Gold Rush - December 2020

FOOTBALL: SEASON TO REMEMBER FOR MILES FOX

A DEACON FOR LIFE Deputy Athletic Director Barbara Walker retiring

Isaiah Wilkins and Daivien Williamson were high school basketball standouts in Winston-Salem who started their college basketball careers elsewhere but have returned home to play for first-year head coach Steve Forbes at Wake Forest

DECEMBER 2020

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VOL. 30 // ISSUE 4 (USPS 014-373) EDITOR

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CONTENTS Gold Rush is published eight times a year in August, October, November, December, February, March, May and June

by Learfield IMG College in conjunction with Wake Forest Athletics. Periodicals postage paid at Winston-Salem, NC 27102 and at additional mailing offices. The price of an annual subscription is $20. Members of the Deacon Club receive a oneyear subscription as part of their membership. Persons wishing to subscribe to Gold Rush should send a check or money order (credit cards not accepted) to: Learfield IMG College 540 N. Trade St. Winston-Salem, NC 27101 All material produced in this publication is the property of Wake Forest University and Learfield IMG College and shall not be reproduced in whole or in part without permission.

Please send all address changes to: Deacon Club, Attn: Gold Rush, 499 Deacon Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27105 The appearance of advertising in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the advertiser and/or the advertiser’s product or service

by Wake Forest or Learfield IMG College. The use of the name of the University or any of its identifying marks in advertisements must be approved by WFU and IMG.

// D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 0

ALWAYS REMEMBERED: Dr. Larry Hopkins, who helped lead Wake Forest to its first-ever ACC football championship in 1970, passed away at the age of 70 in early November. Deacon football fans may best remember Hopkins, a star running back, for scoring the winning TD in a thrilling 14-13 victory over North Carolina in that special season. But he was also well known in the local community as a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology along with providing a lifetime legacy of service. A 1989 inductee into the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame and the Deacons’ 2010 ACC Legend, Dr. Hopkins was the recipient of Wake Forest's 2020 Medallion of Merit citation earlier this year for his compassionate, expert care as a beloved physician, valued role model and teacher for many students in Wake Forest's School of Medicine.

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DEACONS IN THE PROS COMPLIANCE CORNER

// 6 BACK HOME Daivien Williamson was a high school basketball standout at WinstonSalem Prep who went to East Tennessee to play for Steve Forbes (now Wake Forest’s head coach), and Isaiah Wilkins was a prep star at Mount Tabor before going to play collegiately for Virginia Tech. Both have come back home to play for their hometown school.

// 12 THE RIGHT FIT Graduate transfer Miles Fox has made the most of his opportunity for one special season for the Demon Deacons’ football team by overcoming a torn Achilles tendon to become a key player on the defensive line and being Wake Forest’s nominee for the Brian Piccolo Award.

// 16 DEDICATED LEADER Deputy Athletic Director Barbara Walker, who has served Wake Forest Athletics’ student-athletes, coaches and staff for the past 21 years, announced she is retiring in January.

ON THE COVER Isaiah Wilkins (left) and Daivien Williamson both decided to come back home to continue their college basketball careers with Williamson transferring from East Tennessee State and Wilkins coming from Virginia Tech.

// 20 ‘LITTLE SMILES’ Kaia Harrison got this nickname from women's head basketball coach Jennifer Hoover, who praised the sophomore guard because of her positive attitude, work ethic and “a smile that lights up a room.”

DECEMBER 2020

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

Thanks to Deacon Nation for the support Happy Holidays Deacon Nation,

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

What a year 2020 has been! With all the challenges and hardships our country has faced, we have been fortunate to also experience our fair share of triumphs, including a return to competition and successfully remaining on campus throughout the semester.

I am incredibly grateful for all that Deacon Nation has done to support Wake Forest and our Demon Deacon student-athletes over the past year and help make those achievements possible.

As I write this message, Coach Clawson’s football team is

preparing to finish out the regular season and hopefully earn a record fifth-straight bowl bid. One of the many great stories of this season is graduate transfer Miles Fox. He has persevered through much adversity and after reading about him on page 12, you’ll understand why he is Wake Forest’s nominee for the Brian Piccolo Award, which is presented annually to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most courageous player.

Although it was different celebrating the start of the Steve Forbes era without a full crowd

Proud Supporter Morgan Stanley is proud to support Wake Forest University Athletics .

Christopher Leak Family Wealth Advisor Vice President Financial Advisor 100 N. Main Street/121 Church Winston-Salem, NC 27101 +1 336 721-9203 chris.leak@morganstanley.com fa.morganstanley.com/theyatesleakgroup NMLS #1252924

inside Joel Coliseum, it was exciting to tip off basketball season with the Mako Medical Wake Forest Classic in November. At this moment, our men’s basketball activities are currently on hold due to positive tests and contact tracing, but we are optimistic that we’ll be able to get back to competition soon. In the meantime, be sure to check out the article about junior transfers and hometown guys, Isaiah Wilkins and Daivien Williamson. We’re excited about what they are bringing to our team, and we can’t wait until they get the opportunity to play in front of their hometown crowd.

The women’s team has had a great start to their season and have recently been receiving votes in the AP Top-25 poll! One contributor to that success is sophomore Kaia Harrison who you can read about on page 20. You’ll quickly realize why she deserves her nickname, “Little Smiles.”

Finally, I encourage you to take time to read about Deputy AD Barbara Walker who will be retiring in January after 21 years with the Deacs. Barbara has dedicated her entire 40-year career to serving student-athletes, and Wake Forest is blessed that she spent more than two decades in Winston-Salem. She has been a trusted friend, colleague and leader within our University community and has truly made a lasting impact on Wake Forest Athletics. Please join me in thanking Barbara and wishing her all the best in retirement.

Remember to send me your thoughts and suggestions at wfuad@wfu.edu. Enjoy your holidays, and I look forward to celebrating many Deacon wins with you in 2021!

Happy New Year and Go Deacs!

© 2019 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. SUP020 CRC 2639150 08/19 CS 9370361 09/18

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// D A I V I E N W I L L I A M S O N A N D I S A I A H W I L K I N S

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JUNIOR TRANSFERS ISAIAH WILKINS AND DAIVIEN WILLIAMSON PACK A 1-2 HOMETOWN PUNCH FOR THIS SEASON’S DEACONS

By Marc Pruitt

T

he same roads that Isaiah Wilkins and Daivien Williamson traveled to their first college destinations from Winston-Salem have led them back home to Wake Forest for the 202021 season.

Both Wilkins and Williamson were high-school standouts during their prep careers – Wilkins at Mount Tabor and Williamson at Winston-Salem Prep, a team he helped lead to the NCHSAA 1-A state championship during the 2017-18 season and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player.

Both won the Winston-Salem Journal’s Frank Spencer award as the top basketball player in Northwest North Carolina, Wilkins following his junior season of 2016-17, and Williamson the following year in his state championship season.

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Both give Wake Forest an interesting and unique dynamic as transfers.

With seven new players on the team this season — five of which are transfers — and a brand new coaching staff with the exception of Randolph Childress, Williamson arrived as the only player who has played for head coach Steve Forbes.

Williamson spent his first two seasons at East Tennessee State and was the starting point guard for a team that finished 30-4 and won its eighth Southern Conference championship last season.

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Williamson averaged 10.4 points, 2.6 assists and 2 rebounds per game as a sophomore while starting all 34 games. As a freshman, he made 16 starts in 33 games and was a member of the SoCon’s All-Freshman team.

Wilkins spent his first two seasons at Virginia Tech and understands the grind and competition of an ACC season.

Wilkins played in all 32 games for the Hokies as a sophomore and averaged 4.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. As a freshman, he played in 34 games and averaged 4.7 points per game.

