A former four-year starter at Penn State, Jess Strom is in her sixth season as head coach and 11th overall as a member of the Cal U coaching staff.
Strom has led the Vulcans to a 109-35 overall record as head coach, highlighted by the 2015 NCAA National Championship. She ranks third in school history in career victories and has guided Cal U to a 9-2 record in three NCAA Tournament appearances, advancing to at least the Atlantic Regional Championship twice. During her time with the program, Cal U has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to the Elite Eight three times.
Last season, the Vulcans repeated as PSAC Champions despite returning just one starter from the previous year’s national title team. Cal U won the PSAC West for the first time in seven years and eventually advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Strom was named PSAC West Coach of the Year for a consecutive season, as the program also featured the PSAC West Athlete of the Year in Miki Glenn and PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year in Seairra Barrett. Glenn was also selected a WBCA All-American after leading the league in scoring while ranking among the top 10 in the country in both assists and steals.
During the 2014-15 campaign, Cal U captured the second National Championship in program history and finished the year with a 32-4 overall record. Cal U claimed its first PSAC Championship since 2006 and earned the top seed and hosting rights for the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship. The Vulcans closed the year on an 11-game winning streak and won 18 of their last 19 games, including two overtime victories in the NCAA Tournament.
The Vulcans were also the 2015 recipient of the “Together We R” Team Award, which honors programs that strive to succeed in the face of adversity, overcome extraordinary circumstances such as an unforeseen team crisis, barrier or unfortunate situation that cause extra stress. Cal U suffered the loss of senior Shanice Clark, who passed away at the age of 21 in January, before recording the third-winningest season in program history (18-2 after Clark’s passing).
In her first full season as head coach, Strom guided Cal U to a berth in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and a 22-9 overall record. The Vulcans entered the tournament as the seventh seed and recorded a pair of upset victories over nationally-ranked teams to advance to Atlantic Regional Championship, falling to the host and top seed by only three points.
Strom led the Vulcans to a 14-7 record during her stint as the interim head coach during the 2011-12 campaign. Cal U finished the season with a 17-10 overall record, including a 14-8 mark in league play, and a 12th-consecutive appearance in the PSAC Tournament.
A 2012 Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) Hall of Fame inductee, Strom previously served as an assistant under former Appalachian State head coach Darcie Vincent and later Heather Kearney, who is the associate head coach at Coastal Carolina. While an assistant with the Vulcans, Strom helped lead the program to five-straight berths in the NCAA Tournament with Elite Eight appearances in 2008 and 2009.
Strom previously mentored two-time WBCA All-American and Cal U Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Brooque Williams, who finished her career as the school’s all-time leading scorer. Williams, the 2009 PSAC West Athlete of the Year and a three-time All-PSAC West First-Team selection, also set the league record for career steals.
While playing for the Lady Lions, Strom helped Penn State compile a 93-38 overall record with a 52-12 mark in Big Ten play and a pair of Big Ten regular-season titles.
Strom was a three-time All-Big Ten selection and finished her Penn State career as one of only four players to register 1,000 points and 750 assists in a career. She also ranks among the program’s all-time leaders with 310 steals and 191 three-pointers.
Strom has coached at Penn State’s basketball camps and hosted private individual instruction opportunities since 2002. She also coached the 2005 Pittsburgh Rockers, an AAU team that participated in several national tournaments, and has been active in Special Olympics and Easter Seals programs.
A native of Munhall, Pennsylvania, Strom was a two-sport standout while at Steel Valley High School. She finished her basketball career as one of the top scorers in WPIAL history with 2,840 points and was a two-time Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 selection. Strom was also a standout soccer player, registering a WPIAL-record 205 goals in her career.
