Cal Poly Pomona Athletics

Cal Poly Pomona Sports Medicine Web Page

Ruem Malasarn, the Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Performance, enters his 26th year with Cal Poly Pomona Athletics in 2025-26, having worked full-time in the department since 2000. Malasarn spent 16 years as the Head Athletic Trainer, prior to taking on his current role overseeing the sports medicine and strength and conditioning programs for all 11 intercollegiate athletic teams.
 
Serving as Assistant AD for Sports Performance, Malasarn focuses on building and creating a multi-faceted approach to improving athletic performance and team success. His goal is to integrate programs that address performance, strength, nutrition, safety and overall health of the student-athletes at Cal Poly Pomona.
 
As part of the outstanding Athletic Department staff, Malasarn coordinates the drug education, prevention and testing program with the campus Wellness Center and Drug Free Sport. He also serves on the campus Alcohol and Other Drugs Committee and the campus emergency response team.
 
Malasarn is a longstanding member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and Far West Athletic Trainers’ Association (FWATA). He currently serves as the Commissioner for the FWATA Annual Meeting and Clinical Symposium which provides continuing education and professional development opportunities for certified athletic trainers and athletic training students in California, Hawaii and Nevada.
 
A native of southern California, Malasarn attended Mt. San Antonio College; competing there as a swimmer and earning multiple honors as an athlete including Most Outstanding Freshman swimmer. Transferring to Cal Poly Pomona in January of 1995, Malasarn excelled academically and graduated with honors with a degree in Kinesiology and minor in Speech Communications. He earned multiple awards and scholarships as a senior including the National Association of Sport and Physical Education Student of the Year.
 
Certified nationally by the Board of Certification for the Athletic Trainer in 1997, Malasarn worked as the Head Athletic Trainer at La Puente High School and at a physical therapy clinic in Orange County. He then went on the work as a graduate assistant athletic trainer for football and baseball at Fresno State University under the mentorship of District Hall of Fame Member and Cal Poly Pomona graduate, Paul Schechter.
 
Continuing to perform well in the classroom, Malasarn graduated with honors with a Master’s degree in Kinesiology-Exercise Science. During his time at Fresno State, he was honored with the College of Health and Human Services Outstanding Thesis, Sally Casanova Pre-Doctoral Scholarship and a NATA Graduate Scholarship.
 
In 2001, Malasarn published an article on the characteristics of successful athletic training in the Journal of Athletic Training. He also spoke on the same topic at the National Athletic Trainers’ Clinical Symposium in Los Angeles in 2001.
 
Malasarn was an assistant athletic trainer and lecturer in the Kinesiology department at Cal Poly Pomona beginning from 2000-2002. He also served on the ESPN medical staff covering the X Games from 2001-2006 and again from 2008 to 2013.
 
In his leisure time, Malasarn enjoys working out, surfing and home improvement projects. He also coaches youth sports and serves as a Boy Scout leader in the troop where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout.