Sports
Grind to glory
In the realm of fitness racing, where every second counts, the stage is set for an epic showdown. Welcome to the world of HYROX, where the Elite 15 athletes strive not just for victory but to redefine their limits. As the 2024-25 season unfolds, these extraordinary competitors push themselves beyond the ordinary, racing against time and each other for a coveted spot at the World Championships in Chicago.
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Beyond the ROX
Follow the demanding off-season journey that prepares athletes to become one of HYROX’s elite competitors in the ultimate fitness race.
A humbling start to the season for the marathon man
The Elite 15 season kicks off in Amsterdam – the first Major, the first statement. It’s where athletes show who’s been grinding in the off-season and who’s ready to shake up the rankings. With three World Championship spots up for grabs, the qualifiers walk away with more than just bragging rights – they gain control of their season.
On the men’s side, defending Elite 15 World Champion 34-year-old Alexander Roncevic took the win, kicking off his ambitious goal for the 2024-25 season to win all majors and the World Championship in a single season, while three-time Elite 15 World Champion Lauren Weeks stamped her authority and led from start to finish.
Jake Dearden training
© Markus Rohrbacher/Red Bull Content Pool
With a focus on building his running base, the fitness athlete and master coach clocked a head-turning 2:28 at the Berlin marathon less than two weeks before the Amsterdam race. “It was a gamble,” Dearden said. “But I think it’s going to help with my HYROX. Twelve days after this I’ve got my first Elite 15 Major. I’m a bit nervous. Obviously, I’m not going to be in tip-top condition.”
Dearden’s gamble didn’t quite pay off. He finished 11th but took some valuable insight from his first top-flight race. More than that, his competitors were put on notice.
“If he can put it all together, maybe we’ll see him at Worlds,” said the man to beat, Alex Roncevic, eyeing another challenger in the already competitive field.
Megan Jacoby and Lauren Weeks catch their breath at Hyrox Amsterdam
© Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool
In the female race, the stark differences between athletes were top of mind, with a three-way battle between Lauren Weeks, a HYROX veteran, balancing being an athlete and a mother. Megan Jacoby is getting to grips with a new full-time professional occupation in HYROX. Joanna Wietrzyk is a brand new 22-year-old professional making waves in the sport after only three months.
Making the switch to HYROX as a recipe for success
At the HYROX Major Hong Kong, Australian James Kelly proved he could be at his best when it counts. He found a way through the tumult of an Elite 15 contest to claim his first victory and upset Alexander Roncevic’s lofty dreams of a Majors clean sweep. “If I could win any major, it would definitely have been tonight. Call me biased, but us Aussies are just getting started.”
He was spot on. In the women’s race, fellow Australian Wietrzyk, aged just 22 and with only a few months of HYROX under her belt, had already qualified. The former professional tennis player ran away from the field and won in her second race, securing a historic Australian double win.
Athletes making the switch from professional sports is becoming increasingly commonplace in the HYROX world. Sadiq El Fitouri, the one-time Manchester United footballer made the move to HYROX to rediscover his passion for competition. “The transition wasn’t difficult,” said El Fitouri. “I’m used to having a strict routine with my training, my diet and my routine.”
Ida Mathilde Steensgaard doing sandbag lunges
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
Agony and triumph in Las Vegas
The first HYROX Major of 2025 saw the US athletes in full flow and the return of Hunter McIntyre, the US native who won the 2022 World Championships here, in a dominant display. However, fellow American Dylan Scott, in 2025, would put in a fierce performance to edge McIntyre at the wall balls; Scott, a HYROX veteran, had some choice words for his critics at the finish line.
Las Vegas also saw the return of Dearden. “Amsterdam was humbling,” he said. “I was proud of finishing 11th, considering where my fitness was. But I picked up a back injury, so I missed Hong Kong.”
Instead, Dearden went to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre in Salzburg for biomechanical analysis and strength testing to pinpoint the cause of the problem.
“We identified the issue, made a rehab plan and I’m feeling fitter than ever.” He came through strongly in the second half of the race but ended up finishing fourth, notching a PB, but agonisingly just one spot out from a World Championship ticket.
From runner to rising star in HYROX
Lucy Procter powers through HYROX training
© Markus Rohrbacher/Red Bull Content Pool
“I had no idea what it was. I did my first race in 2023,” she said. “I thought I’m going to do this. I’m going to move away from running. It was a big risk, but I knew this was it. It took off and the last two years have been a rollercoaster.”
