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Wheelchair basketball player Steve Serio

As for what’s next beyond that, Serio isn’t sure.“It was great to live in Italy for eight months and to feel a little more connected to my roots,” Serio says. Serio, 37, knew going into the Paris Games that it would be his last Paralympics as a player, so he tried to soak in the […]

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Wheelchair basketball player Steve Serio

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As for what’s next beyond that, Serio isn’t sure.“It was great to live in Italy for eight months and to feel a little more connected to my roots,” Serio says.
Serio, 37, knew going into the Paris Games that it would be his last Paralympics as a player, so he tried to soak in the entire experience.
“The sports-specific wheelchair I use costs ,000,” Serio says. “I’m hoping to help remove those hurdles for the next generation and help carry the Paralympic movement forward.”
Serio’s career has had no shortage of special moments. As co-captain, he helped lead the U.S. men’s wheelchair basketball team to gold medals at the 2016 Paralympics in London, the COVID-delayed 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo and finally again at the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.
Steve Serio, co-captain of the U.S. Men’s National Wheelchair Basketball team, says he never thought he would have the honor of being named a flag bearer for Team USA. And yet there he was with fellow para athlete Nicky Nieves, leading the 225-member Team USA Paris delegation down the famed Champs-Élysées during the opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games.
Not only will Paris be his final Paralympic Games, Serio also has decided to retire as a basketball player altogether.
“To be voted flag bearer among my peers, it’s one of the most special moments of my career,” Serio says.
Serio was selected to represent his country at the Paralympics for the first time at the 2008 Summer Games hosted in Beijing. The team finished fourth after losing to Great Britain in the bronze medal match. In 2012, he and the men’s team captured the bronze medal at the Summer Paralympics in London before the run of three gold-medal finishes in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris.
During his senior year of high school in 2005, Serio was named tournament MVP after scoring 74 points in four games while leading the Lightning in the Junior National Wheelchair Basketball Championships. Soon after, he was one of 12 American players selected to represent the country at the 2005 World Junior Basketball Championships in Australia, where they took home the gold medal. In 2007, Serio and his American teammates again took home the gold, this time at the Parapan American Games in Brazil.
“The only thing I did differently was live in the moment and be present more,” Serio says. “The thing I’m going to miss about being a Team USA athlete isn’t the medals, it’s being around the guys, being in the huddle together.”
“It’s still early days,” Serio says. “It’s the first time in my life that I don’t have a specific goal. It feels scary and refreshing all at the same time.”
“I’ve accomplished everything I wanted to accomplish on the field of play,” Serio says. “The place I can give back to the sport that has given me everything is off the court.”
The article above appears in the January 2025 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.
Serio embraced all of the off-the-court moments with his teammates, like team meetings and all the meals they ate together.
Serio has enjoyed success throughout his basketball career. He began playing the sport at age 14 with the Long Island Lightning, the only competitive junior wheelchair basketball team in New York state. Within months of joining, he and his teammates took home the club’s first-ever tournament win.

Serio says he will continue to work with a number of sponsors and nonprofit organizations to raise awareness of the adaptive-sports movement.
Serio grew up in Nassau County on Long Island. He says both of his parents have Italian heritage, with ancestry scattered across Italy. In late 2023, Serio signed on with a basketball team based in Milan, Italy, as a way to get in shape for the Paris Games.

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A-State Track and Field Qualifies Seven for NCAA West Preliminary Rounds; Eddowes Qualifies for NCAA Championships

Story Links NCAA Preliminary Rounds Qualifiers JONESBORO, Ark. (5/22/25) – Arkansas State track and field has qualified seven athletes for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, set for May 28-31, in College Station, Texas. One of those seven – Colby Eddowes – also secured a […]

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JONESBORO, Ark. (5/22/25) – Arkansas State track and field has qualified seven athletes for the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds, set for May 28-31, in College Station, Texas.

One of those seven – Colby Eddowes – also secured a bid to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the decathlon. He is among 24 entrants into the field and ranks 18th nationally with a total of 7,681 points. Eddowes will compete in the two-day event Wednesday and Thursday, June 11-12, in Eugene, Oregon. Eddowes will be A-State’s first decathlete since 2008 to compete at the outdoor championships.

The preliminary rounds will be hosted by Texas A&M at Cushing Stadium, and a full schedule can be found at NCAA.com. Portions of each day’s events will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning with the first track event.

Athletes who rank among the top 48 in their respective events earn bids into the prelims, with others added due to scratches among the initial top 48. The top 12 individuals in each event at both the East and West Prelims advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.

