Sports briefs
Bennett promoted to head coach
California (Pa.) promoted veteran assistant coach Kyle Bennett to head coach for the men’s and women’s golf teams after six seasons under Peter Coughlin, who resigned to pursue opportunities in the private sector.
During Bennett’s tenure, the Vulcans have featured multiple Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Athlete of the Year and PSAC Freshman of the Year recipients with a combined 14 All-PSAC selections.
Bennett was one of six finalists for the 2022 Jan Strickland Outstanding Assistant Coach Award, which is presented by TaylorMade Golf Company. He was the lone Division II finalist in a group that featured Division I assistants from Kansas, North Carolina, Pepperdine, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
Bennett is a 2012 graduate of California, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in professional golf management and minored in business administration.
He spent time working at Valley Brook Country Club in Canonsburg while studying at Cal, where he was a member of the golf team.
Bennett served as an assistant golf professional at Lone Pine Country Club in Washington while working with the junior varsity program at Trinity.
Bennett was elected into PGA Membership in the fall of 2020.
Oral Roberts wins CWS opener
Blaze Brothers hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning after an Oral Roberts pitching meltdown in the eighth, and the Golden Eagles continued their surprising postseason run with a 6-5 victory over TCU on Friday in the opening game of the College World Series.
The Eagles, the lowest seed to make it to Omaha since 2012, had just gone down three runs before they jumped on Luke Savage for four in the ninth. Drew Stahl’s RBI single pulled ORU within 5-3, and then Brothers drove an 0-1 pitch out to left for his first homer since May 24.
Oral Roberts is in the CWS for the first time in 45 years, and except for the rocky eighth inning, the upstart challengers from the Summit League showed no sign of wilting on college baseball’s biggest stage while winning for the 24th time in 25 games.
The Eagles’ Jonah Cox went 0 for 5, ending a 47-game hitting streak that was tied for third-longest in Division I history.
ORU (52-12) will play the winner of Friday night’s game between Florida and Virginia on Sunday night. TCU (42-23), which lost for the first time in 12 games, will play the Florida-Virginia loser in an elimination game Sunday afternoon. The result between the Gators and Cavaliers wasn’t available at press time.
Brown’s tenure as owner appears over
Former NFL receiver Antonio Brown’s brief and chaotic tenure as a National Arena League owner appears to be over after the league terminated the Albany Empire’s membership over a failure to make its monthly payments.
The NAL on Thursday announced its board of owners unanimously reached the decision after “exhausting all avenues” over the Empire’s refusal to make its past two payments, as well as Brown refusing to pay a $1,000 fine conduct detrimental to the league over recent comments. The termination ends the Empire’s season at 1-6 and with seven games remaining.
Brown became part owner of the two-time defending champion Empire in March and then last month took over a 94% stake in the franchise based in New York’s state capital.
The NAL said Brown’s accountant, Alex Gunaris, informed the league “that it didn’t seem like Mr. Brown was going to pay the assessment or fine.”
A message left with Empire president Alberony Denis was not immediately returned.
Brown spent the 2010 to 2018 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he emerged as one of the NFL’s top threats, and twice led the league in yards receiving. His career then took a downturn due to various on- and off-field controversies, included his contract being voided by the Oakland Raiders before the start of the 2019 season.
He split his final three NFL seasons with New England and Tampa Bay, and his career ended with Brown stripping off his jersey, pads and gloves, while walking off the field during the Buccaneers’ 2021 regular season finale against the New York Jets. Brown announced his retirement a few months later.
Berhalter back as U.S. men’s soccer coach
Gregg Berhalter was rehired as U.S. men’s national team coach through the 2026 World Cup, returning to the job after he led the Americans to the second round of last year’s tournament and then was dropped amid a feud with the Reyna family that triggered a domestic-violence investigation.
Berhalter was discussing the possibility of a new contract after last year’s World Cup, but that talk stopped after the Reyna family notified the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) of a three-decade-old domestic violence allegation involving Berhalter and the woman who later became his wife.
Berhalter’s contract expired Dec. 31 and Anthony Hudson, one of his assistants, was appointed interim coach on Jan. 4 when the USSF announced it had hired the law firm Alston and Bird to investigate.
Berhalter’s contract was approved Thursday night by the USSF board.
Berhalter won’t coach the Americans until September. Hudson quit on May 30 to become coach of Qatar’s Al-Markhiya and was replaced by B.J. Callaghan, a fellow Berhalter assistant. Callaghan led the team to Thursday night’s 3-0 win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Callaghan will coach the Americans against Canada in Sunday’s final and through the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and Berhalter will be on the bench in September.