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April 11, 2024

Something to Crow About

  • The Gamecock women’s basketball team defeated Iowa, 87-75, in Cleveland, Ohio on April 7 to win its third national championship, all within the last seven NCAA Tournaments.  The national championship was the 9th ever for the South Carolina Athletics Department, all within the last 22 years.  Eight of the nine titles have come since 2010.  South Carolina won its first-ever national championship with the 2002 women’s outdoor track and field title.  Carolina has also won national championships in equestrian in 2005, 2007 and 2015, in baseball in 2010 and 2011, and in women’s basketball in 2017, 2022 and 2024.
  • As of April 11, updated LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup standings, South Carolina has 330.0 points, which is 39th place among all NCAA Division I programs.  During the last 10 years, South Carolina has averaged a 34th place finish nationally, placing as high as 19th in 2016-17.  Carolina has been the highest ranked Palmetto State program in the LEARFIELD Cup in 21 of the last 24 years.
  • As of April 9, South Carolina has 14 of its 21 sports either finished the season or currently ranked in the Top 25 in their respective sports.  Led by the women’s basketball national championship, additional sports rankings include women’s golf 2nd, women’s outdoor track and field 3rd , equestrian 7th, women’s indoor track and field 12th, men’s basketball 16th, women’s tennis 18th, men’s outdoor track and field 20th, men’s tennis, and women’s soccer, each at 21st, beach volleyball 22nd, softball at 23rd, men’s indoor track and field 24th and baseball 25th.
  • As of April 9, Of the 21 sports that South Carolina sponsors, 14 either finished the season or are currently ranked in the Top 25 in their respective sports.  Using the 21 sports that South Carolina sponsors, only Texas (15) has more teams in the Top 25.  Carolina is tied for second with Stanford and Alabama with 14 sports.  Texas A&M is fifth with 13 sports ranked in the Top 25.
  • As of April 8, South Carolina’s teams have won 39 head-to-head athletics contests against teams ranked in the top 25 in their respective sports.  The list encompasses 10 different sports.  Wins against the top teams in the nation include men’s soccer over #1 Central Florida, 2-1, on Nov. 5, 2023; men’s tennis over Virginia, 4-3, on Jan. 21, 2024; and women’s golf over Wake Forest, 4-1, on Feb. 4, 2024. Women’s Basketball had 11 wins against Top 25 teams, leading the pack.
  • As of April 8, all eight of South Carolina’s sports which the NCAA keeps attendance rankings for are in the Top 50 in average attendance.  Women’s basketball (16,067), women’s soccer (4,150) and men’s soccer (4,306) each led the nation in their respective sports in average game attendance.  Baseball is currently 6th in the nation, averaging 7,069 fans per game and softball 12th at 1,726 fans per game.  Football finished the season 16th at 77,833 fans per game, men’s basketball 21st at 13,397 fans per game and volleyball 43rd at 1,651 fans per game.  South Carolina is the only Division I school in the nation to have all eight of these sports rank in the top 40 in average attendance.
  • The men and women’s combined basketball 2023-24 season record of 64-8 (.8889) was the highest winning percentage among NCAA Division I schools.  Connecticut was second at .8861 (70-9).  The Gamecocks’ .8889 mark was the second highest winning percentage in SEC history, just behind Tennessee’s .9054 mark in 2007-08.  South Carolina’s combined men’s and women’s basketball home record of 31-3 (.9118) was tied for the seventh highest in NCAA Division I.
  • South Carolina had seven televised athletics contests that drew more than two million viewers in 2023-24.  The 18.867 million viewers for the women’s basketball NCAA National Championship Game against Iowa is the most watched college women’s basketball game in history.  Other 2.0m viewed games include women’s basketball national semi-finals vs. N.C. State (7.1 million), football vs. Georgia (5.42 million) and North Carolina (3.4 million), women’s basketball NCAA Tournament games vs. Oregon State (3.231 million) and Indiana (2.105 million) and men’s basketball NCAA Tournament game vs. Oregon (2.021 million).
  • Student-athletes at USC ended the Fall 2023 semester with a departmental grade point average (GPA) of 3.374. It is the 34th-consecutive semester with a departmental GPA above 3.0.  The cumulative GPA for all student-athletes in each sport since they arrived at Carolina is 3.42, which stands as the second highest cumulative grade point average ever for Gamecock student-athletes (Spring 2020:  47).
  • On October 12, 2023, eight former Gamecocks were inducted into the USC Lettermen’s Hall of Fame. The 2023 class included Allison Brennan (swimming and diving), Ernest Dye (football), Eric Ecker (men’s golf), Shaun Gortman (women’s basketball), Wallie Jones (baseball), Chris Mayotte (men’s tennis), Kim Pietro (softball) and Demetria Washington (women’s track and field).
  • During the 2023 Fall sports season, four former Gamecocks had their jersey retired. Men’s soccer star Charles Arndt had his jersey retired on Sept. 22, football’s Alshon Jeffery’s jersey was retired on Sept. 23, women’s basketball star Tiffany Mitchell had her jersey retired on Nov. 12, 2023, and equestrian standout Katherine Schmidt Butler was honored after the Oklahoma State meet on Nov. 17, 2023.
  • Colonial Life Arena had a successful first quarter highlighting nearly 73,000 fans attending nine non-athletic events and contributing to more than 4.8 million in ticket sales. Those events include Theo Von, Lauren Daigle, Parker McCollum, Keyshia Cole, ZZ Top/Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mike Epps, multiple family shows, and a sold out crowd for Katt Williams. Over the next two weeks, Colonial Life Arena will host Bert Kreischer, Sam Hunt, MercyMe, and Kevin Gates.
  • Gamecocks+ is the official content network of South Carolina Athletics, featuring original storytelling content – above and beyond the already high-level video that fans have come to expect and enjoy – including new, never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes access, exclusive interviews, archival footage and so much more. Access to Gamecocks+ is included at no extra cost for all Gamecock Club members, Roost level and above.  Fans who are not already members and want to watch Gamecocks+ content can do so by joining the Gamecock Club.

