(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BMX rider Hannah Roberts at COR BMX Park in South Jordan on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Sports
How a remote Utah business park became the center of BMX Freestyle in the USA
Hannah Roberts has won just about every major women’s professional BMX freestyle title out there. Not just one of every kind. Closer to nearly all that exist.
Roberts, 23, won her sixth consecutive UCI BMX World Championship in December, making her the only woman to have ever won that event. She won gold at both Pan American Games in which the discipline was offered (2019 and ’23). And last year, when X Games first made women’s BMX freestyle part of its program, she won that gold medal, too.
This week, Salt Lake City will host the X Games’ BMX, skateboarding and motoX events, and Roberts can’t wait. It’s not just the prospect of winning more hardware that has her hyped, but also something much rarer.
“This will probably be the only event in my life,” she said, “that I’ll be able to sleep in my own bed and then go and compete.”
Roberts moved to Utah in March to train at a facility started by a local dad who wanted to give his daughter, an up-and-coming BMX racer, a better place to practice. In doing so, Roberts may become a BMX trailblazer once again. COR Athlete, the facility built last year by Joe Sirlin in a remote office park in South Jordan, has become the hub for USA Cycling’s BMX freestyle teams. Roberts was the first pro athlete to move to the area to train there, but Sirlin said he believes she won’t be the last.
“We have multiple other people exploring relocating here full-time to train and to live in Utah,” Sirlin said. “So our goal is to help get athletes like that here, but also help get the next generation a place to evolve as an athlete.”
Building a solution in South Jordan
The trip to France with the Team USA BMX squad was supposed to be a learning experience for Sirlin’s teenage daughter, Keir. Yet it was Sirlin who got an education.
A former construction foreman and facility and event manager for various major sporting events — including Formula 1 and Moto GP races, PGA tournaments, Super Bowls and X Games — Sirlin couldn’t help but notice the ramps at the 2023 World Cup Fise in Montpellier were much larger than anything he’d seen in the United States. He asked Ryan Nyquist, a BMX legend and Team USA’s coach at the time, about the discrepancy.
“When we first saw these big ramps, I asked him, just person to person, ‘Hey, why does the United States not have anything this big for the riders to work on?’ Because we don’t, and Europe does. Australia, Japan, China — all these countries have these facilities, but we do not. And I asked him how we could change that.”
This April 2018 photo provided by USA Cycling shows Hannah Roberts speaking at the UCI Freestyle BMX World Cup in Hiroshima, Japan. The 16-year-old Roberts, already one of the best BMX freestyle riders in the world, is helping blaze a trail for women in the Olympics. (Kyle Carlson/USA Cycling via AP)
Nyquist said USA Cycling had struggled to come up with the funding to build a World Cup-caliber course. So, Sirlin came up with a solution.
Calling upon his contacts in the construction industry, he facilitated the construction of a temporary course inside a newly built business park off the Mountain View Corridor in South Jordan, minutes from where he and his family had moved in 2021. He called in heralded BMX park builder Nate Wessel to design the course with input from the athletes who would represent Team USA in Paris, including Roberts, who was training in Nyquist’s backyard. She requested a spine — two ramps connected at their apex by a small ledge) and a step-over (where the landing area is higher than the takeoff area).
“Those two things freak me out most on courses,” she said. “So I’ve got to ride them a lot, I guess.”
More BMX riders are calling Utah home
At the time, the course was meant as a quick fix to prepare Team USA athletes for the Paris 2024 Olympics. When it opened in March 2024, Olympic athletes — including Roberts — traveled there from around the country for training camps every two weeks until the Summer Games began in late July. When they left France in early August, they brought back four top-eight finishes. That included a silver medal won by Perris Benegas in a women’s competition that saw Roberts, the favorite after taking silver with a broken foot in the event’s debut in Tokyo, place eighth despite breaking her hand and injuring her shoulder in a crash during warmups.
With those results, USA Cycling was in no hurry to see the course dismantled. In January, it extended its partnership with COR-Athlete for at least another year.
“This facility has been a game-changer for our BMX Freestyle program,” Jim Miller, the chief of sports performance, said in a news release announcing the extension. “The world-class facility and the partnership with COR-Athlete enabled our team to push their limits and perform at the highest level on the world stage. We’re thrilled to continue this collaboration and build on the success we achieved in 2024.”
Likewise, Roberts was reluctant to lose her favorite practice facility. So, she rented out her house in North Carolina to make a new home out West.
“When I finally pulled the trigger, I didn’t know X Games was coming,” said Roberts, now one of Clearfield’s newest residents. “So it was legit this. My whole focus was this park and trying to, one, help it succeed and be able to stay around, but also just be able to train here.”