Noa Isaia will be first to contest for a bid to nationals, qualifying for the hammer throw first round with a best throw of 66.22m (217-3). The sophomore will compete at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with each of the 48 competitors getting three throws and the top 12 advancing to Eugene.

In addition to his nationals bid in the decathlon, Eddowes will also compete in preliminary-round action in the 110-meter hurdles, qualifying with his time of 13.45 set at the Sun Belt Championships. He will run in the first round at 6 p.m. Wednesday and then again Friday at 6:15 p.m. should he advance.

Bradley Jelmert will vie for his second bid to the outdoor championships, entering next week tied for fifth in the region with a height of 5.55m (18-2.5). John Carswell also qualified in the event with a mark of 5.28m (17-3.75) at the Sun Belt Championships. The pair will compete Wednesday with the event slated to start at 5:30 p.m.

Sun Belt Track Performer of the Year Jacob Pyeatt is slated to compete in the 5000 meters at 8:10 p.m. Friday, qualifying with a time of 13:35.90.

2025 SBC Indoor and Outdoor pole vault champion Carly Pujol is set to continue her record-setting season in the women’s pole vault at 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The Cape Girardeau, Mo., native qualified with a program-best mark of 4.31m (14-1.75) at the conference meet.

Also competing Thursday will be Michelle Ogbemudia, who will compete at 6 p.m. in the shot put – an event in which she posted a mark of 16.40m (53-9.75) this season. She earned silver in the event at the conference championships and will be making her third trip to the West Prelims – her second in the shot put.

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For the latest on the A-State track and field and cross country programs, follow @AStateTrack on Twitter and @astatetfxc on Instagram, while also liking the team’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/AStateTrackAndField.



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Leder and Richwine Preview the NCAA Championship Meet

Story Links GENEVA, Ohio – This week the Dickinson men’s and women’s track and field team will be represented by two athletes at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship hosted by the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Senior, Annie Leder will take part in the women’s long jump beginning […]

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GENEVA, Ohio – This week the Dickinson men’s and women’s track and field team will be represented by two athletes at the NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championship hosted by the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio. Senior, Annie Leder will take part in the women’s long jump beginning this afternoon at 5:30pm, while junior, Trevor Richwine has to wait one more day to get his competition started as he will compete in the men’s 800m. The prelims start Friday at 4pm, followed by the final on Saturday at 2:50pm.

The two athletes and their head coach Eric Bologa caught up with Director of Athletic Communications, David Adamovage to preview the championship as well as reflect on a very successful 2024-2025 campaign.

You can follow the action this weekend with the live results by clicking here.



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Olympian Dean Hewitt hopeful a curling facility will be finished before he retires

Olympian Dean Hewitt hopeful a curling facility will be finished before he retires By Erin Marsicovetere Topic:Curling 25m ago25 minutes agoThu 22 May 2025 at 7:26pm World championship bronze medallist Dean Hewitt wants to see a purpose-built facility for curling in Australia to help the next generation of curlers. (ABC News: Billy Draper) In short: […]

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Olympian Dean Hewitt hopeful a curling facility will be finished before he retires

Australian Olympian and world championship bronze medallist Dean Hewitt, smiling for a photograph

World championship bronze medallist Dean Hewitt wants to see a purpose-built facility for curling in Australia to help the next generation of curlers. (ABC News: Billy Draper)

In short:

Olympian Dean Hewitt says Australia’s ability to grow the sport of curling is being hindered by the lack of a purpose-built facility.

The ACT government promised the Canberra Arena during territory elections in 2016, but construction on the facility has not begun.

What’s next?

Hewitt and teammate Tahli Gill will compete at the Olympic Qualification Event, set to be held in Kelowna, Canada, from December 6 to 19, for one of the two remaining curling spots at the 2026 Olympic Games.

Olympian Dean Hewitt wants to inspire the next generation of curlers in Australia but a lack of purpose-built facilities is stifling high performance growth in the sport.

Hewitt and mixed doubles partner Tahli Gill won Australia’s first world championship bronze medal earlier this month and the pair also made history in 2022, becoming the first Australian curlers to compete at the Winter Olympics.

But their success has come against the odds as Australia does not have any dedicated curling sheets.

To pursue his goals on the ice, Hewitt will only spend roughly four months a year at home in Melbourne before heading abroad to maximise his time on the ice overseas.

Hewitt told ABC Sport that despite the Icehouse skating rink in Melbourne’s Docklands precinct being “world-class”, sharing the ice with figure skating, ice hockey and speed skating means the conditions for curling are compromised.

“We’re very lucky to have the Icehouse … that’s where I’ve grown up curling … But at the end of the day, for curling ice, we need to have dedicated ice which doesn’t have skaters,” he said.

