This feature originally appeared in the Spring edition of the Cal Sports Quarterly. The Cal Athletics flagship magazine features long-form sports journalism at its finest and provides in-depth coverage of the scholar-athlete experience in Berkeley. Printed copies are mailed four times a year to Bear Backers who give annually at the Bear Club level (currently $600 or more). For more information on how you can receive a printed version of the Cal Sports Quarterly at home, send an email to CalAthleticsFund@berkeley.edu or call (510) 642-2427.



A primary mission of a coach is to inspire those around you - to share life experiences that allows the people you're working with to become better people and better athletes.
 
So when senior Cal women's golfer Marthe Wold said the following about head coach Nancy McDaniel, it meant a little something extra:
 
"Being able to go through something like that and come out of it in a badass way said – she's really awesome. You see her taking on this challenge and deciding that she's going to get out of this stronger than ever. When you see her walking and just her appearance, it exudes this powerfulness that is so inspiring to watch. As hard as this has been, it has made us all stronger. Going through this experience with her has tied us closer as a team."
 
This point of inspiration wasn't part of McDaniel's plan.
 
In August 2015, McDaniel was diagnosed with stage I breast cancer. Since stage I means the tumor is small and the cancer is isolated, McDaniel did not have to have the tumor removed immediately. The idea was to go through treatments throughout the 2015-16 season to shrink the tumor so that it could be removed later.
 
In June 2016, doctors did a full mastectomy and found the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. That pushed McDaniel's diagnosis to stage III and necessitated a completely different course of action. Chemotherapy and radiation would become a staple of her life. Every Wednesday for six months she would go to chemotherapy. Then she spent February of 2017 undergoing radiation therapy every day.
 
In addition to her work as a coach, she had an entirely new part-time job - caring for herself.
 
"It was a definite shock," McDaniel said. "Nobody pictures themselves with cancer. Having to go through chemo, losing your hair and having your energy zapped. I felt incredibly anxious."
 
McDaniel had to be away from the team in order to get treatment. She would come to practice when she could and tried to show up for at least a round of golf at every tournament, especially the local ones. However, McDaniel couldn't be there for the team on a daily basis.
 
The Cal administration, headlined by the former women's golf sport supervisor Alicia Rowell, senior women's administrator Jenny Simon-O'Neill and athletic director Mike Williams, stepped in and allowed the team to hire Taylor Babcock as a temporary assistant coach. Babcock supported assistant coach Beverly Vatananugulkit in getting through the 2016-17 season.
 
"You can get really busy with things and not realize you're in this amazing Cal family," McDaniel said. "When the chips were down and when things got bad, I couldn't be happier with the Cal administration. I could have ended up resigning because it was a very challenging year. Cal's response really moved me. It was one of the most impressive things that has happened in my 23 years here. They did everything they could to keep something intact that was worthy."
 
McDaniel has had a lot of success in her 23 years as Cal's inaugural head coach – she's won a couple of conference titles and made 10 appearances at the NCAA Championships. However, the last couple years have changed her perspective and attitude.
 
"I look up to her even more now," Wold said. "She can teach us so much more about how to appreciate the opportunities that you are given and the situations that you encounter. She looks at every challenge as an opportunity to grow – even more than she did my freshman year."
 
So what caused this change in attitude? It all started with a tile that she saw at the Carol Franc Buck Breast Care Center at UCSF. It read, "Cancer is not a death sentence, you can make it an uplifting journey in your life."
 
"Coming through this tunnel and getting into the daylight again," McDaniel said. "It helped me with perspective on everything. I feel like I'm living my life in HD (high definition) now. I wouldn't trade that for the world. Would I trade having cancer? Absolutely, but that is what it took to get to a point where I can live life this fully."
 
The little things are more important now, such as the relationships that she has with members of her team. She allows the team to see her as more than just a coach, but a confidant and a friend – as someone who can help them pursue their dreams on the golf course, but also in life and any career they choose after graduation.
 
There were other things that helped give McDaniel the courage to fight. 'The Fight Song' by Rachel Platten was sent to her last year by then-senior Alice Jeong and features lyrics like, "This is my fight song, Take back my life song, Prove I'm alright song."
 
A bracelet of charms from every other Pac-12 golf coach was presented to McDaniel the night she was inducted into the WGCA Hall of Fame, one week after chemo ended in December 2016. Among the 11 coaches are McDaniel's former coach at Washington, Mary Lou Mulflur, and two former Cal players in Ria Scott (Oregon) and Anne Walker (Stanford).
 
"When we get on the golf course we are competitive," McDaniel said. "But I can't think of a better group of women to support you. They are all such strong women and role models. If they are saying you can make it, then I know I can make it. It was so touching and shows the true camaraderie of our conference. It's a bracelet that I wear with a lot of pride."
 
More than anything else, it was the people in McDaniel's life that have helped her get to where she is now. Her husband, Jay, and two children, Tyler and Molly, were ever-present in their support, and their reassuring demeanor helped keep McDaniel calm.
 
She also received numerous emails from former players offering their support. She called another former Golden Bear, Christine Romer, who was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer, as well. The tables turned as Romer became McDaniel's coach, guiding her through what to expect and what worked for her in dealing with the toughest of times.
 
However, not everything could be expected. Thirty days after receiving the updated diagnosis in 2016, McDaniel's father, Don Kessler, had a stroke and passed away.
 
"All the things that you can't control you just have to accept and look at everything you can do to make the best out of the situation you are in," Wold said. "That's what I think Coach has done really well in her situation and bounced back to us. It's up to you how you want to deal with it."
 
It was a difficult period for McDaniel, but she kept fighting.
 
"I did what I do, what you do as an athlete, what you do as a coach," McDaniel said. "What you coach every day is to come back to the present moment and deal with what is right in front of you."
 
Meditation has become a big part of McDaniel's life and something she has introduced to her players. The perspective she has offered has allowed the players on the team to learn to cope with mistakes and given them a different mental edge while on the course.
 
Last year, the Bears took fifth at the NCAA Regional in Albuquerque to claim one of the coveted spots at NCAA Nationals. Once there, Cal recorded its best finish in six years, tying for 14th.
 
"This is bigger than ourselves, this is bigger than golf," Wold said. "We know how deeply she loves this team and this program and how hard she has worked for this for 23 years. It was in the back our minds when we were fighting through regionals while also handling finals. The more challenges we were given at once, the more we wanted to show everyone that we could do this."
 
This year, McDaniel has returned to coaching full-time. She is done with radiation and is taking medication that will help her live a long, full life. She's doing well and she's determined to make the most of the life she has in front of her.
 
"I don't know what my future holds, no one does," she said. "I just know that life is good today."