DAIVIEN WILLIAMSON Height: 6-2 Weight: 170 Position: Point guard Class: Junior (transfer) Hometown: Winston-Salem High School: Winston-Salem Prep Best thing about Wake Forest: “I love the campus and being able to go home to get my mom’s home cooking.”

ISAIAH WILKINS

WILLIAMSON SPENT HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE AND WAS THE STARTING POINT GUARD FOR A TEAM THAT FINISHED 30-4 AND WON ITS EIGHTH SOUTHERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP LAST SEASON.

Height: 6-4 Weight: 220 Position: Wing/Power Forward Class: Junior (transfer) Hometown: Winston-Salem High School: Mount Tabor Best thing about Wake Forest: “The academics here and the academic support we get as student-athletes. The academic programs set a high standard (Wilkins was an ACC Academic Honor Roll student during the 2018-19 season).”

How vital a role does having Williamson’s familiarity play in helping to develop team chemistry?

“It’s been really nice to have Daivien again because he can be the coach on the floor,” Forbes said. “He has a pretty good feel for what I want and how I like to do things. On the court, he has become more verbal, which isn’t something that comes very natural to him but is something that he is getting better at. I know him better than anyone else since it’s my third year with him, and he understands what we are doing and has shared a lot of that with his teammates.”

Williamson said that there can be some drawbacks to being the only player Forbes knew much about after he got the job.

“Oh yeah, when he gets mad, most of the time he just yells at me,” Williamson said with a laugh. “I don’t get offended by it. He knows I can handle it because I’m used to it from him from playing with him the last two years.”

Williamson embraces his leadership role and knows that sharing his experience with Forbes can be influential to the rest of the team.

“I just have been emphasizing to the guys that they have to bring it every day,” Williamson said. “Coach is going to put his best foot forward every time he’s on the floor, whether that be in practice or in a game. We have to do the same thing. If we are going to make mistakes, we need to make them because we are going 100 miles per hour. We have to make them because we are playing hard. He won’t like them, but he will understand them if we are playing hard when we make them. I think that’s the most important thing I’ve

WILKINS SPENT HIS FIRST TWO SEASONS AT VIRGINIA TECH AND UNDERSTANDS THE GRIND AND COMPETITION OF AN ACC SEASON. told them about how Coach is. Just be sure to bring it every time you step on the floor.”

Wilkins was initially recruited by Wake Forest before ultimately deciding to go to Virginia Tech and play for Buzz Williams. He transferred to Wake in the spring before Forbes was named the new coach and will be playing for his third coach in three years.

“We hope he doesn’t have too much brain clutter from playing for three different coaches the last three years so he can get used to our terminology,” Forbes said with a laugh. “We’ve asked him to play a couple of different positions for us early on. He’s a knowledgeable player who’s been around the league.”

Wilkins, who acquired the nickname “Chico” while in high school, said that Forbes has given him another one since team workouts began.

“Coach describes me as the ‘junkyard dog,’ ” Wilkins said. “I’m pretty much the dirty work guy. I knock down shots when I have to, get my teammates involved, go and get everything. Coach has had me play the 3 (small forward) and 4 (power forward) and has moved me around. It all fits in with how I’ve always played the game. I’m enjoying every minute of it and soaking it all in.”

Neither Wilkins nor Williamson ever played together at any competitive level while they grew up in Winston-Salem. They attended different middle schools and high schools and played for separate AAU programs.

“I think we played against each other seven or eight times since middle school,” Williamson said. “He was always a really good player DECEMBER 2020

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and a great shooter. He has continued to get better and better and has really developed his body since I first remember playing against him.”

Wilkins said his first impression of Williamson still holds true — he’s just more mature and better at each facet.

“He was very fast and very crafty,” Wilkins said. “He is still fast and crafty, only now he is faster and stronger. He still has his quiet swagger. When I found out he was transferring in, I was really happy. I’m glad I finally get to play with him and not against him.”

Forbes understands the significance of Wilkins and Williamson having the opportunity to play in their hometown.

“Both Daivien and Isaiah have done a really good job for us so far, and I think what I’m the most happy about for both of them is that they both get to play at home in front of their family and friends,” Forbes said.

That is, if the current complications of the COVID-19 pandemic don’t continue to interfere.

Wake Forest opened the season by winning its first two games before the team paused activities in early December after a round of testing and contact tracing. The Deacons prepared for a schedule with 25 games, including 20 against ACC competition, but it could also be fluid, much like the football team’s has been this season.

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Forbes has implemented his motion offense and will find ways to offset the loss of the Deacons’ top four scorers from last season as well as their leading rebounder.

“At the end of the day, we’re just going out and playing basketball like we’ve always done,” Wilkins said. “Our ultimate goal is still to win. I’ve told a lot of the new guys what they can expect as far as the ACC goes. You’ve still got to play every opponent, and you’ve got to play hard. Players at this level are just going to be a little bigger, a little faster, a little stronger. That’s why it’s important that we play hard, we play smart, and we play together. That’s the biggest things Coach has been telling us. And that’s always been my style.”

Coming from the SoCon, Williamson is ready to take on his next challenge.

“I understand at this level that I might be going against guys who are bigger than me, faster than me and stronger than me,” he said.

“There are some big-time athletes at this level. I played against a lot of elite players at East Tennessee State, too. I don’t think it will take me long to adjust to that when I see it. That’s a challenge I’m more than ready for. I’m ready to be that leader on and off the floor that Coach expects me to be. I’m ready to help bring back a winning mentality here.

They were 13-18 last season, and we’ve got nowhere to go but up.”

PA GT E BHAELA RI L E S FOO LD//EM

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FOX

FINALLY FINDING

HIS

FOOTING IT TOOK SOME TIME, BUT IT’S BEEN A SEASON TO REMEMBER FOR GRADUATE TRANSFER MILES FOX

By Bob Sutton

W

hen it’s all said and done, Miles Fox will have had one season on the football field for Wake Forest.

Perhaps no player has done more to make that somewhat limited opportunity rewarding. He reaped the most from it.

There were disappointments and dark days before Fox suited up for the Demon Deacons, some uncertainties along this route.

Included in the process was a rather unique religious mission, another part of the process.

The defensive tackle overcame a nearly two-year layoff from games to play an important role on the 2020 team.

“Miles is just one of the highest character kids I’ve been around,” defensive line coach Dave Cohen said. “He does everything with this God-given ability. That makes him a winner and an achiever. He worked at it and worked at it.”

As a result, he’s Wake Forest’s nominee for the Brian Piccolo Award, which is named after a former standout with the Deacs and goes annually to the Atlantic Coast Conference’s most courageous player.

This might seem unlikely on the surface until understanding what it took for Fox, a graduate transfer who became the right fit at Wake Forest.

He was ailing in a few 2018 games with Old Dominion. After the Monarchs played their fourth game – an upset of Virginia

Tech – a further evaluation determined the severity of a toe injury on his right foot.

“I just broke down,” Fox said. “(The doctor) said my season was over, and I had to have surgery.”

With his undergraduate work to be finished in December but an NFL pursuit no longer feasible at the time, it gave Fox time to contemplate his next steps. He decided to enter his name in the NCAA’s transfer portal.

“The first team to hit me up was Wake Forest,” he said. “I was all excited about playing on a bigger stage.”

Cohen, also the assistant head coach for defense with recruiting responsibilities in Georgia, had made contact with Fox a few years earlier. The high school, Collins Hill, also had sent defensive back Peyton Woulard to Wake Forest – and that player’s mother was Fox’s seventh-grade teacher.

“Coach Cohen told my mom (Cheryl Fox) that they righted a wrong for not offering me out of high school,” Fox said.

But this didn’t turn out to be a smooth transition. The player was still recovering from the toe surgery.

He finally was permitted to join the Deacons for spring work in 2019. On his third day on the practice field, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon on his left leg.

