The No. 7 Wake Forest Demon Deacons are champions in one of the most competitive conferences in men’s cross country.
With a 60-point team total at this Friday’s contest, Wake Forest enjoyed an impressive day across the leaderboard to claim their sixth Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship. Despite runners losing ground from early first-place leads, the Demon Deacons were propelled by two top-10 performances in the championship 8K event.
“We could not be more proud of the way our guys ran today,” Assistant Coach Brandon Hazouri said in a release from Wake Forest Athletics. “The ACC is such a tough conference, and we have a lot of respect for the other teams that were in contention today.”
Wake Forest’s championship effort was led by senior Luke Tewalt’s seventh-place finish after he remained among the top five runners through the near end of the race. Tewalt, who placed second in Panorama Farms Invitational, posted a team-best 22:39.0 time, 21 seconds behind the leader.
Sophomore Rocky Hansen, meanwhile, followed close behind Tewalt throughout the race, holding first place through the first 1.1k of the course. Hansen remained in second as Tewalt eventually moved into the lead at the 2.3k mark.
The two teammates grappled with No. 13 North Carolina’s Ethan Strand and Parker Wolfe throughout, with neither Tar Heel giving up much position. Strand and Wolf eventually finished second and third overall, respectively, while No. 16 Virginia’s Gary Martin took the individual victory.
But despite two Demon Deacons falling out of the top three and even giving up the first place lead, Wake Forest still found success across the board. With five Wake Forest runners finishing in the top 20 of over 150 competitors, the Demon Deacons celebrated the championship performance as a true team effort.
One big boost to the Demon Deacons’ team performance came from another trio of runners finishing in the top 20. Former ACC Men’s Cross Country Freshman of the Year Charlie Sprott led teammates Aidan Ross and Joseph O’Brien all finishing in just under 23 minutes.
JoJo Jourdan, meanwhile, came from behind to join Tewalt in the top-10 finishers. Climbing from 13th place as late as the 3.8k mark, Jourdan finished eighth overall to boost the Demon Deacons’ final placement. For his performance, Jourdan was named Wake Forest’s second ACC Freshman of the Year in a row.
Riding momentum from last month’s team win at the Panorama Farms Invitational in Charlottesville, Va., Wake Forest bested five other nationally-ranked ACC programs to take the conference title.
“The men came into the season picked to finish sixth in the ACC,” Wake Forest Director of Track & Field and Cross Country John Hayes noted. “They went out there today and fought so hard for that win.”
Tewalt, Jourdon, Sprott, Ross and O’Brien each earned a spot on the 21-man Men’s All-ACC Cross Country roster.
The Demon Deacons now look to the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships on Nov. 15 in Rock Hill, S.C.. Wake Forest will compete in a 10k event for a chance at the national championships in Wisconsin later this month.
“These guys love the work, and they love each other,” Hazouri said. ”When you have that combination, you’re gonna give yourself chances to win championships, and that is what they did today.”
