Info courtesy of Charles Bloom, Associate Commissioner - Media & Public Relations for the Southeastern Conference.
One of the things we talk about a lot in athletics is the strength of your conference and the benefits we see at South Carolina because of our membership in the Southeastern Conference. Check out some of these stats below from the SEC office about the league's competitiveness at the highest level - national championships - following Kentucky winning the Men's Basketball title last night. The Gamecocks have contributed to the cause with three titles in SEC-sponsored sports: women's outdoor track & field (2002) and baseball (2010, 2011).
With Kentucky winning the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship...
* - So far in 2011-12, the SEC has three national champions - Alabama (football), Florida (men's indoor track and field) and Kentucky (men's basketball). An SEC team is currently ranked in the top three in the latest national polls in all of its remaining sponsored sports for the year - gymnastics, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track and field, softball and baseball.
* - In its history, the SEC has won 190 national championships, 113 men's and 77 women's titles. Since 2000, the SEC has won 74 national crowns, including 41 men's titles and 33 women's titles.
* - The SEC is currently the reigning national champions in the "big three" men's sports - Football (Alabama), Men's Basketball (Kentucky) and Baseball (South Carolina). In those sports, the SEC has won 11 national championships during the last six academic years.
* - Since 2006, the SEC has had a national champion in 10 of its 20 sponsored sports - football, men's basketball, baseball, men's indoor track and field, women's swimming and diving, gymnastics, women's tennis, men's tennis, men's swimming and diving and women's basketball.
* - Eight of the 12 SEC schools have won national championships in the 20 SEC-sponsored sports since Fall 2006. They include: Alabama (football, gymnastics), Auburn (football, men's swimming and diving, women's swimming and diving), Florida (men's indoor track, women's tennis, women's swimming and diving, football, men's basketball), Georgia (gymnastics, men's tennis), Kentucky (men's basketball), LSU (baseball, football, women's outdoor track and field), South Carolina (baseball), Tennessee (women's basketball, women's indoor track and field)
* - The SEC has now won 11 NCAA men's basketball tournament titles with Kentucky claiming eight (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996 and 1998). Florida has two (2006, 2007) and Arkansas has one (1994).
* - Since 1993, the SEC has won six men's basketball national championships - Arkansas (1994), Kentucky (1996), Kentucky (1998), Florida (2006), Florida (2007) and Kentucky (2012). Only the ACC (6) has won as many men's basketball titles during this time.
* - The SEC has won 29 national championships during the last six academic years, an average of almost five per year.
Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: senior athletes Michael Roth, Katie Burnett, Chris Campbell, and Courtney Newton have been nominated for SEC Post-Graduate Scholarships, Baseball picks up wins in Nashville, Softball takes two over Longwood, Women's Tennis comes up big against Auburn, coverage of Saturday's spring football scrimmage, and more!
The Gamecocks will hold their next spring practice Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. at the Proving Grounds practice fields on Bluff Rd. Fans are welcome to attend. Photography is allowed for the first 15 minutes only and no autographs are allowed. Thank you for your cooperation!
Dawn Staley has been nominated for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame both as an individual and as a member of the 1996 Women's Basketball gold medal team. The '96 team also included Gamecock assistant coach Nikki McCray. Fan votes will count toward the final voting tallies. Fans can vote once per day through April 9, 2012. Let's help get Coach Staley this much-deserved honor!
Get to know Evan Marzilli in today's Gamecock Spotlight as he talks about his family, his love of music, leaving it all on the field and more:
ROOSTER CROWS
Baseball player Michael Roth and golfer Katie Burnett have been nominated for the H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete Post-Graduate Scholarship and track and field athlete Chris Campbell and basketball player Courtney Newton been nominated for the Brad Davis Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship.
These scholarships are presented to the top male and female scholar-athletes in the SEC. The recipients of the H. Boyd McWhorter scholarship will be announced on National Student-Athlete day, April 6th, and the winners of the Brad Davis scholarship will be announced on April 5th.
FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY
Kristin Fairfax of Fort Lawn, SC, sent in today's Fan Photo of the Day, saying, "My little boy Nick was so excited to be at his first game that I had to share. He loves his Gamecocks!!"