“Skaters’ ice, it’s all chopped up … we need to have it really flat so the rocks curl in a direction they’re supposed to.”

Australian Olympic and world championship bronze medallist Dean Hewitt, practising his delivery of the stone from the hack

Dean Hewitt says Melbourne’s Icehouse is a great facility, but Australia needs proper curling sheets to grow the sport. (ABC News: Billy Draper)

A new multi-purpose ice sports facility dubbed Canberra Arena in Tuggeranong was an election promise made by the ACT government during the 2016 territory election campaign.

The plans boast a “first of its kind in Australia” curling sheet, but progress at the site has moved at a glacial pace.

The ACT government has committed $16.2 million towards the project, and up until earlier this week, the government’s website listed 2025 as a completion date despite construction not yet beginning.

The remaining amount of money needed to build the estimated $70 million arena will come from developers Cruachan Investments and Pelligra Holdings, who will “build, own, operate and maintain it”.

Director of Cruachan Investments Stephen Campbell is also the chief executive officer of the Canberra Brave, three-time Australian Ice Hockey League champions, who will call the facility home once it is built.

“Completing a dedicated, specific surface, arena for the Canberra Brave is of utmost importance,” he said.

“But also, we’re very keen to grow not just ice hockey, but all the other sports that exist in the ACT, figure skating, broomball, but also, and I think really importantly, to add to the cohort of sports such as curling and speed skating, which currently don’t have homes in the ACT.”

But the latest preliminary advice from the ACT’s Conservator of Flora and Fauna for the site at Tuggeranong has raised several red flags for the developers.

“We are concerned about the number of trees that would have to be removed, which is in the vicinity of just under 200,” Campbell said.

“As a responsible entity, we are looking at options that would either mitigate the loss, or alternate sites for development,” Campbell said.

The steepness of the block also makes building the specialised venue challenging.

The lack of international-standard curling facilities threatens to undermine Hewitt and Gill’s long-lasting impact on the sport, even if they can make the podium at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Olympics.

The pair are yet to qualify for the Games in February, but have one final chance to do so at the Olympic Qualification Event in Kelowna, Canada from December 6 to 19.

“We’d love to have that legacy held behind us, and hopefully it will be there before I retire,” Hewitt said.

“We don’t want to be the only Australian Olympians, we want to be one of the first, but with many more to come.”

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Five Patriots Qualify for NCAA First Round Track & Field Championships

Fairfax, Va. – George Mason University will be well represented at the NCAA First Round Qualifiers as five standout student-athletes – Geni Roberts, Kailynn Tyson, Wesley Bond, Davian Burke, and Joziah Johnson – have earned their places among the nation’s best in their respective events.  Kailynn Tyson will compete in both the long jump and […]

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Fairfax, Va. – George Mason University will be well represented at the NCAA First Round Qualifiers as five standout student-athletes – Geni Roberts, Kailynn Tyson, Wesley Bond, Davian Burke, and Joziah Johnson – have earned their places among the nation’s best in their respective events. 

Kailynn Tyson will compete in both the long jump and triple jump after an outstanding outdoor season. She posted a mark of 6.16 meters in the long jump, ranking 38th in the East region. Her triple jump performance at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Championships earned her a distance of 12.99 meters, the 15th best mark in the region.

Freshman Davian Burke made an immediate impact this season, qualifying for the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.87. His debut season continues with a trip to the NCAA First Round, demonstrating his potential on a national stage.

Joziah Johnson, the A-10 gold medalist in the 400m hurdles, enters the NCAA First Round ranked 38th in the East region. He secured his spot with a time of 51.10, capping off a strong outdoor campaign.

Returning to NCAA postseason competition is Geni Roberts, who qualified in the triple jump. Roberts landed a mark of 15.75 meters, the 16th best in the region, adding to his already impressive career as a Patriot.

Wesley Bond rounds out the Mason qualifiers with a strong showing in the 3000m steeplechase. Bond clocked a time of 8:43.50 at the A-10 Outdoor Championships, earning the 23rd best time in the East and a well-deserved place in the First Round.

NCAA East First Round Schedule:





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WATCH: Women’s Water Polo 2025 Season Recap

Story Links Ted Minnis discusses the 2025 women’s water polo season and what is to come for the Crimson after its most successful season in program history.  Veterans Ruby Hodge, Maya O’Dea, Emma Gilbert, Heidi Heffelfinger, and Ella Schneider, along with rookies  Orli Cooper and CWPA Rookie of the Year Niki Piovan, led the way in 2025 and helped Harvard […]

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Ted Minnis discusses the 2025 women’s water polo season and what is to come for the Crimson after its most successful season in program history. 

