) and Berta (P ’03) Spencer of Davidson, NC

Burns-Sherrill Athletic Endowment Established by Joseph (’86) and Molly (’87) Burns of Greensboro, NC

Tessien-Sherrill Athletic Endowment Established by Cynthia (’82) and Bill Tessien of Winston-Salem, NC

Carroll Family Football Scholarship Established by John (’64) and Mary Carroll of Clemmons, NC

Weldon-Sherrill Athletic Scholarship Established by Woody (’96) and Mary Weldon of Summit, NJ

Carter-Knapp Women’s Golf Scholarship Established by Greg (’86) and Lisa (’88) Carter of Winston-Salem, NC

Wright-Knapp Baseball Scholarship Established by Rick and Judy Wright (P ’18) of Towaco, NJ

Collie Family Athletic Endowment Established by Lou and Marcie Collie (P ’19) of Raleigh, NC Faig-Knapp Women’s Tennis Scholarship Established by Janet (’81, P ’11) and Chuck (’81, P ’11) Faig of Gillette, NJ Ferrell-Knapp Men’s Golf Scholarship Established by Scott (’84, P ’20) and Annette (’84, P ’20) Ferrell of Greenville, SC Samuel T. and Claire T. Gladding Athletic Scholarship Established by Dr. Samuel (’67, MAED ’71, P ’09, P ’14) and Claire (P ’09, P ’14) Gladding of Winston-Salem, NC Gross-Knapp Men’s Golf Scholarship Established by Mike (’93) and Andrea Gross of New Albany, OH Haynes-Gardner-Frazier Football Scholarship Established by Dr. Louis Frazier (’07, MD ’12) of Nashville, TN, Rick (’96) and Jennifer Gardner of Raleigh, NC and Mike (’77) and Rhona Sherill of San Ramon, CA Hazlett-Knapp Baseball Scholarship Established by Rick (’77) and Barbara Hazlett of Charlotte, NC Hooker-Sherrill Athletic Scholarship Established by Samuel and Pam (MBA ’02) Hooker of Westﬁeld, NC Norman B. Kellum Football Scholarship Established by Norman (’59, JD ’65, P ’96) and Ruth (P ’96) Kellum of Trent Woods, NC Knapp Family Scholarship Matching Program Established by Rob (’68) and Marcia Knapp of Carmel, IN Neugebauer Family Athletic Scholarship Established by Phil and Elizabeth (P ’20) of Fairﬁeld, CT Kenneth J. Schoonhagen, Jr. Men’s Soccer Scholarship Established by Ken (’87) and Amy Schoonhagen of Greensboro, NC

PREVIOUSLY ESTABLISHED ENDOWED FUNDS TO BE AWARDED IN 2018-19 James R. Abernathy and Margaret K. Abernathy Scholarship Established by James (’63, P ’98, P ’00) and Peggy (P ’98, P ’00) Abernathy of Greensboro, NC Beal Family Basketball Scholarship Established by Ted and Karen Beal (P ’89, P ’93, GP ’21) of Winston-Salem, NC Dr. Bill Bingham Tennis Scholarship Established by Evelyn Bingham (P ’69, P ’75, P ’77, GP ’99, GP ’02, GP ’10) of Lexington, NC Charest Family Volleyball Scholarship Established by Virginia (’86) and Wayde Charest of Tampa, FL William M. Faircloth Football Scholarship Established by former student-athletes, friends and family Rex Garland Stephens Athletic Scholarship Established by the late Paul and Patricia Stephens of Winston-Salem, NC Charles and Betty Howell Athletic Scholarship Established by Betty Howell (P ’82) of Winston-Salem, NC Shawn S. McCann Family Athletic/Academic Scholarship Established by Shawn (’89) and Tiﬀany McCann of Middletown, NJ McMullen Family Football Scholarship Established by Mike and Dolores McMullen (P ’14, P ’17) of Palo Alto, CA Chuck Wall Family Football Scholarship Established by Chuck (’70, JD ’72) and Sherry Wall of Lexington, NC