This time, things seemed more devastating. He was just beginning to forge relationships with new teammates at his new school. To get back on the field, this would require a more extensive rehabilitation period.

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// M I L E S F O X

“I wanted to quit,” Fox it was a religious mission, an recalled. “I talked to my mom, activity required in order to and she said I would be stupid retain his eligibility while being Height: 6-1 to quit.” away from campus in the fall It would be 13-14 months of 2019.

Weight: 290 pounds before he would have the goIt included an array of Position: Defensive tackle ahead for football activities. responsibilities, from packing He was granted a sixth year meals for programs to aid Class: Graduate transfer of eligibility by the NCAA, families in need to spending Major: Liberal studies (master’s program). probably something that didn’t time with the football team At Old Dominion, he majored in mean too much to Deacon fans chaplain at Collins Hill and rival communications with a minor in sport considering they had never Mountain View. management. seen him play for the team.

“I shared my testimony in Hometown: Lawrenceville, Ga. Fox headed back home football,” he said. to Georgia to focus on this Fox attended Wake Forest’s High School: Collins Hill next phase. For workouts, he home games – all victories navigated his way around the – against Utah State, North gym on a scooter.

Carolina and NC State in 2019. He watched his team from the “I was depressed, for sure,” he said. “It was about getting my stadium seats. mental state back where it needed to be. … Having to rehab at Still, that helped him gain insight about the Deacons and home with no one to push me.” develop excitement about being on the field with them.

That’s when he counted even more on family and faith. He said He was back on campus on a regular basis last January. Extra his parents played a huge role in guiding him through this. stitching on the wound had delayed the rehab. Then the pandemic There were also daily visits to North Metro Baptist Church, hit, separating Fox from a normal path back to action. Players kept where longtime pastor Frank Cox leads the congregation. For Fox, in touch through numerous Zoom sessions.

MILES FOX

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“We had to work out on our own. We had to really dig deep,” Fox said. “Are we going to be able to pull this off?”

By June, he was finally running again.

That was about the time the Deacons were reconvening in Winston-Salem for the strange preseason. Fox had an immediate role, no doubt.

“His leadership abilities are there,” Cohen said.

Fox turns 24 in January, making him the second-oldest player on this year’s team. He said he was willing to make sure his experience was something teammates could tap into.

“Miles is more of a guy to pull someone to the side,” Cohen said.

“That’s just his personality. He does it in his own way.”

The original 2020 schedule had the Deacons opening the season at Old Dominion in what would have been pertinent for Fox. The revised slate had another type of challenge.

“I was excited, but wow,” he said. “My first game in two years,

and I’m playing Clemson, the No. 1 team. I felt like a baby deer out there in Week 1.”

Fox soon had his footing and made a big impact. Cohen figured the Deacons were adding a quality run defender when Fox came on board. His pass-rushing stock has risen as well.

Already blessed with sack wizard Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr., Fox found his way into opposing backfields as well.

“It’s good to have a second guy,” Cohen said.

Entering December, Fox was first on the team in tackles for loss and second in sacks. He also was completing work toward a master’s degree in liberal studies.

Given his winding path, there’s no easy-to-read map for Fox to know what’s coming next. Yet it’s time to consider that longawaited shot at the NFL. “I feel like there’s definitely some interest,” he said. “It has been a dream of mine.”

ENTERING DECEMBER, FOX WAS FIRST ON THE TEAM IN TACKLES FOR LOSS AND SECOND IN SACKS. HE ALSO WAS COMPLETING WORK TOWARD A MASTER’S DEGREE IN LIBERAL STUDIES. GIVEN HIS WINDING PATH, THERE’S NO EASY-TO-READ MAP FOR FOX TO KNOW WHAT’S COMING NEXT. YET IT’S TIME TO CONSIDER THAT LONG-AWAITED SHOT AT THE NFL. DECEMBER 2020

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

ADVOCATE, MENTOR, FRIEND RETIRING DEPUTY AD BARBARA WALKER MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON WAKE FOREST ATHLETICS BY PERFORMING HER DUTIES SUPERBLY AND NEVER LOSING SIGHT OF APPLYING THE PERSONAL TOUCH

By Stephanie Hudson

I

n college athletics, mascots like tigers, eagles, and bulldogs seem to be “a dime a dozen.” But there are a special few, rare and unique, that, at most, are only shared by a small handful of schools. It’s fitting then that someone as special and rare as retiring Deputy Athletic Director Barbara Walker never settled for the mundane. Instead, she has spent most of her life as a Mule, Blazer, Duck, Longhorn, or a Demon Deacon.

THE MULES

College athletics has been a part of Walker’s life for as long as she can remember. Growing up in Warrensburg, Missouri, the child of the Central Missouri State athletics director, she and her two brothers spent much of their childhood at the ballpark, in the gym, or on the court. She saw first-hand the passion and dedication it took to be successful, and she witnessed how rewarding the job could be, despite the long hours and weekends.

While pursuing her bachelor’s degree in physical education and master’s degree in education at Central Missouri State, Walker was encouraged by her father to go after what she wanted — a career in athletics.

THE BLAZERS

In 1981, Walker got a call from legendary coach, longtime family friend and The University of Alabama at Birmingham AD Gene Bartow. He was looking for a female to join the male-dominated staff of the fledgling UAB program. Walker was somewhat worried

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about her lack of experience, but Bartow reassured her, “Oh, you know more than you think you do,” so she headed to Birmingham to be the assistant women’s basketball coach and assistant sports information director. A year later, she told Bartow that, while she loved women’s basketball, coaching it wasn’t the right fit for her.

Bartow said, “OK…have you ever been to a cross country meet?”

Walker said yes, and she spent the next three years coaching cross country before moving into athletics administration full-time.

“Gene Bartow gave me my break in this business,” Walker explained. “He was a heck of a basketball coach — one of the most successful coaches in college basketball history — but also just a fine person. He gave me the opportunity to spread my wings and grow. He expected a lot from us, but he trusted us to do our jobs without micromanaging. Back then, he was somewhat of a celebrity in the basketball world. I remember walking through the lobby with him at the Final Four, and everyone asking for his autograph — he was ‘big time.’ But he made the job fun, and he was a tremendous influence on me, personally and professionally.”

THE DUCKS

After eight years in Birmingham, Walker was recruited to join the University of Oregon as associate athletic director and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). It was an incredible opportunity that gave her the chance to begin connecting with more women administrators in leadership roles like hers — like Barbara Hedges.

Hedges, who later became the AD at the University of Washington, was the senior associate AD/SWA at Southern Cal when they met.

“Barbara is someone I admire greatly. We were PAC-10 SWAs together, so I was able to learn a lot from her. I was always impressed with the way she did her job and how she supported other women in the business. Anytime I would go to LA for a game, she would make sure we got together. She was a strong advocate of women in athletics. I remember her lecturing us in SWA meetings about decorum and reminding us that the way we

WHAT BARBARA WALKER’S COACHES AND COLLEAGUES ARE SAYING: KEVIN WHITE | DUKE UNIVERSITY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS “Barbara Walker is clearly one of the most respected leaders within college athletics. Unequivocally, Barbara has always been perceived as student-athlete centric, and she has well-earned the moniker of a servant leader. It will be most interesting to watch Barbara's transition to the next chapter for she has a myriad of skills that are indeed incredibly transferable, to say the least. Within the athletics administrative community, wherein Barbara is held in very high esteem, she will certainly be sorely missed — unless, of course, her next chapter brings her back to this community.”

MIKE BUDDIE | DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS, ARMY-WEST POINT

talked about women’s athletics mattered. She would say, ‘They’re not girls. They're women. This is not girls’ sports.’ ” Working with her fellow PAC-10 SWAs, Walker learned a lot about the business and the importance of developing and advancing women into leadership roles, something she still believes strongly in today.