BASEBALL

  • The Gamecocks swept No. 3 Vanderbilt at Founders Park on March 23-24, outscoring the Commodores 26-9. Tyler Pitzer struck out nine and allowed just three hits in 6.1 innings to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. Eli Jones also retired the first 18 batters in his start in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Saturday.
  • Carolina won for the fourth time in the last five contests against North Carolina, defeating the Tar Heels in Charlotte, 2-1, on April 9. Dylan Brewer was 3-for-4 with an RBI double in the eighth and Connor McCreery earned the win on the mound, striking out five in 2.1 innings.
  • Head Coach Mark Kingston picked up his 200th win at South Carolina on March 26 in a win over Presbyterian. Kingston now has 203 wins at South Carolina and 476 wins in his head coaching career.
  • As of April 10, Carolina is 15th in the RPI with its 23-10 overall record. Carolina is one of seven SEC schools in the RPI Top-20.
  • Carolina has six alums on Opening Day rosters in Major League Baseball. Jordan Montgomery signed a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, joining Christian Walker on the squad. Whit Merrifield has a new team in the Philadelphia Phillies while Clarke Schmidt is in the rotation for the New York Yankees. Jonah Bride was on the Miami Marlins’ Opening Day roster and Carmen Mlodzinski started on the Injured List for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
  • Ethan Petry has 36 career home runs for the Gamecocks, which puts him in a tie for 13th place all-time on Carolina’s career home run list. He is tied with Derick Urquhart (1995-98) for the 13th spot. Justin Smoak has the all-time mark with 62 round trippers.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

  • South Carolina finished the season with a 26-8 record and ranked No. 24 in the final Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. It marks the first time the Gamecocks have been ranked in the final AP Top 25 poll since March 15, 2004, when the team was ranked No. 23.  It also marks the first time the Gamecocks have been ranked in the final Coaches Top 25 poll since ending the season No. 6 on April 4, 2017 after the team’s Final Four run.
  • The Gamecocks went 13-5 in Southeastern Conference play en route to a T-2nd place finish.
  • Lamont Paris was named the 2024 SEC Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Naismith Coach of the Year. Paris, in his second season at Carolina, and his staff helped engineer the greatest single season turnaround in program history, improving the team’s win total by 15 games from his first season in 2022-23.
  • Carolina reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, marking the 10th all-time March Madness appearance for the program.
  • The team’s 25 regular season wins is a new program record and the 26 overall wins tied the 2016-17 Final Four squad for the most single-season wins in program history. The Gamecocks 13 SEC wins were the second most in program history. Seven of Carolina’s league wins came on the road tying the 1996-97 SEC Champion squad for the most SEC road wins. The team also won a game in the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2018 with an 80-66 victory over Arkansas in round two.
  • The Gamecocks had a 12-5 record away from home, including an 11-3 mark in the regular season which was tied for the second-best record in the nation amongst the Power Six with Purdue and Houston. Carolina was one of five teams in the nation with a top-five, true road win and was one of 18 teams in the country with multiple top-10 wins during the season.
  • The team won seven-straight SEC games in a stretch from Jan. 20 to Feb. 10, the team’s longest win streak in SEC play since starting the conference slate 11-0 during the 1996-97 season. The win streak was highlighted by a pair of top-10 victories, a 79-62 win over No. 6/6 Kentucky at home on Jan. 23 and a 63-59 win at No. 5/5 Tennessee in Knoxville on Jan. 30. Per Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time the Gamecocks had defeated a pair of top-10 teams in a three-game stretch since 1968. Carolina’s win over the Vols was the team’s first AP Top-Five road victory since defeating No. 3 Kentucky, 72-66, on March 2, 1997.
  • Ta’Lon Cooper and Meechie Johnson were named second-team All-SEC and Collin Murray-Boyles was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Cooper averaged 9.88 points per game, shooting 48 percent from the floor, 45.9 percent from 3-point range and led the team with 144 assists.  Johnson led the team with 14.09 points per game with 95 assists and a team-high 30 steals.  Murray-Boyles averaged 10.43 points per game and a team-best 5.68 rebounds per game.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