Roberts has accomplished both.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) BMX rider Hannah Roberts at COR BMX Park in South Jordan on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
She trains at the facility about three hours a day, she said, but she spends many more hours working behind the scenes. Sirlin pays her to be part office manager, part event director and part youth coach for camps hosted at COR-Athlete.
Others have since followed Roberts’ path. Angie Marino, a pro rider who performed a BMX stunt in the movie “Bad Moms,” also moved from North Carolina to Utah, Sirlin said. And Roberts said athletes like Nikita Ducarroz of Switzerland, who will also compete at X Games Salt Lake City, have used her home as a base camp.
Sirlin said he’d like to go beyond bringing in athletes for training and bring them in for World Cup-caliber competitions. The U.S. has only hosted one BMX freestyle World Cup stop, and that was in 2016. The course is expected to host the national championships next spring.
Considering her propensity for being on the cutting edge of the sport, Sirlin knows he may have been wise to get Roberts involved.
“She has accomplished more by a female in BMX freestyle than anyone in the history of the sport … and she’s only 23 years old,” he said. “I think she pushed the envelope of a very male-dominated sport that now is seeing 100% progression by countries all over the world and women all over the world, and she was the benchmark. That’s what I think Hannah has done for the sport.”
She says she’s nowhere near done, either. Next up is X Games Salt Lake City. Then, according to her long-term plan, every Summer Olympics through 2036. She expects to be based out of Utah for all of it, she said.
She just has to get that first title — to a house with a yard for her dogs — and let fate take it from there.
THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University track and field coach Stefanie Slekis announced the 2026 schedule along with the hiring of assistant coach Cameron Bolt on Monday afternoon.
Nicholls will compete in two in state meets and two out of state meets for the indoor season. The teams will begin the season in Baton Rouge at the LSU Purple Tiger on Jan.16 followed by the McNeese Indoor II on Jan. 30. The Colonels will cross state lines to compete in the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Samford University on Feb. 13 before concluding the season at the Southland Conference Championship on Feb. 25-26.
The outdoor season is action packed with three out of state completion’s and four instate events. The Red & Gray will begin outdoor action at the Louisiana Classics hosted by Louisiana in Lafayette on March 20-21. Next, the squads will open the month of April in Austin, Texas at the Texas Relays on April 1-4. The Colonels return to the boot for the Pelican Relays (4/10-11), Strawberry Relays (4/17), and the LSU Alumni Gold (4/25). Nicholls will wrap up regular season action at Texas A&M’s Alumni Muster in College Station, Texas on May 1-2. The Southland Conference Championship is in Nacogdoches, Texas on May 14.
Coach Slekis is looking forward to the new season with some new opportunities for her student-athletes. Bolt joins the staff after coaching over 200 National qualifiers, 15 All-Americans, four National Champions. Additionally, he is the owner of Bolt Track and Field Club team that he started in 2023 and has had more than 20 National qualifiers.
We are so excited for our 2026 Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field schedule. For our schedule we changed up the second half of both our Indoor and Outdoor seasons from the past few years,” Slekis said. “Indoor we will head to Birmingham to compete at Samford’s Bulldog invitational which will give our team the opportunity to test themselves on the facility we will return to for the indoor championship. Outdoor we close out the season at two of the best SEC track & field programs in the country who have phenomenal facilities. Going first to LSU and then bringing full teams to Texas A & M for the Alumni Muster. Before we return to Texas for the Southland Championship hosted by SFA.”
Coach Slekis gave her overall thoughts on the addition of Coach Bolt and how he can help the team improve.
“We are changing things up a bit this year and I am also really excited to see how well our student-athletes perform this season especially our track & field only student-athletes who had the entire fall semester working with our new assistant coach Cameron Bolt,” Slekis said. “Cam comes with a wealth of knowledge as a young coach who founded his own track & field club and continuously worked to prepare himself for his first NCAA Division I collegiate coaching opportunity. His energy combined with his knowledge base make him a phenomenal hire. He understands how to develop student-athletes and maximize their potential. Through fall testing his event group has seen improvement across the board so it will be fun to see that hard work translate to their specific events this next semester.”
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference announced the 78 student-athletes placed on the Academic All-MAC Team for the 2025 volleyball season, as Martina Villani, Gabby Brissett, Vanessa Del Real and Sarah Bettis represented the University of Akron.
The Academic All-MAC honor is awarded to a student-athlete who has excelled in both athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests in that sport.