THE LONGHORNS

After nine years in Oregon, Walker decided to try something new and accepted an associate AD position at the University of Texas, overseeing compliance and student-athlete services.

“Austin is an incredible city and working at UT was a great opportunity. It was a totally different role for me, but it was a good chance to grow in my career. I enjoyed it, but I found that I really missed going to events and working closely with coaches as a sport administrator.”

THE DEMON DEACONS

That’s why Walker jumped at the chance to get back into sports administration when Ron Wellman reached out to her about an opening. In the fall of 1999, Walker joined Wake Forest as associate AD/ SWA in a newly established role overseeing all Olympic sport programs.

The rest, as they say, is history. In the 21 years since Walker arrived in Winston-Salem, she has been part of six national championship teams (three NCAA Field Hockey, one NCAA Men’s Soccer, one NCAA Men’s Tennis, one ITA Men’s Tennis).

“It’s been so much fun to watch our programs grow and develop into elite, championship programs. I want to thank Jen Averill, Jay Vidovich and Tony Bresky for giving me national championships to brag about, and I’m grateful to all of the Wake coaches for their hard work, loyalty and perseverance in building a program that I am so proud to be a part of.”

Through the years, Walker has overseen compliance, operations, sports medicine and student-athlete services, led the department’s

“I am thankful every day to have learned from a strong, visionary, transparent female administrator. I was one of the lucky ones. I had a mentor in Barb Walker who always put integrity and the student-athlete experience first and thankfully, she was willing to share her expertise with others. Simply put, Barbara Walker is a difference maker — in every facet of her life, and decades of student-athletes were impacted by her leadership. Her impact will be missed, but I am thrilled for her as she enters into the next exciting phase of her life.”

TONY BRESKY | HEAD MEN’S TENNIS COACH "I'm in my 10th season as the men's tennis coach at Wake Forest, and I've been incredibly fortunate to have Barbara as my sport supervisor since the time I arrived. We've developed an amazing relationship, both professionally and personally, and she has been integral to the success of our program.

Barbara was a big part of my hiring process at Wake Forest, and I'm so thankful for both the opportunity she provided for me and my family, and to her for being such a great leader to work with. She has helped me as a coach in so many ways and played a big role in us hosting the 2018 NCAA Championships and ultimately winning the NCAA tournament on our home courts. While I'm sad I won't be working with Barbara any longer, I'm very happy for her and her upcoming retirement and the amazing career she has had. Go Deacs!"

JENNIFER AVERILL | HEAD FIELD HOCKEY COACH “How does one properly thank a woman who has been so influential, supportive and loyal to her work, co-workers and community for over two decades? We have all been blessed to work beside a woman of high character who always displayed optimism despite difficult and challenging times. We do not say goodbye, but rather continued success to her in her next chapter of life."

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

TONY DA LUZ | HEAD WOMEN’S SOCCER COACH “Barb has given unwavering support to me, my family, the women's soccer program and Wake women's athletics. Barb has been an incredible advocate for our athletes and all of our coaches behind the scenes, impacting us all directly and indirectly in ways that we can't quantify. She has been there for all of us unconditionally, in wins and losses, offering advice, love and support. Barb has a pure love of our athletic mission and the people that make up Wake Forest Athletics.

She deserves the best in retirement and will be a Deac 4 Life!”

JEN HOOVER | HEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH “Barbara has been a tremendous mentor and role model to me during my time at Wake. She has embodied the characteristic of what it takes to be a strong female in our industry and has been an amazing advocate for females with her involvement in Title IX. I have learned so much from her wisdom and I have tried to simulate her confidence in my daily work life. Barbara is a one-of-a-kind individual and she will be greatly missed within our department and specifically with women's basketball. We are happy for her and wish her the best! We know she will always be a Deacon!”

JERRY HAAS | HEAD MEN’S GOLF COACH “In my 24 years at Wake Forest University there is not a classier person than Barbara Walker. As a sport administrator Barbara was so great to work with. She deserves all the accolades that come from 21 years of incredible service in athletics. She will be missed very greatly as good people are hard to replace. I respect Barbara a ton and wish her well.”

RON WELLMAN | FORMER WAKE FOREST DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS “For the last 21 years Barb has served our department and University exceptionally well. She always accepted additional responsibilities without blinking an eye and executed all of her tasks professionally. While performing her duties superbly, she never lost sight of the personal side of the profession. She built strong relationships with everyone in our department and others across campus. She has been an incredible representative of our department as well as a true friend. Much of our success was due to her administrative and personal skills. I thank her for her devotion to our department, our personnel, and student-athletes.”

Barbara Walker with her child, Ruan

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human resources unit, and spearheaded special projects related to strategic planning, equity and student-athlete welfare. She currently serves as Title IX Coordinator and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for the department. She also managed the planning committees for the Aloha, Seattle, Eaglebank, Meineke CarCare and Orange Bowls.

On the national level, Walker has chaired the NCAA Women’s Soccer Committee and NCAA Honors Committee and served on the NCAA Volleyball Committee and NACDA Executive Board.

She previously chaired the ACC Men’s Golf, Men’s Tennis and Women’s Soccer Committees. She also has served on the ACC Senior Woman Administrator Committee and the ACC Women’s Basketball, Men’s Soccer and Baseball Committees.

While it may not be written on any official job descriptions, one of her most important roles over the last 21 years —one that sets her apart like the distinctive mascots she has represented — may be that of advocate, mentor and friend.

When Walker began her career in college athletics, it was “a man’s world.” She cut her teeth in the business learning how to navigate a world in which women regularly encountered more obstacles than men. But she knew what she was getting into — she grew up in that world. She also knew that, in order to be successful, she would have to “play the game.”

Things have changed a lot for women in athletics since then, but as with any traditionally male-dominated field, there are still challenges. But Walker uses her experience to help other women face those challenges. She is a champion for young women just beginning their athletic careers; she readily mentors those who want to grow professionally; she advocates for others, lifts them up and seeks out opportunities in which they can shine. The influence Walker has had on the lives and careers of countless student-athletes, coaches and administrators over the past two decades is significant.

Upon learning of Walker’s upcoming retirement, former women’s basketball student-athlete and athletics staff member Brooke Thomas said, “Barbara is a mentor, friend, sounding board, ally and voice for so many people in the Wake Athletics community. Her dedication to helping student-athletes reach their full potential will be forever celebrated in the lives of those she impacted. Her presence and work will truly be missed, but we stand in gratitude knowing she has certainly made Wake Forest University a better place. I am grateful for the genuine way she consistently showed up, led with love and pioneered new opportunities for so many at Wake Forest.

We are all inspired by her career and will carry on her legacy with the same hope and dedication she exemplified every day.”

When asked to recall some of her favorite memories during her time at Wake, Walker first pointed to the women’s soccer team’s win over defending national champions and then No. 5-ranked UNC on Oct. 27, 2000. Sophomore Tracy Chao, who played her freshman season as a reserve defender for the Deacs, was in goal.

The team, in the early years under head coach Tony DaLuz, had lost two goalkeepers to injury before the start of the season, and Chao stepped up to play goalkeeper despite never having played the position before. A few weeks later, she handed the Tar Heels their first-ever conference shutout in the 1-0 win.

“That was a great night,” Walker remembers. “Seeing Tony's face and how proud and excited those kids were was something I’ll never forget.”

Another special memory was women’s tennis player Bea Bielik’s junior season in 2002 — one of the most prolific of any student-athlete to ever attend Wake Forest. Bielik was the NCAA singles champion, ACC Player of the Year, the ACC Female Athlete of the Year, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Player of the Year and the recipient of the Marge Crisp Award as Wake Forest's top female student-athlete.

Bielik also won the Honda Award given annually to the nation's top

collegiate women's tennis “I think it’s the case player, and she traveled with most parents, but with Walker to Dallas to I had no idea what I accept the award. was getting into until “It was a great I got into it — that’s experience to be there true whether you with Barbara in the have a biological child company of such elite or an adopted child. athletes,” Bielik recalls.