  • South Carolina completed the 10th undefeated National Championship season in the history of the NCAA, becoming just the fifth program to achieve that feat (UConn, Baylor, Tennessee, Texas).
  • Dawn Staley became the fifth head coach to win at least three women’s basketball national titles – Geno Auriemma, Pat Summitt, Kim Mulkey, Tara VanDerveer.
  • The 2024 National Championship was the Gamecocks’ third in the last seven tournaments.
  • South Carolina’s 11 wins over ranked opponents led the nation, and nine of those games were played on the road or at neutral sites.
  • The Gamecocks’ season set program records for wins (38), points scored, scoring average, scoring margin, fewest points allowed, field goals made, field goal attempts, 3-pointers made and assists.
  • South Carolina led the nation in blocks per game, field goal percentage defense and scoring margin. They were top-five in bench points per game, field goal percentage, rebounding margin, rebounds per game, scoring average and 3-point field goal percentage.
  • The Gamecocks swept the SEC Regular-Season and Tournament titles for the sixth time in the last 10 seasons. It was the program’s eighth regular-season title and eight tournament title overall – all coming since the first regular-season championship in 2013-14.
  • South Carolina completed back-to-back undefeated regular seasons, and the Gamecocks are the only program with multiple 16-0 SEC undefeated seasons, logging their fourth this season.
  • Gamecock fans led the nation in average attendance for the ninth-straight season, finishing with an average attendance of 16,067, which is the second-highest average in the history of the NCAA.
  • Senior Kamilla Cardoso was the Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Final Four and Albany 1 Regional. She was named WNBA National Defensive Player of the Year, was a unanimous All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year and All-SEC First-Team selection. She finished her Gamecock career with 198 blocks, which ranks her fifth in program history.
  • Senior Te-Hina Paopao led the nation in 3-point field goal percentage, earning All-America and All-SEC honors.
  • Freshman Tessa Johnson became the fourth freshman in the past 25 seasons to lead her team in scoring in a national title game. She also joined former Gamecock Destanni Henderson (2022) as the only players to set their scoring career high in a national championship game in the last 25 seasons. Her effort earned her a spot on the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team.
  • Sophomore Raven Johnson was on the NCAA Albany 1 Regional All-Tournament Team and a Second-Team All-SEC selection.
  • Dawn Staley was the unanimous National Coach of the Year and the first person to be named Naismith Coach of the Year in three consecutive seasons.
  • Sophomore Ashlyn Watkins was a Second-Team All-SEC selection, and her 91 blocks this season were the third-most in program history.
  • MiLaysia Fulwiley was an SEC All-Freshman Team selection and the first Gamecock freshman to earn SEC Tournament MVP honors..

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

  • The Gamecocks are 15-9 overall, including an 11-1 mark at Wheeler Beach.
  • In the latest AVCA rankings, Carolina is just outside of the Top 20, placing 22nd in points.
  • The team’s 11 home wins in 2024 tie it with the 2018 team for second-most in a single season in program history. Only the 2016 squad has more wins on Wheeler Beach in a single season, with 14.
  • Graduate student Skylar Allen won her 80th career match on April 7 vs. Morehead State. She is just the fourth Gamecock in program history to reach that total and first since 2021 (Katie Smith and Carly Schnieder). Allen has a 16-8 record this season, including 10-6 in the #1 position.
  • Allen and graduate student Allison Coens have the top dual record on the team at 15-7, followed by seniors Hannah Mackenhausen and Riley Whitesides with a 14-9 overall record.