- Martina Villani, Junior Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3.861
- Gabby Brissett, Senior, Biology, 3.745
- Vanessa Del Real, Junior, Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology, 3.81
- Sarah Bettis, Junior, Biomedical Science, 3.363
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo women’s volleyball team had five student-athletes named to the Academic All-MAC team for the 2025 season, the league office announced on Monday.
Senior Macy Medors led the Rockets, tallying a 3.989 GPA as she earned her third conference honor. Anna Alford and Sierra Pertzborn received the honor for a second-consecutive season. Grace Freiberger and Olivia Heitkamp were named honorees for the first time.
To qualify, student-athletes must be a sophomore or higher academic standing, have maintained a 3.20 cumulative GPA or higher and competed in 50% of contests during the 2025 season.
2025 Toledo Women’s Volleyball Academic All-MAC Team
Anna Alford, Senior, Public Health Management, 3.415
Grace Freiberger, Sophomore, Recreational Therapy, 3.909
Olivia Heitkamp, Sophomore, Early Childhood Education, 3.501
Macy Medors, Senior, Recreational Therapy, 3.989
Sierra Pertzborn, Redshirt Sophomore, Nursing, 3.558
- Kansas City field consists of No. 1 Kentucky, No. 1 Pitt, No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 3 Wisconsin
- Championship broadcast live on ABC for the third straight year; semifinals slated for ESPN, Thu., Dec. 18
- All matches will also stream on the ESPN App
It all comes down to Kansas City as ESPN’s exclusive coverage of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship culminates this week live from the T-Mobile Center with the National Semifinals on Thursday, Dec. 18, followed by the Championship match on Sunday, Dec. 21.
The stage is set as the final four teams face off in the semifinals beginning with No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh in the first semifinal on Thursday, Dec. 18, at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed 30 minutes later by No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky. Both matches will be presented on ESPN and available on the ESPN App.
For the third consecutive year, ABC is home to the Championship match, broadcasting live on Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3:30 p.m. and for the first time, ABC will also air a dedicated 30-minute preview show ahead of the Championship’s first serve, beginning at 3 p.m. Both the preview show and the match will be available on the ESPN App.
On the Mic
For the fourth straight year, game action for all three matches will be called by play-by-play commentator Courtney Lyle, alongside analysts Holly McPeak (three-time beach volleyball Olympian) and Katie George (2015 ACC Player of the Year). For the second consecutive year, the trio is joined by sideline reporter and former FSU beach volleyball standout Madison Fitzpatrick.
Studio Coverage
Studio Coverage will originate from the T-Mobile Center as Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman (four-year Northwestern standout) and Mary Wise (three-time AVCA Coach of the Year) bring viewers pre- and post-game insights and analysis throughout the semifinals and Championship.
The trio will prep viewers for all they need to know ahead the National Semifinals and National Championship match, bringing additional insight and analysis as a champion is crowded.
Every Serve, Every Angle
ESPN has all the action in Kansas City covered from every angle, including exclusive and behind-the-scenes coverage. This year, along with 25-plus cameras and two dozen replay sources, ESPN will have new and enhanced telestrations, giving the fans an additional in-depth look at the Xs and Os of the game.
Additionally, the presentation will have multiple jibs, giving fans a sweeping view over the arena. ESPN will also use six state-of-the-art slow-mo cameras to give viewers a look at the action at the net.
For the first time at the National Championship, the broadcast will feature Bolt 6, showcasing enhanced technology that shows viewers serve speed, spike speed, spike height and other statistical facets of the game.
In addition to the traditional main telecast, an alternate “High End Zone” viewing option will be available on ESPN+/ESPN App for the semifinals and the Championship, giving fans the option to watch the match from the end zone angle.
Kansas City Bound
The National Semifinals boast programs that have made a combined 15 national semifinal appearances. Pittsburgh is making its fifth consecutive trip to the National Semifinal with a No. 1 seed behind them as the Panthers look to hoist their first NCAA trophy. The Wildcats are making their first trip back to the semifinals since the ’20-21 season in which they cut down the nets in Omaha. Storied program Wisconsin makes its seventh trip to the national semifinals, looking to win the program’s second national title (2021). Rounding out the field are the Texas A&M Aggies, who are on the quest to win the program’s first national championship.
