Deacon Birthdays - Week of August 23

We weren't able to post last week's Deacon Birthdays, so you'll be getting a double-dose of them this week. As always, we'd like to take this opportunity to say happy birthday to those Demon Deacon student-athletes, coaches and staff who are celebrating birthdays last week.

Student Athletes:
Julia Young (Field Hockey) - Aug. 23
Justin Jackson (Football) - Aug. 24
Travis Wadkins (Men's Golf) - Aug.
Cate Berenato (Women's Cross Country) - Aug. 27
Ryan Britt (Football) - Aug. 27

Coaches & Staff:
Paul Kennedy (Development) - Aug. 23
Jeff Strahm (Sports Medicine) - Aug. 23
Dwight Lewis (Student-Athlete Services) - Aug. 24
Steve Adams (Operations) - Aug. 25
Matt Robinson (Football) - Aug. 29

Former Deacon Now a Hustlin' Owl

Former Wake Forest basketball walk-on Matt Smith has decided to continue his basketball career at Oregon Tech, the school announced yesterday. Smith, who lettered two seasons with the Deacons from 2006-07, now gets the rare privilege of being known as a Hustlin' Owl.

Jean Chua Wins Professional Debut

Recent graduate Jean Chua made her professional debut last week at the Thai LPGA Open. Chua fired a final round 66 to claim the win in her first professional start.

After opening with rounds of 71-76, Chua found herself seven-shots behind good friend Titiya Plucksataporn.

But in the final round, Chua got the putter working early and had closed the gap to just two shots after a front nine of 4-under par. She went on to make two more birdies on the back to post a final round 6-under 66. She won by three shots over Plucksataporn.

Chua plans to remain in Thailand to work on her game with her coach before returning to the states next year. She will try to qualify for the US Women's Open and then will enter LPGA Qualifying School.

Deacon Birthdays - Week of August 16

We'd like to take this opportunity to say happy birthday to those Demon Deacon student-athletes, coaches and staff who are celebrating birthdays this week.

Student Athletes:
Secily Ray (Women's Basketball) - Aug. 16
Megan Thornberry (Volleyball) - Aug. 19
Anna Mydlowska (Women's Tennis) - Aug. 21
Kelsey Jones (Volleyball) - Aug. 22
Paul Loeser (Men's Cross Country) - Aug. 22

Coaches & Staff:
Darren Bowers (Grounds & Maintenance) - Aug. 18
Matt Lamoureux (Operations) - Aug. 19
Donna Hall (Athletic Director's Office) - Aug. 22

Deacon Birthdays - Week of August 9

We'd like to take this opportunity to say happy birthday to those Demon Deacon student-athletes, coaches and staff who are celebrating birthdays this week.

Student Athletes:
Nick Millington (Men's Soccer) - Aug. 9
Maggie Hoey (Volleyball) - Aug. 10
Kim Vos (Women's Cross Country) - Aug. 10
Austin Chelko (Men's Soccer) - Aug. 13
Collin Granger (Football) - Aug. 13
Doug Ryan (Men's Soccer) - Aug. 14
Brandon Johnson (Baseball) - Aug. 15

Coaches & Staff:
Sandy Parks (Ticket Office) - Aug. 11
Keith Henry (Football) - Aug. 14

Talkin' Football

Here are a few recent news clips of current and former Deacons.

Kenny Moore is trying to hold onto a spot with the Carolina Panthers.

Deacons rebuild defense.

Deacons hit the ground running.

Deacons want to be all grown up.

Big things are expected from Brandon Ghee.

Chris DeGeare is back on the field.

Preseason Football Polls

'Tis the season for preseason football polls. With that mind, here is a link that summarizes a good majority of the preseason polls out there. The Deacons come in, on average, at No. 40. Wake received votes in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll, which was released last week.

Aaron Curry signs with Seahawks

The Associated Press reports on Saturday night that Aaron Curry has signed with the Seahawks.

Andy Katz checks in with a mid-summer update on Deacon basketball.

Heather Dinich has a scouting report on Wake Forest football.

The ACC has a feature on Wake Forest football

Women's Soccer Begins Fall Practice

The Wake Forest women's soccer team began its preparation for the 2009 season with a pair of practices on Thursday. I had an opportunity to shoot some footage at the afternoon training session. I also spoke with Demon Deacon head coach Tony da Luz and senior goalkeeper Laura Morse. The video is available here.

The Deacs take the field for the first time in 2009 on Saturday, August 15, at 7 p.m. against Campbell in a home exhibition game. The regular season opener is Friday, August 21, at 7 p.m. against High Point at Spry Stadium.

New Deacon Podcast Available

There is a new Deacon Podcast available on WakeForestSports.com. This week's installment features an interview with head football coach Jim Grobe, as well as a chat with Director of Marketing & Promotions Mike Odom.

Check out the Deacon Podcast Center for the complete listings.

Coordinating Your NBA Schedules

The NBA schedules came out this week so we thought we would simplify your decision-making process on which games to attend during the 2009-10 season.

The Atlanta Hawks and rookie guard Jeff Teague visit the Charlotte Bobcats on Nov. 6 and April 6. You can catch the Chicago Bulls and rookie forward James Johnson in Charlotte on Jan. 7. Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs visit the Bobcats on Jan. 15 while Josh Howard and Dallas come to North Carolina on March 1.

If you're a Deacon football fan and looking to combine a road trip with an NBA game, consider going to Atlanta on November 7. The Deacons visit the Yellow Jackets in football (game time yet to be announced) while Teague and the Hawks host the Denver Nuggets that night.

Or, if you want to make it an all-alumni weekend, book a trip to the French Quarter for Dec. 18-19. You can watch CP3 and the Hornets entertain Denver on Dec. 18 and the next day, watch Chip Vaughn and the Saints host the Dallas Cowboys in the Superdome.

Deacon Birthdays - Week of August 2

We'd like to take this opportunity to say happy birthday to those Demon Deacon student-athletes, coaches and staff who are celebrating birthdays this week, which includes our very own Katy Hamlett and Rene' Ivey.

Student Athletes:
Boo Robinson (Football) - Aug. 5
Ty Walker (Basketball) - Aug. 7

Coaches & Staff:
Kathryn Hamlett (Media Relations) - Aug. 3
Rene' Ivey (Media Relations) - Aug. 3
Cook Griffin (Deacon Club) - Aug. 4
Bill Faircloth (Football) - Aug. 8

New Ticket Office Site

The Wake Forest Ticket Office site received a face lift recently. The site, which is housed on WakeForestSports.com, was re-designed to provide needed info in a "ticket-friendly" manner. Be sure to check out the new page.