With the school’s budget cuts dominating campus news the past few months and the shifting of some athletic programs from full time to part time, alarming news out of the SF State Athletics Department has quietly slipped under the campus radar.

Bay Area Lab Co-Operative, better known as BALCO, has been involved in a federal investigation for distributing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to professional athletes such as San Francisco Giants slugger Barry Bonds, New York Yankee Jason Giambi, Oakland Raiders running back Tyrone Wheatley, along with alleged distribution throughout the world of track and field.

But the connection between BALCO and athletes doesn’t just stop at the professional level, as allegations surfaced have linked the lab with two former SF State track and field assistant coaches.

According to a late July article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, Kendrick “Kenny” McDaniel and LaKiesha Givens, then assistant sprint coaches at SF State, told IRS special agent Jeff Novitzky they had obtained performance-enhancing drugs from Victor Conte, alleged mastermind of the BALCO steroid conspiracy.

McDaniel and Givens, according to SF State’s 2002-03 track and field media guide, were successful collegiate runners who came to SF State in 2000 to work as part time coaches for sprinters and relay runners.

McDaniel was an All-American hurdler at three different colleges, Blinn J.C., Kansas City C.C., and Pittsburgh State, while Givens was a two time MIAA Conference runner-up at Pittsburgh State. McDaniel coached two athletes who broke indoor school records and a total of 10 athletes who have broken into the top 10 list for indoor and outdoor combined.

According to the Chronicle’s report Givens met McDaniel and began dating him when they were on the track team at Pittsburg State University in Kansas. She ran her career-best time of 11.58 seconds in the 100-meters at the Home Depot Invitational in May but finished sixth. She did not qualify to compete at the Olympic trials.

When asked to confirm or deny the BALCO allegation, SF State’s Athletic Director Mike Simpson said The Chronicle’s story was unfounded. When asked whether or not McDaniel and Givens’ departure from SF State Athletics had any connection with BALCO he declined to comment and said that it was against university policy to discuss the matter.

Shortly after the allegation, McDaniel left SF State and took a new job in Southern California.

In a Cal State Fullerton press release dated Aug. 30, McDaniel was appointed the assistant men’s and women’s track and field coach where he concurrently coaches his fiancée Givens.

Through an email McDaniel said that the BALCO situation had nothing to do with him departing SF State and that he was simply offered a new position and accepted it. McDaniel has declined to be interviewed regarding the BALCO allegations and has asked [X]Press that he not be contacted via telephone regarding the matter.