We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com! A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation! Previous fan photos may be seen here: Fan Photo of the Day series - 2012 Fan Photo of the Day series - 2011
Baseball returns home this weekend for a three game SEC series with Tennessee. General admission/standing room only tickets are available for all three games. Click here to order online. Women's Tennis will host a pair of home matches this weekend, two of their final three matches of the season at Carolina Tennis Center.
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Track & Field- Gamecock Open Meet - Time TBA -Official team posters
Friday, April 6, 2012
Women's Tennis vs. LSU - 3 p.m. -Official team posters
Baseball vs. Tennessee - 7 p.m. -Play Baseball Bingo for a chance to win a prize -Official team posters and schedule cards
Watch the latest Gamecock Spotlight on junior outfielder Evan Marzilli:
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Baseball vs. Tennessee - 8 p.m. -National television game on ESPNU -Play Baseball Bingo for a chance to win a prize -Official team posters and schedule cards
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Women's Tennis vs. Arkansas - 12 p.m. -Official team posters
Baseball vs. Tennessee - 1:30 p.m. -Play Baseball Bingo for a chance to win a prize -Official team posters and schedule cards
Remember to mark your calendar for football's Garnet & Black Spring Game and Fan Fest on April 14! More info
Tune in to tonight's "Inside the Roost" radio show on 107.5 The Game from 7-8 p.m. as Athletics Director Eric Hyman and host Derek Scott discuss the latest news in Gamecock Athletics. They will be joined by two guests on air for this week's edition.
Defensive lineman Travian Robertson will be on to discuss participating in last week's Pro Timing Day, the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, and his preparations for this month's draft. Robertson played in 56 games as a Gamecock, the second-most in school history (one behind teammate Rodney Paulk). He was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for his efforts against Florida and logged a season-best seven tackles against both Mississippi State and The Citadel. Robertson earned his degree in Criminal Justice last May.
Hyman and Scott will also be joined by Ruth Sorrel, Associate Head Equestrian Coach. Sorrel is in her seventh season as a coach with the Gamecocks. While she was a student here, she was a member of the Equestrian team and served as a captain during her senior season. This year, the Equestrian team is 9-5 on the season and ranked No. 6. Over the weekend, South Carolina won the 2012 Southern Equestrian Championship hosted by UGA. Next week, the Gamecocks will compete in the National Collegiate Equestrian Association's National Championships. The Western team is 8-5 on the year which earned them the No. 5 seed in the Western Bracket and the Hunt Seat team is 12-2 and earned the No. 2 seed in their bracket.
Tune in to Inside the Roost for weekly insight into Gamecock Athletics from Eric Hyman and Derek Scott along with weekly guests. ITR airs on 107.5 The Game from 7:00-8:00 p.m. every Monday. You can also listen online.
The Women's Swimming and Diving team has their eyes set on a big event coming up, but it's not a swim meet. In a few weeks they will participate in Relay for Life on campus, with a very special motivation for their walk.
Her name is Harper Doughtie, a seven-year-old girl living in North Carolina who they have never met. Harper was diagnosed with leukemia on September 9th, 2011. The form of leukemia that Harper has is very rare, attacking her immune system. While she is undergoing chemotherapy, her immune system is so weak that she isn't allowed to have visitors.
Head Coach McGee Moody and Harper's mother, Vickie Doughtie, were friends in college and he learned through Facebook about her daughter's illness. Moody thought that it would be a good idea for the team to support her and Maryn Bieganski (left) and several other members agreed. Bieganski said that the idea of helping Harper really "hit the hearts" of the team. Over the last six months, Moody says that "Harper has become an integral part of our women's team and they talk about her often."
According to Moody and Bieganski, it was senior captain Mallory Cage who really organized the effort and assigned members to send Harper cards, games or books at least four times a month. Bieganski said that for every holiday the team would send a basket of crafts they made or activities for her to do. Doughtie said the team "took the ball and ran with it," that the women all of a sudden started sending letters to cheer Harper up. Doughtie knows it's hard for Harper, who isn't able to be around children her own age, to be cooped up at home all the time with her and her dad. Doughtie said that the team has been "really great," and that "she [Harper] loves getting her packages in the mail."
The team made a video to send to Harper as an introduction. Moody said it was "nothing major, just an introduction where they all talked for a second, said hey, and let her know they were sending some gifts." Bieganski said it was a chance to let Harper know they were "praying for her and fighting for her." The team also sent Harper a swim team shirt that Doughtie notes has become her favorite nightgown.
