Gould replacing Kliavkoff as commissioner of the Pac-12
The Pac-12 has promoted Teresa Gould to commissioner as the conference tries to navigate a murky future.
Gould will succeed George Kliavkoff on March 1 after he was relieved of duties on Friday. She becomes the first female commissioner of an Autonomy Five conference.
“Teresa’s deep knowledge of collegiate athletics and unwavering commitment to student-athletes makes her uniquely qualified to help guide the Pac-12 Conference during this period of unprecedented change in college sports,” Washington State University President and Pac-12 Board of Directors chair Kirk Schulz said in a statement on Monday. “As the first female commissioner of an Autonomy Five conference, Teresa will be able to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to the table as the industry works to find its way through this shifting landscape.”
Gould was hired by the Pac-12 in 2018 and served as deputy commissioner, overseeing all sports, championship events and other duties.
She takes over a conference that’s down to two members after a mass exodus last year.
UCLA and USC announced in 2022 a move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and eight more schools followed suit in a tumultuous summer after Kliavkoff couldn’t reach a new media rights deal that remaining members believed would keep them competitive with Power Five conference peers.
Washington State and Oregon State are the only remaining long-term members of the Pac-12, and currently the only members of the conference’s board of directors.
The Pacific Northwest schools plan to keep the conference up and running with only two schools for at least another year, or maybe two, as they try to rebuild the league.
Gould served as the interim athletics director at UC Davis from 2015-16 and also worked at California as deputy athletic director.
TRACK AND FIELD Dutch sprinter Bol breaks own 400-meter indoor record
Femke Bol broke her 400-meter indoor world record on Sunday at the Netherlands’ national championships, finishing in 49.24 seconds to shave two-hundredths of a second off the record she set a year ago.
Bol, the 400-meter hurdles world champion, set the record less than two weeks before the World Indoor Athletic Championships open in the Scottish city of Glasgow.
“It’s a dream come true to run another world record and it’s wonderful to have all these Dutch fans enjoying the most beautiful sport in the world,” Bol said in her trackside interview.
She bettered her own record from a year ago that itself broke a 40-yearold record of 49.59 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova on March 7, 1982.
NBA Nets fire head coach Vaughn
Jacque Vaughn’s strong work guiding the Brooklyn Nets earned him a contract extension at last season’s Allstar break.
Just a year later, the Nets fired Vaughn after a 50-point loss in his final game, their worst since moving to Brooklyn.
The Nets announced Vaughn’s departure Monday and said an interim coach would be named soon.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward,” general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. “Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years. The consistent positivity and passion he poured into our team daily will remain with the players and staff he interacted with throughout his tenure.”
The Nets dropped five of their last six games before the break to fall to 2133, putting them in 11th place in the Eastern Conference. Their 136-86 loss to the Celtics on Wednesday was their worst defeat since leaving New Jersey in 2012 and the second-worst in franchise history.
SWIMMING U.S. finishes in second place behind China at worlds
American Hunter Armstrong helped himself to two more medals on the closing day of the World Aquatics Championships in Qatar, winning the men’s 4x100 medley relay with the U.S. after taking the silver in the men’s 50 backstroke.
Armstrong, who swam the first leg, praised his teammates Nic Fink, Zach Harting and Matt King after the U.S. won in 3 minutes 29.80 seconds. The Netherlands took silver in 3:31.23 with Italy in bronze (3:31.59).
“We start strong and we finish stronger,” Armstrong said. “We take pride in our medley relay.”
The Ohio native won golds earlier in the championships in the mixed 4x100 medley relay and men’s 100 backstroke.
Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem defended her title, and just missed out on beating her own world record of 23.61, when she won the women’s 50 free in 23.69. American Kate Douglass finished second in 23.91.
China topped the table on the goldmedal count. It had 33 medals overall — including 23 golds — while the United States was second with nine golds among an overhaul haul of 23. Australia was third overall with 24 medals but fewer golds (seven).
TENNIS Sinner wins tourney
Jannik Sinner won the ABN Amro Open in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in his first tournament since capturing the Australian Open title.
Top-seeded Sinner, playing his second straight Rotterdam final, beat fifth seed Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4.
Sinner is set to rise to a careerhigh No. 3 in the ATP rankings today, the highest ever for an Italian man.