But honestly, the “We were able to spend department welcomed some time together Ruan to her new home and developed a sort of with open arms — not mutual camaraderie. I only showering her with had always wanted to love, but also giving succeed and do well for me such grace as I Wake, and I look back at Tony Bresky and transitioned into single Barbara Walker that time with Barbara parenthood...of a 3-year and remember looking old! The coaches and over at her during the ceremony staff were just phenomenal.” and thinking, ‘We did it!’ It was a Being a working mom in athletics gave tremendous accomplishment, not only Walker a new perspective which she’s for me, but also for Wake, and it was been able to share with her colleagues very telling of the support we received as they started their own families. from Barbara and others.

Maintaining balance, regardless “To have a female in a leadership of whether or not you have kids is role in the athletic department was something Walker emphasizes with really important for a lot of us female young people early in their careers. student-athletes. She was so kind and “Your balance may be 70-30 or 50caring and genuinely supportive of 50, and it will likely change throughout all of us. She was just a tremendous your career, but protect it — take care presence, and I hope others realize, as of yourself. When I was in my 20s with I'm sure they do, really how impactful no kids, I loved every minute of the she was as a fellow female in college crazy schedule — traveling, being at athletics. I just wish she would stay every event — but when I got older and at Wake forever and have the same had Ruan, my balance was different. impact on even more young ladies You need to be OK with that. You’re a going through the programs.” parent first, but you can still excel at And it’s not just women that Walker your job. It’s not always easy, and if you has impacted over the years. Head don’t love it…find something else…it men’s soccer coach Bobby Muuss will likely pay more and give you more credits her with helping shape the time off. But if you do love it, and you Jen Averill, Jay Vidovich and coach he is today. love what’s at the heart of this job — Barbara Walker “I can't even begin to even say how educating and developing young people much Barb has meant to me and and helping them reach their dreams — the men's soccer program. Barb has been an integral part of our then it will never be too hard.” program’s success. She has positively influenced the lives of so It was certainly never too hard for Barbara Walker. Throughout many of our student-athletes. To be a successful program you need her days as a Mule, a Blazer, a Duck, a Longhorn, and now as a to have great support behind the scenes, working and pushing Demon Deacon, Walker has been a shining example of a successful for the ultimate student-athlete experience; and that is exactly college athletics administrator. Her professionalism, kindness, what Barb has done. Personally, I am indebted to her forever. Her compassion, dedication, authenticity and integrity are admired and patience with me as a young, eager and ambitious assistant helped respected by all who have worked with her. Her presence will be shape the coach I am today. Since I returned to Wake and have greatly missed in the halls of Manchester Athletic Center, but her had the incredible opportunity to lead the program, Barb has colleagues and friends take comfort in knowing they will still been right there with me — she listens, but most importantly, she be able to find her in the stands at Kentner or Reynolds Gym, supports me and allows me to be me. That is all a coach wants on the hill at Spry, or cheering on the Deacs at Truist Field or from an administrator. Over the years we have been through so LJVM Coliseum (once this pandemic is over). much together. We have celebrated championships and cried Barbara, on behalf of the “Women of Wake Forest Athletics” together through the challenging moments. I have been a part of (and the entire department), thank you for being our “north the Wake Family for a little over 14 years, and Barb has been there star,” our mentor and confidante. Thank you for always being with me every step of the way.” straight with us…and straightening us out when we needed That concept of that Wake Forest family is one that Walker can it. Thank you for lifting us up and being our advocate. Thank easily relate to. In 2003, she adopted 3-year old Ruan from China. you for listening — whether we were seeking advice or just needed She recalls how her world and priorities changed dramatically and to talk. But most of all, thank you for your friendship…and for how much support she received from her Wake Forest family. choosing to be a Deacon for life!

DECEMBER 2020

19

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

// K A I A H A R R I S O N

BRINGING

MORE

SMILES GUARD KAIA HARRISON EARNS NICKNAME ‘LITTLE SMILES’ WHILE BRINGING STRONG WORK ETHIC AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE TO THE PROGRAM

By Sam Walker

W

ake Forest guard Kaia Harrison likes to start each day with a Facetime call to her new nephew, Christian.

“He’s the light of my life, “ Harrison said. “He just turned 9-monthsold, and every morning I Facetime my sister, Amber, because she knows he’s my good luck charm, and I like seeing his face every day. Sometimes I can’t do that because I’m busy with schoolwork or practice, but I always try to reach out. I just want to see his face because he is a happy baby, smiling and laughing all the time.”

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GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

Perhaps it’s ironic that the player the team calls “Little Smiles” likes to start her day with some little smiles from her nephew. Head coach Jennifer Hoover gave Harrison the “Little Smiles” nickname because of her infectious positive attitude and smiling face. It’s a trait that not only helps Harrison keep improving her own game but also helps the team stay positive.

“Kaia is a gym-rat,” Hoover said. “She came in and played for us last year and started some. She works on her game all the time in New York and has some great AAU teammates she trains with, and she has a trainer up there she has been working with. She has come back in great shape and with confidence knowing she is not a freshman anymore and knowing what to expect with conference

DECEMBER 2020

21

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

22

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

// K A I A H A R R I S O N

HARRISON’S BASKETBALL CAREER TRENDED UPWARD FROM THE BEGINNING. LAST YEAR, AS A FRESHMAN, SHE PLAYED IN ALL 32 GAMES AND MADE FOUR STARTS WHILE AVERAGING 2.2 POINTS AND 15.3 MINUTES PER GAME. SHE ALSO SHOT 77.3 PERCENT FROM THE FREE-THROW LINE. WHILE BASKETBALL WAS ON HOLD DURING THE COVID VIRUS LOCKDOWN, HARRISON WOULD GET SHOTS UP IN THE BACK YARD WITH HER SISTERS (ALIYAH AND TYRA) OR HER FATHER, RODNEY. SHE WOULD RUN ON THE TRACK WHEN THE WEATHER ALLOWED AND CONTINUED TO WORK WITH A TRAINER. AFTER COMPLETING A SEASON WHERE SHE WAS CONSTANTLY ADJUSTING TO COLLEGE BASKETBALL, SHE WANTED TO BE PHYSICALLY READY FOR HER SOPHOMORE CAMPAIGN.

KAIA HARRISON Height: 5-7 Position: Guard Class: Sophomore Hometown: Baldwin, N.Y. Major: Undeclared High School: Baldwin High Favorite Wake Forest Memory: Defeating UNC 82-79 in overtime in the Play4Kay Cancer Awareness game (2019-2020).

play. She is a great kid to be around and has a smile that lights up a room. I call her ‘Little Smiles’ because the post player over at N.C. State they call ‘Big Smiles,’ and I named her that.”

However, during the first week of basketball practice, Harrison broke her nose. But it didn’t slow her progress. Other than having to wear an uncomfortable protective plastic facemask, she hasn’t missed a step in preparing for this season where she wants to show her improvement.

“That was frustrating and happened in practice against one of our male practice players,” Harrison said. “He set a screen, and I ran into him, and then my nose was crooked. I had to go get it straightened. My mom (LaPrena Harrison) came down for the surgery. Then I had to wear a splint on my nose to keep it straight, and I couldn’t practice. After the surgery, I was able to sit and watch practice, and once I got the splint taken off I got a plastic mask to wear over my face, and now I’m just getting out of that.

It was pretty uncomfortable to play with a plastic mask. While I couldn’t practice I watched film with my position coach, and I would run on the sidelines and work with Coach Jena Ready (Director of Sports Performance) so I wouldn’t get out of shape.”