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DEACON CLUB HIGHLIGHTS

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS ANNUAL FUND 2017-18 marked the second straight record-breaking year for the Deacon Club Annual Fund, setting new records for total dollars raised, most total donors and most new members. Generous support from Deacon Club members generated a record $7,373,827 that will allow Wake Forest Athletics to invest in academic support, recruiting and student-athlete wellbeing. This marked the second consecutive year above $7 million, after ﬁnishing above $6.5 million only twice in the Deacon Club’s history (2011 and 2015). The two-year fundraising total of over $14.7 million is over $1.7 million higher than the next highest two-year total in history (achieved 2010-11). Over 1,400 donors chose to increase their giving above what they had contributed in the previous year. The launch of the Next Level campaign asked all existing Deacon Club members to consider increasing their giving to the next giving level, which would in turn empower Wake Forest to invest in the resources necessary to propel its athletic programs to the next level competitively. Over 10% of Deacon Club members responded to this call, contributing an additional $500,000 toward this Next Level eﬀort. The Deacon Club also continued to make a push to inspire new donors among the many alumni, parents and friends who follow the Deacs. A record 685 new individuals made gifts to the Deacon Club this year, generating nearly $500,000 in new revenue to Wake Forest Athletics.

FIRST-EVER ATHLETICS GIVING DAY HELD MAY 22 The Deacon Club called on all friends and fans of Wake Forest to invest in its athletic programs during Deacs Day of Giving, a 24-hour fundraising event held on May 22, 2018. The Deacon Club aimed to raise $100,000 in new and increased donations for the Annual Fund through the campaign, which would be used to fund investments in recruiting, training and educational resources that will allow current and future Demon Deacons to achieve unparalleled success. The campaign featured special challenges for all members of the Wake Forest community, including fans, former student-athletes and current and former members of Greek life: Fan Challenge • A sport of your choice will receive a portion of your gift for next season Former Student-Athlete Challenges • $5,000 awarded to the sport with the highest percentage of former student-athletes who join the Deacon Club • $5,000 awarded to the sport with the greatest percentage increase in dollars raised from last year to this year • Each team will be awarded with 50% of all dollars raised over last year Greek Life Challenge • The chapter that raises the most money will be rewarded with special recognition at a home football game, a plaque memorializing the achievement and a letter of recognition sent to headquarters detailing the organization's commitment to the event. “Deacs Day of Giving is a special opportunity to make your gift go even further,” said Barry Faircloth, Senior Associate Athletic Director. “Not only are you supporting all student-athletes by providing critical resources including scholarships, nutrition, strength and conditioning and facilities, but by donating on May 22 you are also helping your sport compete for additional funds for next season, or helping your Greek chapter get rewarded. It’s truly a win-win.” Over 3,000 current donors and over 250 new donors contributed over $150,000 in new donations in support of the eﬀort, vastly exceeding the initial $100,000 goal. Women’s soccer defended its title of highest participation rate among former student-athletes, while ﬁeld hockey saw the greatest percentage increase in giving

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DEACON CLUB HIGHLIGHTS

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS PERFORMANCE TEAM PRIORITIES Our primary focus is ensuring the well-being of all Wake Forest student-athletes and, in order to accomplish this, it is crucial that we support the initiatives of our Performance Team and continue to enhance our robust sports performance program The generosity of the PAAC (Parents Athletic Advisory Council) has helped us make great strides in this area by funding two new positions over the past two years to support the Performance Team. With the hiring of a full-time sports nutritionist in 2017, and the recent addition of a full-time sports psychologist in the summer of 2018, our student-athletes will be well-equipped to perform their best. Although these positions have become a reality through the generosity of many donors, funds are still required to support and elevate their programming needs. As the entire Performance Team works to help our teams properly train, compete and recover, it’s critical that these individuals have the necessary equipment and technology to fulfill that mission. Nutrition Programming • Full-time nutritionist • Counsel student-athletes on daily nutrition for performance and health • Develop and oversee training tables and fueling stations • Analysis of body composition and resting metabolic rate data Sports Psychology Programming • Full-time sports psychologist • Assist student-athletes in achieving their goals and enhancing performance • Address issues that may affect sports performance • Provide student-athletes with tools to help maximize their performance and overall well-being Miscellaneous Performance Team Items • AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill • Keiser strength training machines with air resistance technology • Sleep study equipment • GPS machines for sports performance tracking • Ultrasound and fluoroscopy equipment • DEXA scanner

