Members of the University of California Berkeley women’s swim team walked out of a Wednesday practice after a meeting with coach Teri McKeever, the Orange County Register reported.
McKeever has been accused by more than 20 current and former Cal swimmers of creating a toxic environment within the program. Allegations leveled against McKeever include verbal and emotional abuse and bullying.
“You live in constant dread because of Teri,” former Cal swimmer Chloe Clark told the Register.
Cal swimmers showed up Wednesday for a team meeting in the aftermath of the Register’s initial report. Upon their arrival, McKeever asked if they were “ready to swim,” at which point a majority of swimmers walked out, the Register reported.
McKeever, 60, served as the U.S. women’s team head coach during the 2012 Olympics, and she has led Cal to six Pac-12 swim championships and four NCAA titles in her 29 seasons with the Golden Bears.
Inside the team, though, swimmers struggled under the coach’s leadership. At least six Cal women’s swimmers since 2018 have made plans to kill themselves or dealt with weeks of suicidal ideation “because of what they describe as McKeever’s bullying,” the Register reported.
The Cal athletic department…