Her coach is current Elite 15 world champion and HYROX game-changer Megan Jacoby. “As someone who became a professional late, it’s exciting for me to guide someone younger,” said Jacoby.
HYROX-specific coaches have become increasingly vital to athletes’ maximising their potential as sporting standards rapidly increase. Anthony Perissini of The Hybrid Engine coaches a total of nine of the Elite 15, including 2024-25 race winners Lauren Weeks and James Kelly.
“Our philosophy is general fitness,” said Peressini. “You need to be fit in multiple aspects outside of just the movements presented in a singular race.”
Glasgow reveals fierce rivalries – and resurfaces a local hero
Lauren Weeks reclaimed her throne in Glasgow
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
In the fourth and final major of the season in Glasgow, UK, tension was mounting: In the fourth and final major of the season in Glasgow, UK, tension was mounting: Nine qualification slots in the Elite 15 were already allocated, and only the last three direct qualification slots were available.
Lauren Weeks travelled in the day before the event to beat her own world record, and James Kelly ran like the wind, crossing the line just a second shy of McIntyre’s record time to secure his second win of the season.
Fierce rivals Kelly, McIntyre and popular Glaswegian athlete Graham Halliday went hard from the start in front of a raucous crowd. With 85,000 people competing in the UK’s seven HYROX events this season, few other countries have taken to the sport quite so fervently.
Major Elite 15 competitor Graham Halliday
© Brian Ching See Wing/Red Bull Content Pool
For UK-based Jake Dearden, this was home turf – and his last shot at qualification.
“Everyone kept telling me I’d qualify, so I just thought I best start acting like it. You have to believe you can do it.”
That belief powered him through his now trademark faster second half of the race, reaching the wall balls with a spot at qualification within his grasp. Having keyed in on this last station since just missing out in Las Vegas, a stronger finish on the wall balls was pivotal in finally snagging the qualification that had evaded him all season.
The HYROX journey continues in Chicago
With the World Championships held in mid-June in Chicago, the qualified Elite 15 athletes are now training to be at their absolute fittest for the biggest race of the season.
That the athletes, coaches, family and spectators now pour so much of themselves into training and racing around the rest of their lives is a testament to how fast HYROX has accelerated as a professional sport. The brakes cannot be put on now.
Part of this story
ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Kalamazoo College men’s and women’s track and field teams opened indoor season Friday at the GVSU Holiday Open. The competition marked the Hornets’ first track and field meet of any kind since 1980 for men’s, 1981 for women’s, and the first indoor competition since 1939 (men only).
Drew Abbott was the first competitor for Kalamazoo, finishing No. 10 overall and as the top Division III runner in the men’s one-mile run open field at 4:26.08.
In the men’s 400-meter dash, Bram Derksen posted a 53.87-second time, and Elliott Anderson ran his 400m in 55.33.
Allison Mayer became the Hornets’ first official women’s indoor track competitor by running a 10:54.84 3000m. Maya Alkema ran the 5000m in 18:37.56.
On the men’s side in the 5000m, Jack Schneider ran at a time of 15:56.47 and John Lonsway finished at 16:49.87.
Kalamazoo men’s and women’s indoor track and field will travel to Trine for the Sean Brady Invitational after the holiday break on Jan. 17, 2026.
Related coverage in the video aboveNebraska volleyball hosted LIU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.Bergen Reilly to Andi Jackson and Nebraska was up 6-2.Jackson would later bump Nebraska’s lead to 15-9.A kill from Taylor Landfair ended set 1, giving Nebraska the 25-11 set victory.Rebekah Allick on the block, and it’s 3-0 Huskers in set 2.Allick and Jackson were leading the Huskers by the end of set 2. Nebraska defeated LIU 25-15 in the second set.A 4-0 run for the Huskers kicked things off in set 3.Nebraska was dominating LIU in set 3.Allick claimed match point for Nebraska.The Huskers got the 25-17 set win and the sweep over LIU.The Huskers will face Kansas State in the second round of the tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
Related coverage in the video above
Nebraska volleyball hosted LIU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Bergen Reilly to Andi Jackson and Nebraska was up 6-2.
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Jackson would later bump Nebraska’s lead to 15-9.
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A kill from Taylor Landfair ended set 1, giving Nebraska the 25-11 set victory.
