This feature originally appeared in a shortened form in the 2024 Fall 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 new year. A new conference. New eyes – more eyes – on the California Golden Bears.

Jen Malcom bears the spotlight with a grin that is not quite sheepish (she's worked too hard and accomplished too much for that) but one that acknowledges the enormity of the task ahead of her. This is only her first season at Cal, her first head-coaching gig, and the Bears face a schedule full of unfamiliar faces and extended travel.

Still, she's excited. Bring up her new staff, and one can practically see Malcom's enthusiasm bubble up and spill out of her mouth in an eager waterfall of words. Bring up her team, and her gaze settles into a steely determination.

Like the Pac-12, the ACC has no dearth of high-level opponents – but regardless of the challenges ahead, Malcom can't find a reason that her new team shouldn't be on par with any of the conference's longer-standing members. She's ready to prove it.

As an individual, Malcom demands respect while knowing that it is something she must earn. It's a mindset that comes from growing up in a family full of boys – which turned her into a self-described "bulldog" on the court.

"If I wanted to play, I had to suck it up, even when I got hurt," Malcom said. "You have to own who you are and fight for everything you get, especially being a female in a male-dominated sports world."

Like many in the 600-person city of Schaller, Iowa, Malcom grew up on a farm that spanned several hundred acres, where over 1,000 pigs and 500 cattle roamed (ironically, she's no great fan of country music, preferring Afrobeats). An average day for her would begin with chores at 5:30 a.m., followed by a schedule full of AP classes and after-school practices, with each season of the latter dedicated to a different sport – volleyball, basketball, track & field, softball. In this, Malcom wasn't unusual; she estimates that her tiny high school only had about 70 girls in its student body, which meant that any of them who were interested in athletics had to be multi-talented to fill out each team's roster.

By her junior year at Schaller-Crestland High School, Malcom had chosen to focus on volleyball – much to the disappointment of her father, a basketball coach – and added club ball to her evening schedule. There were no club teams nearby, however, so she was forced to drive for two hours to Omaha, Nebraska, each day after school; often, she would arrive home at around 10 p.m.

Her hardworking nature combined with her high skill level caught the attention of multiple college teams. After two years at Syracuse, Malcom transferred closer to home, enrolling at Iowa State to be closer to her family. She made an instant impact on the Cyclones as soon as she stepped onto the court, leading them to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history; the next year, they went even further, reaching the Elite Eight. Malcom also set several program records on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, many of which stand to this day.

Malcom knows how to face a challenge and win, having done so both as a collegiate player and as a coach (five NCAA Tournament berths, also with Iowa State). Becoming the head of a program presented her with the new test of putting together a staff of her own; before she could start looking outward, however, Malcom first had to look inward.

"I needed to know what weaknesses I have and try to build a staff that addresses those weaknesses," she said. "It's great to know who you are and be authentically yourself – if you can do that, then you can surround yourself with others who can help."

Her first move was to bring back Cal's former volunteer assistant Andrew Sato, a lifelong student of the game whose lighthearted manner provides a perfect counterbalance to Malcom's intensity. From there, she added Cole Murray – the staff's patient "Steady Eddie" – and another strong female figure in "people person" Alyssa Andreno.

"I knew that I wanted people with similar values who had the same competitive drive," Malcom said. "We all played volleyball at a very high level and know how to win – I want to show the team how to do that on a daily basis."

On match day, Malcom stands a little taller both literally and figuratively, exchanging her beloved sneakers for stilettos or wedges. It's another way of issuing a direct challenge to the idea that sport is inherently a male domain.

"I like to go a little fancier on the sideline – it's the one place where I feel most feminine," she said. "We're always wearing sweats in practice, so it hits different when you're in a pair of heels, in a power pose. I want to show that it's possible to have both."

Malcom's playing days are over – now, she's clutching a clipboard, not staring down an opponent just a few feet away across the net. Nevertheless, that inner bulldog sets its jaw stubbornly and peers through her eyes just the same.

More than anything, Malcom wants to see that same persistence reflected in the gaze of every young woman on the team.

"I want them to understand that they can do anything they set their minds to," she said, "and not to let anybody else hold them back."