It’s widely agreed that college years fly by. It’s especially true for Allison Maloney, who will walk at the University of South Carolina’s commencement ceremony Dec. 15, just 2 ½ years after she first arrived.

Growing up in Elon, North Carolina, Maloney was passionate from a very young age about growing up to work in sports. That made USC and its world-renowned David and Nicole Tepper Department of Sport and Entertainment Management a natural choice for college.

Maloney quickly emerged as a star student, excelling academically and taking advantage of the many opportunities offered by USC’s College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. She gained hands-on experience working professional golf and tennis events (the Wells Fargo Championship and Credit One Charleston Open) and interning with the Columbia Fireflies and the Burlington Sock Puppets.

She also got to know her program’s exceptional faculty, absorbing the lessons taught and experiences and advice shared by them and the many other industry leaders who spoke in her classes and at the department-hosted SEVT Conference.

“Professor Danny Morrison has been extremely helpful and insightful," she says. “I took his Collegiate Athletics class and was introduced to various industry professionals in collegiate athletics, which led me to building connections among the collegiate sports industry.”

She also began working with Gamecock Athletics in her first year on campus and has continued ever since, serving as an equipment manager for football and operations assistant for baseball.

“Some of my favorite USC memories have been working for the football and baseball teams. I was working for the football team during the 2024 season and I was on the field for the upset over Texas A&M,” she recalls.

Maloney will not be going away after commencement. She will continue her role with the baseball team for the upcoming season. Her duties include assisting with travel logistics, official recruit visits, front desk operations, team meals and facility tours. On the job as in the classroom, she excels and impresses.

“Allison has been an unbelievable addition to our team. In these organizations, there's a lot going on, and she has a pulse of what's going on, a tremendous feel. That's something not a lot of people have. She does an unbelievable job of stepping in, even in places that may not be exactly her role, doing things to make our jobs as coaches and support staff easier,” says Chris Gordon, the Director of Operations and Player Development for Gamecock Baseball.

Maloney’s goal is to continue working in collegiate baseball. She says her dream job is director of baseball operations, preferably at the Power Four/SEC level.

It’s a lofty goal, but she’s off to a fantastic start… in record time.