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Rebekah Allick on the block, and it’s 3-0 Huskers in set 2.
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Allick and Jackson were leading the Huskers by the end of set 2. Nebraska defeated LIU 25-15 in the second set.
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A 4-0 run for the Huskers kicked things off in set 3.
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Nebraska was dominating LIU in set 3.
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Allick claimed match point for Nebraska.
The Huskers got the 25-17 set win and the sweep over LIU.
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The Huskers will face Kansas State in the second round of the tournament on Saturday at 7 p.m.
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UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Adrian College track and field team traveled to Saginaw Valley State University for the Holiday Invite, showcasing strong performances across the board.
On the men’s side, Joseph Sheridan set a personal best in the 400m dash with a time of 51.06, earning 23rd place. In the mile, both Jessie Strickland and Nick Doerr set personal records, with Strickland crossing the finish line in 5:06.00 for 21st place and Doerr finishing 22nd in 5:07.95. Brandon Berry soared to a fifth-place finish in the high jump, clearing 1.94m and cementing his place in the program’s top-10. In the long jump, Ian Chavis claimed 10th with a leap of 6.15m (20-2.25), while Forrest Schroeder posted a solid 12th-place mark at 6.09m (19-11.75).
The women’s team also had notable performances. Abigail Raftis ran the 400m dash in 1:06.36 for 26th place, and Alayna Paeth set a personal best in the 800m with a time of 2:38.94, earning 22nd place. In the high jump, Alysia Townsend cleared 1.57m (5-1.75) to finish sixth. The long jump saw Piper Pierce take 23rd with a mark of 4.63m (15-2.5) and Emily Peterson finish 26th at 4.30m (14-1.25).
Up Next: The Bulldogs are back in action on Saturday, January 17th where they will head back to Saginaw Valley State University. The meet is scheduled to kick-off at 10:00 AM.
Live Results
Previewing the Owls
- A total of 26 athletes will represent Temple across 11 events this weekend.
- Freshman Emilie Creighton, Aly Doyle, Kei-Mahri Hanna, Rian Johnson, Kenya Merritt, Kamryn Ohm, Janae Pettaway, Smilla Ranebro, and Adama Turay, will make their indoor track and field college debut this weekend.
- Nine Temple athletes will compete in the jumps: Emelie Beckman (pole vault), Doyle (long jump), Ohm (pole vault), Ranebro (high jump), Shalisha Robertson (long jump and triple jump), Reagan Schwartz (long jump and triple jump), Deja Scott (long jump), Inara Shell (long jump and triple jump), and Reece Sullivan (pole vault).
- For the sprints, Zayniah Ali, Pettaway, Turay, and Lila Ziegler will compete in the 60m dash. Also, racing in the 60m hurdles are: Ali, Doyle, and Turay.
- Competing in the 300m dash are Ali, Grace Hickman, Merritt, Pettaway, and Maliah Powell.
- Racing in the 600m are Jayla Green, Hanna, Mariah Jameson, Chole Smith, and Dicia Watkins.
- Laila Cottom and Maya Gomes will represent Temple in the 1,000m race. While, Creighton and Johnson will run the 3,000m race.
- To conclude the meet Temple will race three 4×400 meter relay teams.
Previewing the Field
Other schools that will be competing this weekend are Delaware, Georgetown, Hampton, Rider, St. Joseph’s, Penn, Princeton, Morgan State, and Villanova.
Up Next
Temple will return to the Ott Center to compete at the Penn Select hosted by Penn on Saturday, Jan. 10.
RESULTS
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. –
Three top 10 performances in program history put the Albion track & field team in good spirits at the SVSU Holiday Open.
Performing inside the vast field house with a 300m track, Caragh Dwyer placed 14th in the 400m (1:02.92) that was good enough to earn a top 10 mark in team history.
Maggie Sorrelle leapt for a mark of 2.82m in the pole vault, which was the fourth-best in Albion history and highest since 2020.
In the throws, Morgan Hurd’s 14.81m toss in the weight throw was fourth-furthest in Albion history and tenth overall among the field.
Mia Czarnowski (8.31, PR), Sorrelle (27.66) and Brianna Bennett (1:05.70, PR) were the best finishers for the Britons in the 60m, 200m and 400m, respectively.
Czarnowski posted a 4.77m in the long jump, while Zoey Bennett leapt a 9.45m in the triple jump.