Veterans Ruby Hodge, Maya O’Dea, Emma Gilbert, Heidi Heffelfinger, and Ella Schneider, along with rookies  Orli Cooper and CWPA Rookie of the Year Niki Piovan, led the way in 2025 and helped Harvard win its first CWPA Championship and go to the NCAA Championships for the first time. 

The Crimson finished the regular season with a 10-2 record in conference play and sits at 22-6 overall with one game to go next weekend ahead of the 2025 playoffs. Harvard started the season by going 16-1 with wins over No. 25 LIU, No. 19 Wagner, No. 15 UCSB, No. 13 Princeton, No. 11 UCSD, No. 16 Michigan, No. 23 CBU, and No. 22 Brown in one of its best starts in program history before beating Michigan and Princeton 

Harvard jumped up to its highest ranking in program history after coming in at No. 8/7 in the ACWPC and CWPA weekly polls earlier this season. 

The Crimson set a program record with 26 wins this year between the regular season and playoffs. 

 



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Victory+ to Deliver Global Broadcast of 2025 Memorial Cup, Capping Breakout Season in Digital Live Sports Distribution

05/22/2025 – Article has been updated to reflect changes to the accompanying image Scheduled from May 22 – June 1, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be streamed live worldwide (excluding Canada), as Victory+ expands its global footprint and redefines access to live hockey content. DALLAS, May 22, 2025 (Newswire.com) – The premium, free, sports streaming […]

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05/22/2025 – Article has been updated to reflect changes to the accompanying image

Scheduled from May 22 – June 1, the 2025 Memorial Cup will be streamed live worldwide (excluding Canada), as Victory+ expands its global footprint and redefines access to live hockey content.


DALLAS, May 22, 2025 (Newswire.com)
–
The premium, free, sports streaming service, Victory+, owned by A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC), will broadcast the 2025 Memorial Cup from Rimouski, Québec, globally (excluding Canada) on the digital platform. The Memorial Cup pits the playoff champion from the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), along with the host club, in a four-team round-robin tournament to determine the champion of the CHL.

This year’s event will feature the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL), Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL), and the London Knights (OHL), and it will mark a key moment in expanding the visibility of junior hockey through a modern, scalable distribution model.

Streaming the 2025 Memorial Cup continues the Victory+ commitment to opening up new international pathways for live sports content. By bringing the CHL to a global stage, the platform is accelerating fan discovery of the league’s rising stars while building new audiences for the sport at large.

“Making the Memorial Cup available for free to global audiences is at the heart of our mission,” said Neil Gruninger, President & CEO of APMC. “Victory+ was built to remove barriers, giving both lifelong fans and those discovering the sport for the first time easy access to live hockey. We believe the future of sports lies in accessibility, and this championship stream is another example of how we’re delivering on that promise.”

The broadcast follows a successful wave of WHL, OHL, and QMJHL playoff games on the platform, which drew strong engagement and underscored the demand for frictionless access to premium junior hockey. With more than 700 WHL games set for the upcoming season, Victory+ is scaling its coverage to meet growing demand while empowering leagues and rights holders with modern monetization tools and platform reach.

This event also serves as a capstone to a record-setting spring for the service. From the highly successful Texas Wins on Victory Day initiative to the record-breaking digital viewership during Round One of the NHL Playoffs featuring the Dallas Stars, Victory+ continues to establish itself as a leader in the future of live sports streaming.

For game schedules, exclusive content, and more information visit www.victoryplus.com.

For more information on the Memorial Cup, including on this year’s tournament, please visit chl.ca/memorialcup.

ABOUT APMC and Victory+

A Parent Media Co. Inc. (APMC) is a media and technology company focused on providing innovative solutions to consumers and brands. APMC is a leader in Safe Streaming™ delivering an end-to-end solution to brands and platforms with an emphasis on unlocking incremental revenue. Utilizing proprietary streaming and monetization technologies, APMC reaches millions of homes globally through its products including Kidoodle.TV®, Dude Perfect Streaming Service, Glitch+™, Victory+™ and Safe Exchange™. Victory+ a groundbreaking FREE end-to-end, direct to consumer, sports streaming service made for fans, by fans. Featuring free regional broadcasts of various sports teams including the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks, Victory+ is also the home to a library of on-demand, premium sports-based, outdoors, and extreme sports content. Visit www.aparentmedia.com and www.victoryplus.com to learn more.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/aparentmediacoinc

X: https://twitter.com/AParentMediaCo

Media Contact:

Contact | media@aparentmedia.com

Source: A Parent Media Co. Inc.





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