Hoover likes Harrison’s ability to run a team. She played AAU basketball for iEXCEL, a prominent youth program in New York, for coach Walter Welsh. She came in as a pass-first point guard, which Hoover attributed to her selflessness. Hoover felt like she could come in and “run the show” as a freshman and then slide over and allow the team to play two point guards at the same time.

“She was just a great fit with a supportive family and valued hard work and how it will get you where you want to go in life. All those things drew us to her,” Hoover said. “She’s just a kid that draws other kids to her. She is good friends with Aliyah Boston, last year’s National Player of the Year who plays at South Carolina.

You just want to be around Kaia because she is always finding something positive.”

Harrison’s basketball career trended upward from the beginning.

Last year, as a freshman, she played in all 32 games and made four starts while averaging 2.2 points and 15.3 minutes per game. She also shot 77.3 percent from the free-throw line. While basketball was on hold during the COVID virus lockdown, Harrison would get shots up in the back yard with her sisters (Aliyah and Tyra) or her father, Rodney. She would run on the track when the weather allowed and continued to work with a trainer. After completing a season where she was constantly adjusting to college basketball, she wanted to be physically ready for her sophomore campaign.

“I felt like I had a role to push the pace last year and to drive and kick to the shooters,” Harrison said. “This year I’m playing with more confidence and still trying to keep the pace up, but I’m very passionate about defense. I feel like defense creates offense, so if I can get steals then I’m able to push the ball even more and get the ball to the wings or inside to the post.”

DECEMBER 2020

23

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

// K A I A H A R R I S O N

Hoover likes the mindset and skill set she provides in the backcourt.

“She’s just a feisty, super-fast player for us, so we really like her pace of the game, and she and Gina (Conti) have learned to play together so they can both play off the ball as well,” Hoover said. “The confidence she has come back with is something everyone is pretty excited about.”

Harrison’s father is the Chief of Detectives for the NYPD and her mother is a retired NYPD lieutenant.

The two met while attending the police academy. And while people around the country protested against social injustice sparked by the death of George Floyd in Minnesota, Harrison’s father offered to talk to the team via Zoom about the protests from his perspective.

“My dad has been in almost every area of police work, so he knows a lot,” Harrison said. “Coach Hoover talked to me first and then reached out to him. We all thought it was a good idea for him to speak about it. He wanted to get out the right information from a police perspective and his perspective growing up in Queens as a black man. He’s been on both sides, so he knows the right things to say and the different things we can do as a community. People look

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GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

at cops differently, so he was trying to change that perspective as well. He gave us a lot of insight.”

Harrison has reasons to come back with more confidence and even more smiles. She started the season at the Gulf Coast Showcase averaging 17.7 minutes per contest over three games.

She also completed that three-game stretch averaging 5.7 points per game and shooting 88 percent from the foul line.

“She’s shooting the ball with a lot of confidence and her pull-up jumper is looking good,” Hoover said. “She is quick and athletic enough where she can rise up and shoot it over people.

She’s really worked on her shot because last year she experienced some teams that just didn’t guard her because they didn’t think she was going to shoot it. This year she is hitting threes in practice and hitting her pull-up jumper and being able to explode by people at a higher clip than what she did last year when she was still trying to figure out the size and physicality of the game.”

“Her freshman year we were so excited to have her, and she was adjusting to the different style of basketball and everything else, and then she got an illness that wiped out about 10 games of her freshman year, and that’s why she only played in 21 games,” Hoover said.

100% COTTEN

// S TA N C O T T E N

Making the Sausage

S TA N COTTEN VOICE OF THE DEMON DEACONS

26

The summer leading up to the start of the college football season wasn’t easy for anyone in the “business” of college athletics.

Not even the media got a pass.

I was furloughed and was glad to be in the wake of so many media members who lost their jobs completely.

About two weeks ahead of the first weekend of the season, a group text was started by Matt Park, the terrific radio voice at Syracuse.

The topic was very basic: How are we going to pull off our broadcasts with all the roadblocks COVID-19 would surely present? There were certainly many more questions than answers that day. And about the only one thing that was certain when we finished was the fact that no two crews would attack a broadcast the same way.

The first pitch in the whole debate was thrown out by the league. The ACC was not going to allow any radio crew to have a sideline reporter. That fact alone would send ripples deep into the pond. In our setup, Dave Goren not only serves as our sideline reporter, but he also is able to get quick, nearly instant reaction from Dave Clawson on his way to the locker room at the end of each half and postgame reaction from the Deacons themselves.

Not in 2020.

The answer to that problem was easy. Hello Zoom! All our postgame sound now comes via the wildly popular video/ audio internet conference call technology. Zoom connects the broadcast booth at home or on the road with the Wake Forest locker room and allows us to interview Coach Clawson and the Deacs by having them speak either into a mobile device or a computer. Zoom wasn’t designed for broadcasting, but most of us have hijacked it and made it work.

For that matter, all our pregame interviews are done via Zoom, too.

Nothing says social distancing quite like interviewer and interviewee in completely different locations. Even states! And while

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

Here’s the basketball remote broadcast setup across the street at Truist Field.

I’m at it, every Dave Clawson Show this season has been, in reality, just a Zoom call that we put on the air. Same now goes for the Steve Forbes Show, and that likely will not change for the balance of the season. The truth is I haven’t seen Dave Clawson face to face since last basketball season. The only time I’ve seen Steve Forbes in person was by accident. At the dentist.

Only in 2020.

There were a lot of questions on that group text in late August about things like interviews and other topics too deep in the weeds to take you. What really got us all going was the issue of travel, and if we didn’t travel how in the world were we going to broadcast a game when we weren’t actually on site?

How does that work?

Well, some of our television colleagues have been doing just that for a few seasons now. The cameras are at the games, but the announcers are not. They call the game from video feeds from a studio, or now even sometimes from the comfort of their own homes. If TV could do it, so can radio.

And we have.

We did not travel to Wake’s game at Syracuse. Instead, our crew called the Deacon win over the Orange from a booth a couple of doors down from our radio booth at an empty Truist Field.

The Wake Forest multimedia team helped secure a video feed of the game from ESPN in Bristol, Conn., with the regular ACC Network signal on cable as a backup. The Syracuse radio crew sent us ‘crowd noise’ from inside the Dome. We had multiple monitors and a live stats feed. Our technical engineer, Tim Sparks, was in our normal broadcast booth relaying all the audio back to our studios in downtown Winston-Salem for over the air. It was a collaborative effort to say the least.

In my 41 years of calling college football broadcasts, it was the strangest one I have ever done.

Not even close. But we made it happen, and it came off pretty much without a hitch. We proved we could do it and do it well.

And now for the ultimate peek inside how the sausage is really made. At press time, Wake Forest had played two basketball games of the 2020-21 season. Both were home wins for Coach Steve Forbes and his Deacons inside the Joel Coliseum. The Dinger and I, in our 25th season together, did both broadcasts. across the street at Truist Field. Off of video feeds.

And Zooms. And internet stats.

It was our choice, and there are reasons why we made the decision we did. But I’m out of space and won’t go into all the details.

Hey, it’s 2020. Enough said.

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CONTACT: EGAFFORD@MATTHEWSMOBILE.COM DECEMBER 2020

27

INSIDE THE DEACON CLUB

Writing the script for 2021

BA R RY FA I R C L O T H SENIOR A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C DIRECTOR, DEVELOPMENT

28

Every year around the holidays, my family has a tradition that I’m sure many of you share. We go around the table reflecting on memories from this past year, acknowledging the people and experiences we’re most thankful for, and sharing our goals for the coming year. With two current Demon Deacon student-athletes sitting at the dinner table and a pair of alumni parents, it doesn’t take a Wake Forest degree to guess our main topic of conversation.

And I’ll tell you — I have never been more proud to be a Deac, or more fired up about our future.