From Harper's Facebook page: "Harper in one of her t-shirts from the Univ of SC swim team - she loves to wear it as a nightgown. Thank you to the ladies swim team for all the support for Harper! We really appreciate it!"
Doughtie remembers one package specifically; it came around Thanksgiving, right when Harper got sick again and had to be admitted to the hospital. The package was full of hand-drawn turkeys made from the team's handprints. Doughtie said the best thing about it was being able to see Harper smiling and laughing because the team took time to make them. She loves that the things Harper receives from the team aren't generic. They "take time to make it personal; that's what's so cool."
"Anytime anybody takes interest in your child and does anything to make your child happy when they're going through something so tough, I can't even express it. It just means a lot," said Doughtie.
Moody believes that Harper has given the team some perspective of what is really important. Bieganski noted that the team comes to practice every day a little bit happier.
"Our situations aren't as bad. You could be having a bad day at school, you could have a bad exam, but you aren't in quarantine," said Bieganski. "It's something you really have to think about."
For Bieganski individually, Harper has really come to mean a lot. Bieganski shared that she thinks about Harper daily because she has loved ones with cancer, some of whom have passed away. Bieganski said it affects her and helps her be "grateful to be able to go through daily life without complications like that, and to be thankful for all that I have."
Bieganski and teammate Rachel Elliot organized a Relay for Life team in Harper's honor and have chosen to name themselves "Harper's Helpers." They have designated the money they raise to go toward research in the field of childhood cancers.
Moody and Doughtie both hope to be able to bring Harper to a meet in the future once she is well enough to travel. Doughtie was enthusiastic that there was "no doubt" about whether they would come down.
"[Harper] can't wait to make it down there and give all of them hugs," said Doughtie. "They've got to be a pretty special group to do this for a little girl that they've never met."
Even though they live in Tar Heel country, Doughtie says they've become a whole household of Gamecock fans.
Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: Baseball heads to take on the Commodores, Men's Tennis host their final home matches, Softball faces Longwood, 2012 Southern Equestrian Championships begin, Football prepares for a second scrimmage on Saturday, a great feature on left tackle Brandon Shell, buzz continues about Men's Basketball Coach Frank Martin, and more!
Happy Friday Gamecock Country! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
Tomorrow at 10:30, the Gamecocks will hold their second scrimmage at Williams Brice. Coach Spurrier is encouraging fans to come on out and watch. Info
The Gamecocks will hold spring practice today at 4:15 p.m. at the Proving Grounds practice fields on Bluff Rd. Fans are welcome to attend. Photography is allowed for the first 15 minutes only and no autographs are allowed. Thank you for your cooperation!
Dawn Staley has been nominated for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame both as an individual and as a member of the 1996 Women's Basketball gold medal team. The '96 team also included Gamecock assistant coach Nikki McCray. Fan votes will count toward the final voting tallies. Fans can vote once per day through April 9, 2012. Let's help get Coach Staley this much-deserved honor!
Get to know senior outfielder Kaitlin Westfall in her Gamecock Spotlight as she talks about her future career plans (note: not cake decorating) her style of play and more. Softball hosts a doubleheader Saturday vs. Longwood starting at 1 p.m.
ROOSTER CROWS
The Baseball team leads the SEC in opponents batting average, keeping it at just .190 with a team ERA of 2.75. The Gamecocks are also at the top of the conference in defense; South Carolina is fielding .980 with only 18 errors for the season and has 13 errorless games on the year.
FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY
Today's Fan Photo of the Day is of Kennedy Sandifer (nine months) ready for the Gamecocks to play baseball! Family friends Dan and Ashley Cloninger sent in the photo while parents Will & Andrea Sandifer added, "She is a Carolina girl through & through!!"
We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com! A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!
For those who have been tuning in to March Madness, you've probably seen this Enterprise commercial featuring former NCAA student-athletes, including a Gamecock!
South Carolina graduate Christine Mudd (Cross Country, 2003-06) is shown holding a picture of herself in her South Carolina Cross Country uniform around the :08 second mark and has a quick speaking line later in the commercial. All the employees featured in the spot were former student-athletes.