2025 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship
| Date | Time (ET) | Match | Network |
| Thu, Dec 18 | 6:30 p.m. | No. 3 Texas A&M vs. No. 1 Pittsburgh Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick |
ESPN ESPN App * |
| Between Match Coverage | NCAA Women’s Volleyball Studio Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise |
ESPN ESPN App * |
|
| 30 mins after Semifinal 1 | No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 1 Kentucky Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick |
ESPN ESPN App * |
|
| Sun, Dec 21 | 3 p.m. | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Preview Show Christine Williamson, Emily Ehman, Mary Wise |
ABC ESPN App |
| 3:30 p.m. | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship Courtney Lyle, Holly McPeak, Katie George, Madison Fitzpatrick |
ABC ESPN App * |
|
| Following Championship match | NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Trophy Ceremony | ESPN App |
* There will be two streams available on the ESPN App (Traditional Simulcast and High End Zone angle)
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.
NIL4 minutes ago
College football program loses 12 players to transfer portal after coaching change
Sports18 minutes ago
Slekis Announces 2026 T&F Slates & Staff Updates
Rec Sports19 minutes ago
Osage Beach Responds To Outcry Over Baseball Field Demolition | Lake Of The Ozarks Politics & Government
Rec Sports27 minutes ago
Stempien to seek opening for Branch County Circuit Court Judge | WTVB | 1590 AM · 95.5 FM
Rec Sports35 minutes ago
Parks and Recreation Programs for Teens
Rec Sports43 minutes ago
Bellingham players reignite adult co-ed flag football action with monthly games
Rec Sports51 minutes ago
First responders help kids with Christmas shopping | News, Sports, Jobs
NIL57 minutes ago
Jon Sumrall makes big donation to Tulane NIL fund
NIL2 hours ago
Miami DE coach Jason Taylor takes shot at Peyton Manning, Tennessee over missing College Football Playoff
Sports2 hours ago
Wisconsin volleyball beats Texas in four to reach Final Four
Sports2 hours ago
Four Zips Named to the 2025 Academic All-MAC Volleyball Team
Sports3 hours ago
Five Rockets Receive Academic All-MAC Honors
NIL3 hours ago
Georgia’s NIL Lawsuit Against Ex-LB Sign of Times in Modern NCAA Sports
Sports3 hours ago
ESPN serves up NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Semifinals and Championship, Dec. 18 & 21
Sports3 hours ago
Reilly Named AVCA Player of the Year Finalist – University of Nebraska
Rec Sports3 weeks ago
First Tee Winter Registration is open
Rec Sports3 weeks ago
Fargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
Motorsports3 weeks ago
CPG Brands Like Allegra Are Betting on F1 for the First Time
Sports4 weeks ago
Volleyball Recaps – November 18
Motorsports3 weeks ago
F1 Las Vegas: Verstappen win, Norris and Piastri DQ tighten 2025 title fight
Sports3 weeks ago
Utah State Announces 2025-26 Indoor Track & Field Schedule
Sports3 weeks ago
Two Pro Volleyball Leagues Serve Up Plans for Minnesota Teams
Sports3 weeks ago
Sycamores unveil 2026 track and field schedule
Motorsports3 weeks ago
Redemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
Sports3 weeks ago
Texas volleyball vs Kentucky game score: Live SEC tournament updates
Motorsports2 weeks ago
Jo Shimoda Undergoes Back Surgery
NIL2 weeks ago
Bowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
Rec Sports2 weeks ago
How this startup (and a KC sports icon) turned young players into card-carrying legends overnight
Motorsports6 days ago
SoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
Rec Sports2 weeks ago
Robert “Bobby” Lewis Hardin, 56
NBA Legend Michael Jordan to Join NBC Sports as Special Contributor
Why a rising mid-major power with an NCAA Tournament team opted out of revenue-sharing — and advertised it
Falcons mailbag
Portal Update – Basketball and Gymnastics Take Hits
has always dreamed in Mercurial. Now his initials are on the boots.
The new Kyl…
-
Rec Sports3 weeks agoFargo girl, 13, dies after collapsing during school basketball game – Grand Forks Herald
-
Motorsports3 weeks agoRedemption Means First Pro Stock World Championship for Dallas Glenn
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoJo Shimoda Undergoes Back Surgery
-
NIL2 weeks agoBowl Projections: ESPN predicts 12-team College Football Playoff bracket, full bowl slate after Week 14
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoHow this startup (and a KC sports icon) turned young players into card-carrying legends overnight
-
Motorsports6 days agoSoundGear Named Entitlement Sponsor of Spears CARS Tour Southwest Opener
-
Rec Sports2 weeks agoRobert “Bobby” Lewis Hardin, 56
-
NIL3 weeks agoIndiana’s rapid ascent and its impact across college football
-
Motorsports2 weeks agoPohlman admits ‘there might be some spats’ as he pushes to get Kyle Busch winning again
-
Sports2 weeks ago
Wisconsin volleyball sweeps Minnesota with ease in ranked rivalry win