I heard both of my daughters share how thankful they were for the opportunity to compete this fall. With zero prompting (I promise!), they thanked YOU — Wake Forest’s incredibly generous donors — for making Deacon Club contributions that allowed Wake Forest Athletics to invest in PPE, regular COVID testing, and additional vans and hotel rooms that enabled our teams to maintain social distancing.

My daughters spoke about the opportunity to compete at the ACC Championships and watching the men’s cross country team crack the top 25.

They talked about celebrating with teammates after a first collegiate win. I felt their awed excitement and heard their immense Deacon pride.

These memories — not just those of the Faircloth family — but the memories of all our studentathletes, were made possible because individuals like you decided that, in spite of the “COVID haze” that constantly surrounds us, providing for lifechanging opportunities for 400 student-athletes is an endeavor worth pursuing. In fact, nearly 30 percent of you increased your gifts year over year.

You’re finding opportunities to leverage a recordhigh stock market to make gifts of appreciated stock and creating lasting legacies at Wake Forest by establishing a record number of estate gifts.

You decided to reallocate dollars spent on football season tickets toward a donation that could be reinvested in scholarships and enrichment services like leadership development. Even as I’m writing this article, the Deacon Club and Ticket Sales Team staff are fielding calls from fans who are offering to make charitable contributions out of

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

dollars they had set aside for basketball season individual game tickets. These gifts, combined with traditional annual support, have prompted participation in the International Leadership Circle to increase by 20 percent in just three months. Your generosity is sparking a movement.

As I think about the coming 2021 year, I’m filled with incredible hope, optimism, and excitement — so much so that I’m proclaiming 2021 the “Year of the Deacs.”

Just in Spring 2021 alone, men’s soccer, women’s golf, men’s golf and men’s tennis all enter their championship seasons with top 10 national rankings, while women’s tennis and baseball both look to build on top 25 appearances in 2020 — not to mention the dawn of the Steve Forbes Era of men’s basketball and the start of the women’s basketball season that saw them defeat a top 25 opponent during their opening week.

With the optimism surrounding several potential vaccines, we hope that by the fall of 2021 (or maybe even sooner?) we will be coming together again to cheer on our teams in person, reconnecting at events, and just enjoying the company of our fellow members of Deacon Nation.

2021 brings an opportunity for Wake Forest Athletics to accelerate out of the pandemic and into unprecedented, historic successes.

Deacon Club members like you will continue to serve as the catalyst for this acceleration.

By increasing your Deacon Club support and making sport-specific Excellence Fund gifts, you allow Wake Forest Athletics to make strategic investments in resources like technology, strength training and summer school that provide competitive advantages in key metrics for Wake Forest student-athletes.

We have this unique opportunity to help write the script for 2021. I envision a year which we will talk about for decades within the Wake Forest family.

I see us building new memories together. Thank you for laying the foundation for this year, and I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate our successes.

MY DAUGHTERS SPOKE ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMPETE AT THE ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS AND WATCHING THE MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY TEAM CRACK THE TOP 25.

THEY TALKED ABOUT CELEBRATING WITH TEAMMATES AFTER A FIRST COLLEGIATE WIN.

Go Deacs!

Barry

EN C HI A ELAUD EAT RE D E A C O N C L U B PA // F IG NA PD

DEACON NATION REMAINS COMMITTED Heading into this holiday season, the Deacon Club could not be more grateful for the continued support of Deacon Nation. Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, ever-changing sport schedules and the inability to attend games in person, our fans have remained committed to #SustainingTheDeacs!

Total gifts are up an incredible 59 percent over the same time period last year. Although we have seen a slight decrease in Annual Fund contributions, we are extremely encouraged by the significant increase in endowment gifts, capital investments and gifts to sport-specific Excellence Funds.

Deacon Club Annual Fund Restricted

FY20

FY21*

% Change

$1,102,841.47

$888,807.68

-19%

$701,638.99

$1,456,827.97

108%

Capital Projects

$2,117,187.54

$3,623,637.18

71%

Endowment

$640,655.38

$1,290,320.24

101%

$4,562,323.38

$7,259,593.07

59%

TOTAL

Generally speaking, most of our programs are facing a budget cut of at least 10 percent due to the pandemic-related financial challenges. Excellence Funds not only provide donors with an opportunity to direct their gifts to a specific sport or program, but they can help offset those cuts and provide valuable resources for our teams. Below is a snapshot of year-to-date giving for the Excellence Funds.

FY20 Gifts YTD

FY21 Gifts YTD* FY21 Pledges Due

FY21 Total

Cheerleading

$3,100.00

$1,050.00

$0.00

$1,050.00

Dance

$1,235.00

$8,470.00

$0.00

$8,470.00

Baseball

$91,546.10

$71,845.53

$14,693.00

$86,538.53

Field Hockey

$51,501.00

$16,580.00

$46,489.00

$63,069.00

$115,000.00

$166,219.45

$90,298.89

$256,518.34

$3,110.00

$84,752.02

$95,725.00

$180,477.02

Football Men's Basketball Men's Golf

$69,339.01

$131,580.00

$87,730.53

$219,310.53

Men's Soccer

$118,905.00

$116,540.99

$126,269.90

$242,810.89

Men's Tennis

$6,745.00

$2,200.00

$5,125.00

$7,325.00

Men's Track

$18,850.00

$33,100.00

$18,625.00

$51,725.00

Volleyball

$9,100.00

$12,400.00

$26,150.00

$38,550.00

Women's Basketball

$11,710.00

$4,625.00

$1,750.00

$6,375.00

Women's Golf

$45,556.90

$24,348.35

$32,166.69

$56,515.04

Women's Soccer

$10,335.00

$33,560.00

$363,375.00

$396,935.00

Women's Tennis

$27,597.00

$7,475.00

$55,666.67

$63,141.67

Women's Track

$20,500.00

$17,561.73

$21,500.00

$39,061.73

AD Discretionary

$0.00

$130.00

$0.00

$130.00

$10,122.50

$22,500.00

$0.00

$22,500.00

Sports Performance and Healthcare

$0.00

$0.00

$15,000.00

$15,000.00

Student-Athlete Career Development

$0.00

$2,070.00

$42,214.28

$44,284.28

Nutrition

Sustain the Deacs Total

$0.00

$559,509.00

$16,090.00

$575,599.00

$614,252.51

$1,316,517.07

$1,058,868.96

$2,375,386.03 As of 11/30/2020

Thanks to the support of Deacon Nation, Wake Forest Athletics has been able to continue fulfilling our promise of a World Class Student-Athlete Experience during one of the most challenging years our country has faced. There are still challenges ahead, but we look towards 2021 with much optimism and excitement.

As you consider your year-end giving, please keep Wake Forest student-athletes in mind. If you are interested in making a gift to the Deacon Club Annual Fund, one or more Excellence Funds, a capital project, or would like to learn more about endowing a scholarship or talk to someone about setting up an estate gift, please contact the Deacon Club at (336) 758-5626.