As for other throwers, Kaylee Kopulos notched 10.42m and 12.43m tosses in the shot put and weight throw, respectively.
Up Next
Albion will be back in action during next calendar year, as they will head to Heidelberg’s brand-new indoor track for the Larry Brown Invitational on Friday, January 16.
KEY PLAYERS
- Fr. OPP Abigail Mullen led all scorers with 21.5 points earned on a match-high 17 kills (7e, 39att, .256) to go with 10 digs for her eighth double-double. She also had five blocks and two service aces.
- Fr. S Reese Messer put up her 11th double-double with 46 assists and 11 digs. She also added six blocks (one solo) and had three kills on eight swings (.375).
- RS So. OH London Wijay had 10 kills (3e, 38att, .184) and 12 digs for her eighth double-double (17th career).
- RS So. MB Leah Ford had nine kills (1e) on 17 swings to hit .471 and led the team with seven blocks.
- So. MB Mia Tvrdy played just the last three sets but finished with eight kills on 10 swings (.800) and had two blocks, two digs and a two-handed jump-set assist on a kill by Mullen.
- Sr. MB Rylie McGinest had six kills (1e, 13att, .385) to go with one block.
- Fr. LIB Taylor Deckert led the team with 13 digs and added six assists. Sr. LIB Gala Trubint had four digs and a service ace.
- For the Mustangs, Emma Fredrick led with 17 kills and had 17 digs to lead all players. Kendall Beshear and Annabelle Thalken each had 12 kills. Beshear had 14 digs for the double-double and served a pair of aces. Emme Bullis put up 44 assists with 12 digs for a double-double.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Mustangs never trailed in the opening frame to grab a 25-19 win. Both teams registered 15.0 points, but the Mustangs committed fewer unforced errors to come out on top. The Trojans had 13 kills with five from McGinest but hit just .146 with seven errors on 41 swings. Cal Poly had just 11 kills but hit .258 and had a 3-1 edge in blocks. Both teams each served an ace, but the Trojans served six errors to the Mustangs’ two in the loss.
- The teams were tied 13 times and the lead changed hands five times before Cal Poly took a 2-0 lead with a 25-20 win in set two. Mullen had five kills to lead the Trojans, but USC totaled just 10 kills and hit .147 in the set. Both teams had three blocks apiece, but the Mustangs still hit .270 with 15 kills (5e) on 37 swings with five more kills from Beshear.
- USC secured a 25-20 set-three win on the second of two service aces from Dani Thomas-Nathan. Tvrdy came in and sparked the Trojans with the first kill of the frame and finished with five on just six swings. Mullen tallied six kills on 12 swings without an error and helped USC hit .326 (18k, 4e, 43att). The Trojans had four blocks to help hold the Mustangs to a .194 attack rate with 10 kills (4e) on 31 swings. USC never trailed and led by five twice before winning by five.
- Back-to-back Mustang errors broke the eighth and final tie of the fourth and put the Trojans in front, 11-9, en route to a 25-14 win. USC continued to push and moved in front by six, 17-11, on a block by Mullen and Ford. Back-to-back kills from Mullen put USC on top by seven, 19-12, and her tool kill made it a 10-point USC lead at 23-13. Mullen and Wijay each scored four kills in the fourth as the Trojans hit .448 (14k, 1e, 29att) and had three blocks to hold Cal Poly to a .081 hitting percentage with 12 kills (9e) on 37 attacks.
- Cal Poly broke a three-all tie in the fifth with a 6-0 run and was never threatened on the way to a 15-7 win to seal the 3-2 win. Beshear had a six-serve run that included a service ace to put the Mustangs on top by six, 10-4. The Trojans could get no closer than within five despite every effort. The Mustangs hit .316 with eight kills (2e) on 19 swings over USC’s .091 rate in the fifth with five kills (3e) on 22 attempts.
MATCH NOTES
- USC fell to 13-6 all-time against Cal Poly. The teams met for the first time since 2012.
- The Women of Troy fell to 15-4 at home this season and to 231-64 (.783) all-time at Galen Center, which includes a 21-5 mark in NCAA tournament matches.
- USC goes to 131-45 (.744) all-time in the postseason with an 85-38 (.691) mark in the NCAA tournament.
- The Trojans fell to 14-11 in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
For more information on the USC women’s volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Facebook, X, TikTok, and Instagram.
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