Gold Rush - June 2020

Page 4

FROM THE A.D.

// J O H N C U R R I E

Reflections on being a Demon Deacon Demon Deacon Nation,

JOHN CURRIE DIRECTOR O F AT H L E T I C S

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As I write this letter for the final Gold Rush of the 201920 year, it is an incredibly challenging time for our Wake Forest community and the entire nation. We are not only battling a global pandemic, but we are trying to make sense of the violence and social injustice plaguing our country. In this time of great division and pain, please know that Wake Forest Athletics is committed to fighting inequality and injustice, and we will continue to listen, learn, make our voices heard and hold ourselves and others accountable. I also encourage you to read Dr. Hatch’s poignant May 30th message to the Wake Forest community at https:// president.wfu.edu/speechesremarks/letters/. Despite these tremendous challenges our community is facing, we can and should be proud of our successes. I could write about our Big Four Championship in football, men’s soccer’s trip to the College Cup or women’s golf finishing the season ranked No. 1 in the country. However, I’d like to share with you a touching letter that was written this spring by former baseball player Jake Mueller (‘19, MSM ‘20). Jake was an integral player in the 2017 Wake Forest run to the Gainesville Super Regional and finished his four-year career with a .303 batting average, 26 doubles, four home runs, 70 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. He became just the 27th member in the program's 200-hit club and maintained an outstanding .975 fielding percentage. After wrapping up

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Jake Mueller (‘19, MSM ‘20) his playing career with the Deacs in 2019 and earning a degree in Psychology, Jake returned to Wake Forest where he recently completed his Master’s in Management. His words are an eloquent demonstration of the impact Wake Forest has had not only on student-athletes but on the entire student body and are an inspirational reminder of why we are all so proud to be Demon Deacons.

"Dear Wake: Since the day that I, as a 16-year-old kid from Columbia, South Carolina, committed to play baseball for you, I have bled the Old Gold and Black. Nearly eight years in the making, I remember being at home yearning for the day I would be wearing your colors. I think I

remember those thoughts so vividly because it felt like I was waiting forever. But time sure moves at different speeds…doesn’t it? As my final days as a Wake Forest student are coming to an end, I couldn’t help but feel the need to reflect on the times we have had together and how grateful I am for them. This is my fifth year as a student here, finishing my graduate degree in a few short days. I guess for that reason, coming back for one more year after I completed my undergraduate degree, and was out of athletic eligibility, that I never had my goodbye. And maybe it happened that way because I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to the early morning buffet line at The Pit, the late night Subway or Zick’s runs, the walks through


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