Old Gold&Black “Covers the campus like the magnolias”
WA K E F O R E S T ’ S S T U D E N T N E W S PA P E R S I N C E 1 9 1 6
VOL 112 , NO. 2
SEPTEMBER 18, 2025
SportsCenter visits Reynolda Campus Students and fans crowd Hearn Plaza for the hourly segment SCOTTIE KIMMELMAN Sports Editor This past Thursday, members of the SportsCenter on Campus segment made a quick stop to Reynolda Campus to promote the ensuing prime time game between Wake Forest and NC State. Before this rivalry matchup was televised nationally on ESPN, the widely renowned show featured a one-hour broadcast previewing the game on Hearn Plaza. Anchor Matt Barrie and co-host Tom Luginbill spent their allotted time hyping up the crowd of both fans and students alike. Interactive events such as tossing corn hole, rolling the quad and snatching donuts from Coach Jake Dickert elevated the excitement level significantly before kickoff. “This is why we came here,” Dickert said on the set of SportsCenter. “It’s this kind of support that will take us far in the season.” In the second season of SportsCenter on Campus, which has been exclusively hosted by Barrie, the goal
of featuring smaller schools in the country remains unchanged. While Wake Forest may not receive the same national coverage as the other universities highlighted in the segment, this kind of media attention is a novel concept for the school. The fans that were in attendance at this taping were just as conscious of how important SportsCenter’s appearance on campus was. With every word that Barrie directed towards the audience, the corresponding responses were twice as loud and filled with school spirit. Whether it was students, alumni or long-time supporters, everyone in attendance wanted to express their passion for Wake Forest. Some students even made posters with concerted efforts to get on television. During the taping of the show, viewers could see fans holding up signs of babies, written messages and even wagers. Senior Blake Sterling drew a sign which said, “My dad bet me $50 I couldn’t get on SportsCenter. I. Need. To. Win.” Luckily, both Barrie and ESPN staffers noticed Sterling’s sign minutes before recording and requested the student to call her dad with cash on the line.
“It was all such a blur, but such a cool experience,” Sterling said. “I was really nervous being on live TV. I’ve never done that before. But I felt super comfortable being surrounded by my friends and the greater Wake Forest community.” According to Sterling, her dad has since lived up to his side of the bargain. Small moments like this on one of the greatest television platforms in the country can be a huge deal for a small school like Wake Forest. It is a chance to promote this University as one that is known for more than just its sports. “This opportunity was a really great way to broadcast the school in a positive light,” Sterling said. “I think that the pride of the Winston-Salem community helped by wanting to support us on game day.” Despite the eventual loss to the Wolfpack on Thursday night, the attention that this program and the University received as a whole cannot go unnoticed.
Contact Scottie Kimmelman at kimmsd22@wfu.edu and James Lombardo at lombjp23@wfu.edu
Amanda Blasberg/Old Gold & Black
NEWS Annual Climb To Remember Page Four
CITY & STATE Forsyth County school walkouts Page Five
What's Inside
FEATURES Barry Yeoman Feature Page Nine
ENVIRONMENT Trump and EPA Regulations Page Ten
OPINION
AI has no place in campus communications
Page Thirteen
SPORTS Football loses first game of season Page Fifteen
ARTS & CULTURE Recent Banshees show Page Eighteen