CAL FIRES WOMEN’S SWIM COACH
Longtime University of California women’s swimming coach Teri McKeever was fired Tuesday following an investigation into alleged harassment, bullying and verbally abusive conduct, the school said in a statement.
McKeever led the Golden Bears to four NCAA team titles over 29 years. A 1979 graduate of San Pasqual High in Escondido, McKeever also coached the U.S. women’s swim team at the London Olympics in 2012, the first woman to serve in that role.
Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said in a letter to team and athletic staff that an investigative report by an independent law firm detailed “numerous violations of university policies that prohibit race, national origin, and disability discrimination. The report also details verbally abusive conduct that is antithetical to our most important values.”
Knowlton said the 482page report substantiated many allegations of unacceptable behavior and said it was in “the best interests of our student-athletes, our swimming program and Cal Athletics as a whole” that the program part ways with McKeever.
Soccer
Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez became the most expensive player in British soccer history after joining Chelsea from Benfica for 106.7 million pounds ($131.4 million), the Portuguese club announced.
The fee surpassed the 100 million pounds (then $139 million) that Manchester City paid Aston Villa for England international Jack Grealish in August 2021.
Chelsea agreed to pay the release clause in the 22-yearold World Cup winner’s contract after a day of negotiations
between Benfica and the co-owners of the Premier League club.
• Newcastle beat Southampton 2-1 despite a late red card for star midfielder Bruno Guimaraes to seal a 3-1 aggregate victory in the English League Cup semifinals. Newcastle is likely to be facing Manchester United in the Feb. 26 final. Man United leads 3-0 from last week’s first leg at Nottingham Forest.
Sean Longstaff scored both of Newcastle’s goals. It will be Newcastle’s first League Cup final since 1976 and a first trip to Wembley since the FA Cup final against Man United in 1999.
• Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen could miss most of the remainder of the season because of an ankle injury. United says he will be sidelined for “an extended period.”
Local colleges
Cal State San Marcos guard Greg Milton III was selected as the CCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23-29. Milton
scorched No. 12/14 Cal State San Bernardino for 30 points, leading the Cougars to an 98-85 upset win over the Yotes on Saturday as CSUSM completed a weekend sweep. Milton is third in the conference in scoring at 18.9 points per game.
• San Diego State’s Ximena Lechuga Gonzalez of Tijuana was named Mountain West Diver of the Week for a pair of standout performances in the Aztecs’ dual-meet victory over the University of San Diego on Jan. 27. With her award, Lechuga Gonzalez garnered her fourth conference weekly accolade of the season and third this month alone, giving her 11 such honors for her career. Lechuga Gonzalez helped SDSU extend its win streak to 50 straight.
• The 20th-ranked San Diego State men’s golf team slipped three spots into a tie for seventh place following a 13-over-par 301 at the Southwestern Invitational on the par-72, 7,017-yard North Ranch Country Club. The Aztecs are now tied with UCLA at 13-over 589 heading into today’s final round.
Sophomores Justin Hastings and Shea Lague (Steele Canyon HS) are tied for 10th out of 66 golfers through two rounds at 1under 143.
Also
German tennis player Alexander Zverev will not face disciplinary action after an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against him found “insufficient evidence” to substantiate the claims, the men’s professional tour said.
The ATP had commissioned the investigation in October 2021 after Zverev’s former girlfriend, Olya Sharypova, accused the 2020 U.S. Open runner-up of abuse. The 25-year-old Zverev, who won the singles gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, has always denied the accusations.
• Olympic gold medalist Wladimir Klitschko has joined Ukraine’s fight against IOC plans to let some Russians compete at the 2024 Paris Summer Games.
The former heavyweight champion suggested in a video message that sports leaders will be accomplices to the war if athletes from Russia and its military ally Belarus can compete at the next Olympics.
Klitschko’s one-minute statement filmed beside bomb-damaged buildings started “Dear Thomas Bach” in a direct challenge to the IOC president.
“The world is watching you, history will judge you. Good luck with your decision,” Klitschko said.
• Diana Taurasi’s USA Basketball career isn’t done just yet. The five-time Olympic gold medalist is part of the national team training camp in Minnesota next month.