ATHLETICS ESTABLISHES NEW PERFORMANCE TEAM In the spring of 2017, the Athletic Department created the Performance Team, which is designed to fulfill the department’s vision of Developing Champions through an integrative approach that aligns five critical units: Sports Nutrition, Sports Medicine, Sports Performance, Student-Athlete Services and Student-Athlete Development. The mission of this new group is to positively influence and contribute to student-athletes’ well-being and in-game performance, as well as promote the “total person” athletic experience through a holistic, multidisciplinary and innovative approach. This coordinated effort seeks to identify needs and facilitate intervention in a more comprehensive and efficient manner, along with providing coaching staffs with a team of qualified professionals devoted to wellness. Strategic goals of the Performance Team include: • COMMUNICATION between the five units, coaches and staff • COLLABORATION among all five units, as well as campus resources • EVALUATION of student-athletes’ overall well-being • EDUCATION of student-athletes, coaches, staff and parents The Performance Team meets weekly to address strategic initiatives and individual student-athlete issues. Current initiatives include the addition of a full-time Sports Psychologist, who will assist student-athletes in achieving their goals and enhancing their performance. Moving forward, this team will continue to enhance student-athletes’ experiences by assessing and implementing additional needs required to achieve competitive excellence.

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DEACON CLUB HIGHLIGHTS

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS MEMBER ENGAGEMENT In addition to fundraising, another primary objective of the Deacon Club is to further engage members with Wake Forest Athletics. The 2017-18 year brought with it a variety of opportunities for Deacon Club members to become more involved with our program and get to know our student-athletes, coaches and staff. The Deacon Club held just over 73 events in an effort to engage both donors and prospective donors, many of which were referred by current members through our referral program. These events consisted of both large and small groups, which enabled the Deacon Club staff to bring the vision of the Wake Forest Athletic Department to different areas of the country.

VOLUNTEER ARMY

The Deacon Club Volunteer Army consists of over 110 active members who serve on any of eight advisory boards and councils including the Board of Directors, Athletic Advisory Council, Deacs All In, Game Day Experience Committee, Parents’ Athletic Advisory Council and several sports-specific committees. In addition to enhancing the Deacon Club fundraising strategies, this year the efforts of the Volunteer Army have played a significant role in the department’s efforts to Develop Champions, including: •

$124,195,840 raised by members during Wake Will Lead which is 53% of the Athletics campaign total

•

Helped enhance student-athlete summer move-in and orientation

•

Created information panels for parents of student-athletes

•

Developed ﬁrst-ever Deacs Day of Giving

•

Helped create Top Hat Tavern restaurant at men’s basketball home games

•

Launched new event series focused on scholarship and program endowment gifts

•

Funded new Sports Psychologist position

DEACON CLUB HONORS SCHOLARSHIP DONORS AT SIXTH ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP BRUNCH Over February 2018 marked the Deacon Club’s sixth annual Stewardship Brunch, which is held each year in celebration of athletic scholarship donors and the generous support they provide to Wake Forest student-athletes. Nearly 350 donors, coaches and student-athletes gathered at Bridger Field House for this fan-favorite event.