DECEMBER 2020

29

DEACONS IN THE PROS BASEBALL COACHES/SCOUTS Ross Atkins Neil Avent TJ Barra Dave Bush Michael Holmes Bill Masse Matt Price Mike Rikard Eric Schmitt

MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB MLB

Toronto Blue Jays Oakland A’s Major League Baseball Boston Red Sox San Francisco Giants Miami Marlins Kansas City Royals Boston Red Sox New York Yankees

General Manager Area Scout Sr. Baseball Data Quality Analyst Pitching Coach Amateur Scouting Director Special Assignment Scout Area Scouting Supervisor Vice President of Amateur Scouting Director of Player Development

MAJOR LEAGUES

Minor League Ranks Johnny Aiello Carter Bach Ben Breazeale Will Craig Parker Dunshee Stuart Fairchild Aaron Fossas Patrick Frick Connor Johnstone Garrett Kelly Morgan McSweeney Nate Mondou Colin Peluse D.J. Poteet Griffin Roberts Jared Shuster Donnie Sellers Gavin Sheets Bruce Steel Mac Williamson

Toronto Blue Jays (A) Tampa Bay Rays (Rookie) Free Agent Pittsburgh Pirates Oakland Athletics (AAA) Cincinnati Reds (AA) Cincinnati Reds (AA) Seattle Mariners (Short Season A) Atlanta Braves (AA) Chicago Cubs (High A) Baltimore Orioles (A) Oakland Athletics (AA) Oakland Athletics (Short Season A) Detroit Tigers St. Louis Cardinals (High A) Atlanta Braves Toronto Blue Jays (High A) Chicago White Sox (AA) Kansas City Royals (A) Free Agent

WOMEN’S GOLF Jennifer Kupcho Natalie Sheary Sierra Sims Cheyenne Woods

MEN’S SOCCER Luis Argudo Jon Bakero Corben Bone Joey DeZart Brad Dunwell Chris Duvall Omir Fernandez Sam Fink Akira Fitzgerald Michael Gamble Logan Gdula Ian Harkes Jack Harrison Jacori Hayes Alistair Johnston Bruno Lapa Collin Martin Mark McKenzie Ike Opara Sean Okoli Hayden Partain Kevin Politz Sam Raben Jalen Robinson Brandon Servania Ema Twumasi

LPGA Symetra Symetra LPGA Inter Miami Phoenix Rising FC Louisville City FC Orlando City SC Oklahoma City Energy FC Portland Timbers (trial) New York Red Bulls Saint Louis FC Richmond Kickers Loudoun United FC Charleston Battery Dundee United (Scotland) Manchester City/Leeds United Minnesota United FC Nashville SC Birmingham Legion FC San Diego Loyal SC Philadelphia Union Minnesota United FC Pinzgau Saalfelden (Australia) San Antonio FC Hartford Athletic Sporting II Free Agent FC Dallas FC Dallas/Austin Bold FC

COACHES/MLS FRONT OFFICE James Riley Kurt Schmid Zack Schilawski Stephen Keel Ryan Martin John Hackworth Mike McGinty Kelvin Jones

MLS Director of Player Relations Inter Miami (Head Scout) North Carolina FC U23s (Assistant Coach) MLS Social Media Manager London Head Coach Louisville FC Head Coach NCFC Assistant Coach Columbus Crew Academy Director

WOMEN’S SOCCER Aubrey Bledsoe Bayley Feist Ally Haran Katie Stengel Sarah Teegarden Maddie Huster

Washington Spirit (NWSL) Washington Spirit (NWSL) Houston Dash (NWSL) Houston Dash (NWSL) Lille Olympique Sporting Club (Ligue 1 – France) Kvarnsvedens IK (Swedish Premier League)

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Al-Farouq Aminu John Collins James Johnson Chris Paul Ishmael Smith Jeff Teague Jaylen Hoard Doral Moore Austin Arians Bryant Crawford

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NBA NBA NBA NBA NBA NBA NBA/G-League NBA G-League Germany Lithuania

Orlando Magic Atlanta Hawks Minnesota Timberwolves Oklahoma City Thunder Washington Wizards Atlanta Hawks Portland Delaware Blue Coats Schalke Juventus

GOLD RUSH MAGAZINE

C.J. Harris Darius Leonard Jamaal Levy Nikita Mescheriakov Codi Miller-McIntyre Dinos Mitoglou Troy Rike Devin Thomas Terrence Thompson Ty Walker Andre Washington David Weaver Mitchell Wilbekin Coron Williams L.D. Williams Keyshawn Woods

China Argentina Argentina Russia Slovenia Greece Philippines Argentina Georgia Canada Bahrain Japan Turkey Mexico Egypt Netherlands

Guangzhou LL Sportivo America Bahia Basket Spartak SP Cedevita Olimpija Panathinaikos AMA Penarol Kutaisi Windsor Al-Hala Kumamoto Konyaspor Dorados Sporting Rotterdam

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Dearica Hamby Chelsea Douglas Amber Campbell Elisa Penna Alex Sharp

WNBA Romania Ireland Italy WNBL

Las Vegas Aces and Italy Phoenix Constanta Ambassador UCC Glanmire Cork Venezia Perth Lynx

FOOTBALL Alex Bachman Essang Bassey Jessie Bates III Jake Benzinger Greg Dortch Duke Ejiofor Nate Gilliam Phil Haynes Amari Henderson Justin Herron Kendall Hinton Kevin Johnson Marquel Lee Joe Looney Justin Strnad Scotty Washington Kyle Wilber John Wolford

NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL

WR DB S OL WR/KR DE OL OL DB OL WR CB LB OL LB WR LB QB

NY Giants Denver Cincinnati Free Agent Free Agent Houston LA Chargers Seattle Jacksonville New England Free Agent Cleveland Free Agent Dallas Denver Cincinnati Oakland LA Rams

COACHES/STAFF Chad Alexander Joe Kenn John Spanos James MacPherson Brad Idzik Teryl Austin Chip Vaughn Calvin Pace Jr.

NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL NFL

NY Jets Carolina Chargers Chargers Seahawks Steelers NY Jets NY Jets

Dir Player Personnel Strength Coach Executive VP of Football Operations Scout Assistant WR coach Secondary coach Defensive assistant Scouting intern

MEN’S GOLF Bill Haas Webb Simpson Billy Andrade Jay Haas Gary Hallberg Len Mattiace Kyle Reifers Will Zalatoris Lee Detmer

PGA PGA Champions Champions Champions Champions Korn Ferry Tour Korn Ferry Tour G PRO

FIELD HOCKEY Lauren Crandall Michelle Kasold Melissa Gonzalez (Coach)

USA National Team (Retired Fall 2016) USA National Team (Retired Spring 2017) USA National Team (Captain, Retired Summer 2018)

MEN’S TENNIS Noah Rubin Petros Chrysochos Skander Mansouri Borna Gojo

ATP ITF Futures ITF Futures ITF Futures

WOMEN’S TENNIS Emma Davis

WTA

NASCAR PIT CREWS Kevin Harris (football) Spencer Bishop (football) Dion Williams

No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing (Daniel Suarez) No. 15 Premium Motorsports (Ross Chastain) Motor Racing Network analyst

C O M P L I A N C E C O R NPA E RG//ET OHDE DA HA DI R ESR TON

PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES DURING WINTER VACATION PERIOD

TODD HAIRSTON SENIOR A S S O C I AT E AT H L E T I C DIRECTOR, COMPLIANCE

Under general NCAA regulations, student-athletes in sports outside of their normal playing season are precluded from engaging in any official activities during the official winter break period. At Wake Forest, that period will extend from Dec. 13 through Jan. 27.

As such, organized practices, weight lifting sessions, conditioning workouts and team meetings will be prohibited for most sports programs throughout this period. The only sports that are officially “in season” during the entire winter break period are men’s and women’s basketball.

Football teams engaged in bowl preparation could also continue normal participation during the winter break as needed, as well as

selected spring sports that have competitions beginning in early January.

There is an exception, however, for students in individual sports (e.g. cross country, tennis, golf) to engage in individual workouts with their coaches during these vacation periods even when their seasons are not in session, provided the requests for the workouts are initiated by the students.

Obviously, given the COVID-19 pandemic, access to institutional facilities during the winter break will be subject to state, city and institutional guidelines. As such, even otherwise permissible activities will likely be kept to a minimum during the upcoming vacation periods.

PROUD TO BE A DEMON DEACON! Women’s Golf ACC & East Regional Championship Teams 1994 & 1995

TORI BOYSEN Broker / REALTOR® 336-345-3499 Tori.Boysen@BHHSCarolinas.com A member of the franchise system of BHH Affiliates, LLC.

DECEMBER 2020

31

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