"Shooting the commercial was a lot of fun. We took multiple takes of the different scenes. It was interesting to see the process and how much goes into filming a commercial," said Mudd. "My family, friends, and former teammates are definitely excited about seeing me on TV. I have gotten many phone calls, texts, and messages from different friends and teammates who recognized me. It is not something I had ever envisioned myself doing so it is it was a very unique opportunity and being able to represent my Gamecocks is exciting."
In the heart of spring training, the Red Sox followed Gamecock Jackie Bradley Jr. (one of their top picks in last year's MLB draft) through a typical day in his life.
Bradley Jr. goes through weights, team meals, stretching & drills, batting cages, a game, and lets the world in on his love for Chick-fil-A.
We're sure all of Gamecock Country will keep an eye on Bradley Jr. as he makes his way through the pros!
Catch up on the day's buzz about the Gamecocks! In today's edition: Gamecock Football hosts NFL scouts for Pro Day and Alshon silences the doubters, Baseball wins in Charleston and prepares to face Vanderbilt on the road, Softball heads to Winthrop tonight, 24 Men's Soccer players recognized for outstanding academic performance, Men's Tennis prepares for their final two home matches this weekend, and more!
Football: Video: Spurrier on coaching (FOX Sports South) *Coach Spurrier sits down with FOX Sports South and talks about his love for coaching and the "firsts" with the Gamecocks.
The Gamecocks will hold their next spring practice Thursday at 4:15 p.m. at the Proving Grounds practice fields on Bluff Rd. Fans are welcome to attend. Photography is allowed for the first 15 minutes only and no autographs are allowed. Thank you for your cooperation!
VOTE FOR DAWN STALEY
Dawn Staley has been nominated for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame both as an individual and as a member of the 1996 Women's Basketball gold medal team. The '96 team also included Gamecock assistant coach Nikki McCray. Fan votes will count toward the final voting tallies. Fans can vote once per day through April 9, 2012. Let's help get Coach Staley this much-deserved honor! http://halloffamevoting.teamusa.org/
COCK-A-DOODLE-TWEET
Fans continue to be excited over the hiring of Frank Martin, check out the #FrankMartinSC hashtag for more and follow Coach Martin's account, @FrankMartin_SC
I still can't get over how amazing it's going to be to have an old school, no nonsense basketball coach! #Gamecocks#FrankMartinSC
Get to know freshman Andrew Adams as Men's Tennis prepares to host their final two home matches this weekend against Alabama (Friday, 5pm) and Auburn (Sunday, 1pm).
ROOSTER CROWS
Twenty-four South Carolina Men's Soccer players have earned recognition from Conference USA for their outstanding academic performances for the 2011-12 school year. Student-athletes named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better.
Marty Markett had a stellar showing at today's Pro Day recording a 40.5" vertical jump and a 10'10" broad jump.
FAN PHOTO OF THE DAY
Today's photo is from Stephanie Molick, a 2004 graduate and a former Gamecock cheerleader. She sent in this photo of her two nephews, Heydan on the left and Connor on the right, at spring football practice.
We've got a lot of great submissions so keep them coming! Feel free to send in your photos (any sport/season, either of you or taken by you!) with your name to GamecockAthletics@gmail.com! A lot of the best photos include some Gamecock gear and 'showing your spurs'! We'd love to share with the rest of Gamecock Nation!
South Carolina and the hire of Frank Martin as the new men's basketball head coach dominated coverage of the Gamecocks today. Bruce Ellington also made headlines after he appeared to have reversed course about playing two sports and participated in football practice today. Baseball is on the road at The Citadel.
The
Gamecocks will hold their next spring practice Thursday at 4:15 p.m.
at the Proving Grounds practice fields on Bluff Rd. Fans are welcome to
attend. Photography is allowed for the first 15 minutes only and no
autographs are allowed. Thank you for your cooperation!
VOTE FOR DAWN STALEY
Dawn
Staley has been nominated for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of
Fame both as an individual and as a member of the 1996 Women's
Basketball gold medal team. The '96 team also included Gamecock
assistant coach Nikki McCray. Fan votes will count toward the final
voting tallies. Fans can vote once per day through April 9, 2012. Let's
help get Coach Staley this much-deserved honor! http://halloffamevoting.teamusa.org/
With Kentucky winning the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship...
With Kentucky winning the 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship...
