Wake Forest’s run at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup ended one match short of the title.
The seventh-ranked Demon Deacons dropped the championship match to No. 11 South Carolina, 3-1, on Wednesday at PGA Frisco in Frisco, Texas. South Carolina took control late, closing out the final on hole 15 after Wake Forest was unable to force a comeback.
Freshman Vidhi Jakahwala gave Wake Forest its lone point in the match, delivering veteran-like poise from the start. She opened on hole 2 and stayed in the lead for the rest of her match. Even so, she couldn’t finish it off, and the match ended tied through 15 holes.
Wake Forest played without senior Macy Pate, the co-medalist from the stroke-play portion of the tournament. That left the Demon Deacons leaning on a younger lineup, and coach Kim Lewellen said the team still came away with a lot to build on.
“We had such a good showing at the Jacksonsihp match. These first two weeks, and I look forward to what is to come in the upcoming months.”
The final also included strong showings from Wake Forest’s other players in the bracket.
Alycia Allison’s match against Chloe Koveleski was unfinished. Molly McJean was beaten by Benedicte Brent-Petersen, 3 and 2. And Vairana Beck fell to Savannah Torstenson, 5 and 4.
South Carolina’s Amelia Harris defeated Macy Pate, 1 up, in the match that helped swing the championship round.
The Demon Deacons had been playing without Pate in the stroke-play portion of the tournament as well. Despite that, they advanced into the final before falling to a South Carolina team that secured the decisive point on hole 15.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Just Got An Opening Against Miami That Could Matter
Miami comes into its matchup with Wake Forest short on the back end, with defensive backs OJ Frederique Jr., Xavier Lucas and Ja'Boree Antoine all listed out on the ACC availability report. The Hurricanes are also without tight end Luka Gilbert, which trims another option from the offense as they prepare for a game that could ask a little more of the depth chart than usual.
Mario Cristobal has stressed Miamis approach to playing freshmen and leaning on the players who earn their snaps, and that philosophy is about to be tested in a real way. For Wake Forest, the opening is obvious: any game plan built around pressuring a reshuffled secondary or forcing younger replacements into bigger roles suddenly looks a lot more interesting. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Finally Gets Its First Real Test Against No. 5 Miami
Wake Forest has spent the opening stretch building confidence, but Saturdays visit from No. 5 Miami is the kind of measuring-stick game that tells a program where it really stands. The Demon Deacons are 2-0 after their double-overtime win at Purdue, and theyll get this one at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium against a Hurricanes team that has looked sharp enough to open as a 20.5-point favorite.
Miami brings a strong start and a quarterback in Darian Mensah who has settled things quickly, even with injuries in the secondary creating some questions on defense. For Wake Forest, the night is about whether Gio Lopez can keep the offense steady against a far faster test than anything the Deacons have seen so far, and whether their early momentum can survive long enough to make this a game deep into the second half. [Read more 🡒]
Wake Forest Faces The Home Test That Could Define Its Start
Wake Forest has opened its 2026 season with a pair of wins, including an overtime escape against Purdue, and now the schedule shifts into a far different gear. The next challenge arrives in Winston-Salem, where the Demon Deacons will host No. 5 Miami in a game that already carries the feel of an early measuring stick for a team trying to establish itself before the season gets too deep.
Miami has answered its first two games with authority, reinforcing the national championship expectations that already hang over the Hurricanes. Quarterback Darian Mensah, receiver Malachi Toney, running back Mark Fletcher and defensive tackle Ahmad Moten Sr. give the visitors the kind of balance that can expose mistakes quickly, which is why this one figures to say plenty about where Wake Forest stands after its bright opening. [Read more 🡒]