The 2018 Stewardship Brunch was centered around the theme of Today, Tomorrow, Forever, which helped portray the impact made through scholarship support at different stages. Three special guests—Hannah Betfort (’21), Dr. Louis Frazier (’07, MD ’12) and Bob McCreary (’61)—were Rhona & Mike Sherrill receive the 2017 Deacon Club Member of the Year Award present to share their own unique experiences and explain how their lives were positively impacted through their own scholarships, as well as the generosity of Deacon Club members. Hannah Betfort, who represented the Today portion of the program, is a freshman member of the women’s soccer team. Immediately contributing to the team’s success, she scored five goals in her freshman campaign and was recently invited to the U-18 Women’s National Team Training Camp. In addition to her on-field success, Betfort excels in the classroom and was named to the ACC All-Academic Team. While she has had many great experiences thus far as a student-athlete at Wake Forest, Betfort shared the untraditional path she took to get here. As one of five children in a single-mother household, she explained that her family wouldn’t have been able to afford to send her to college. “I would like to thank everyone in this room because, in one way or another, you have impacted me and everyone around me at this institution,” Hannah shared. Wrapping up her remarks, she reiterated her gratitude to all of the donors, stating, “You have changed my life, and done the same for many of the athletes in here.” Speaking to Tomorrow was Dr. Louis Frazier. He attended Wake Forest as an undergraduate from 2003-07, where he was a biology major and member of the football team. Once he earned his bachelor’s degree, Frazier was accepted into the Wake Forest University School of Medicine and graduated in 2012. He completed his residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he had the opportunity to serve as the Emergency Medicine Chief Resident. Currently, Frazier is an emergency physician in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Caryl Guth with Ariel Stephenson (women’s basketball) and Jennifer Kupcho (women’s golf)

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Growing up, Frazier faced a lot of adversity. Knowing that Wake Forest played a major role in his life, he wanted to make sure all the donors know how much their support has meant to him throughout the years. “Thank you so much,” he expressed. “Maybe, somehow, I could’ve worked my way up through a junior college scholarship and went to a great

DEACON CLUB HIGHLIGHTS

INVESTING IN CHAMPIONS school like this, but my family couldn’t afford it.” Constantly striving for more, he was able to overcome many challenges and has achieved so much. Reflecting on his journey and everything he has endured, Frazier stated, “I just want to let you know that all your support has paid off.” Bob McCreary—the Athletic Department’s largest donor with over $30 million in lifetime giving—rounded out the main program as the Forever speaker. McCreary is a former football student-athlete and 1961 graduate of Wake Forest. Upon graduating, he was drafted as the 65th overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers and was later signed by the Dallas Cowboys, where he served as the starting right tackle for the 1961 season. After retiring from professional football, McCreary spent 20 years working in sales and management within the furniture industry. In 1986, he and his wife, Michele, opened their own furniture company—McCreary Modern Inc.—which they still run today. McCreary had a very modest upbringing, and similar to Betfort and Frazier, would not have been able to attend college without a scholarship. “My scholarship enabled me to come to Wake Forest, and Wake Forest became the platform for the rest of my life,” he affirmed. Louis Frazier and Bob McCreary pose with members of the football team Knowing first-hand the impact a scholarship can have, McCreary feels privileged to have the ability to give back in the form of scholarship Mike and Rhona Sherrill. Mike—a 1977 graduate of Wake Forest—and Rhona and help other young people who may be in a similar position. Currently, he and are longtime supporters of the Deacon Club and have been instrumental in a his wife fund three full scholarships per year. multitude of ways. While McCreary has done an incredible amount to support Wake Forest Athletics Not only have they generously contributed to the Annual Fund and various capital and our student-athletes, he has also been a great advocate for encouraging projects, the couple has established the Sherrill Family Athletic Scholarship, others to give back now. “Find a way to do it as soon as you can so you can enjoy which has proven to be a source of joy and pride for both of them. The wonderful the benefits of the gift,” he stated. Speaking to all the fellow donors, McCreary relationships they’ve formed with the current and former recipients of their shared, “Sometimes we have to challenge ourselves to perhaps do just a little bit scholarship have led the Sherrills to create a scholarship matching program, which more because you’re making a tremendous investment in these young lives.” has already inspired five other families to establish scholarships of their own. In In addition to the three speakers, we also had the opportunity to present our addition to their financial commitments, Rhona previously served as a member of annual Deacon Club Member of the Year Award. This year’s recipients were the Deacon Club Board of Directors. Hannah Betfort, Louis Frazier and Bob McCreary participate in a panel discussion moderated by Kevin Smith

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