CROSS COUNTRY

  • Freshman phenom Judy Kosgei made history at the NCAA Southeast Regional when she clocked a then-new program record in the 6K with a time of 19:48.9 to finish fourth overall and become the first Gamecock in program history to reach the NCAA Cross Country Championship.
  • The Gamecocks finished 11th overall at the Southeast Regional, the best team finish since 2012.
  • Both Judy Kosgei and Silan Ayyildiz were named All-Region, the first Gamecock duo to be selected to the All-Region team since 2012.
  • Kosgei broke the 6K program record for the third time after running 19:41.5 at the NCAA Championship to finish 19th overall to become the first Gamecock to ever earn NCAA Cross Country All-American Honors.
  • The Gamecocks finished 8th at the 2023 Cross Country SEC Championship hosted by South Carolina, the first Top-10 finish since 2012 and the best team finish since 2001.
  • Silan Ayyildiz led South Carolina at the SEC Championship, finishing 7th overall in her Carolina Cross Country debut after clocking the second fastest 6K in program history at 19:56.2.
  • Ayyildiz’s 7th-place finish helped her land a spot on the First Team All-SEC as well as the SEC All-Freshman Team as she was just the fourth Top-10 individual runner in Gamecock history and the second-highest individual finish in program history.
  • Freshman phenom Judy Kosgei finished 11th at the SEC Championship, earning a spot alongside Ayyildiz on the SEC All-Freshman Team as well as landing on the Second Team All-SEC.
  • Kosgei broke both the 5K and 6K program records this season as she now holds both marks, running the 5K in 15:52.9 and the 6K in 19:54.9.
  • Kosgei has won three SEC weekly honors (2x SEC Women’s Runner of the Week & once named SEC Women’s Freshman Runner of the Week), the first Gamecock to do so in both a single season and during a collegiate career – she was also the first Gamecock to ever receive Women’s Cross Country National Runner of the Week on Sept. 19.

EQUESTRIAN

  • Finished the regular season 7-6 for the first winning season since the 2019-20 year
  • Took down No. 4 Auburn (Feb. 3) for the first time since 2015. The win over the Tigers was the highest-ranked win since defeating No. 3 Georgia at home in the fall of 2022. The loss for Auburn marked a three-meet losing streak – the Tigers’ longest since the 2011-2012 season.
  • The Gamecocks were ranked in the top-10 NCEA poll the entire season, reaching as high as No. 4 in the nation
  • Finished the season ranked No. 6 in the country, will compete in this year’s NCEA Nationals in Ocala, FL as the 7-seed
  • Bella Primavera named SEC Rider of the Month for Fences (Feb.), Tierney Horton named SEC Rider of the Month for Horsemanship (March)
  • At the SEC Championships, Chloe Stephenson (Reining), Natalie Jayne (Fences) and Tierney Horton (Horsemanship) were all named MOPs
  • Three Gamecocks were named NCEA Ariat All-Americans: Mary Hunter Millet (First Team – Flat), Sophie Mitchell (Second Team – Flat) and Emilia Reutimann (Honorable Mention – Reining)
  • 24 Gamecocks were named to NCEA All-Academic teams, with seven being on the First Team list

 FOOTBALL

  • Xavier Legette, Spencer Rattler, Trey Knox, Nick Gargiulo and Marcellas Dial – were invited to the NFL Combine, held on Feb. 29 – March 3 in Indianapolis. The 2024 NFL Draft will be held, April 25-27, in Detroit, Mich.
  • Spencer Rattler (twice), Tree Babalade, T.J. Sanders, Alex Huntley and Jordan Strachan all earned SEC Player of the Week recognition during the season.
  • Offensive lineman Trovon Baugh and defensive back Jalon Kilgore were named to the 2023 SEC Coaches All-Freshman Team, selected by the league’s coaches.
  • The league coaches also selected Hunter Rogers as first-team All-SEC long snapper, and wide receiver Xavier Legette and tight end Trey Knox to the All-SEC second team.
  • Xavier Legette and Debo Williams were on the Associated Press All-SEC second-team.
  • Wide Receiver Xavier Legette was named to the 2023 All-SEC team by PFF College.
  • Defensive back Jalon Kilgore was named to the True Freshman All-America Team by 247Sports, and was one of 14 players selected as a semifinalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
  • Six Gamecocks were named to Phil Steele post-season squads. Wide receiver Xavier Legette was a first-team All-SEC choice and third-team All-American, linebacker Debo Williams was an All-SEC first-team and honorable mention All-America selection.  Long snapper Hunter Rogers was on the All-SEC second-team, tight end Trey Knox on the SEC third-team while defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and cornerback Marcellus Dial were fourth-team All-SEC picks.
  • Five Gamecocks were named to the 2023 Academic All-District football team, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC) for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Those Gamecocks to earn Academic All-District honors in 2023 include Stone Blanton, Mitch Jeter, Tyreek Johnson, Trey Knox, and Keenan Nelson Jr.
  • Team awards following the 2023 season include:
    • Rex Enright Captains’ Award: Nick Gargiulo, Alex Huntley, Dakereon Joyner, Xavier Legette, Spencer Rattler, Debo Williams
    • Steve Spurrier Award (MVP Offense): Xavier Legette
    • Joe Morrison Award (MVP Defense): Debo Williams
    • Jim Carlen Award (MVP Special Teams): Mitch Jeter
    • Steve Wadiak Team MVP Award: Spencer Rattler & Xavier Legette
    • Blanchard-Rogers Trophy Finalists: Xavier Legette & Spencer Rattler

MEN’S GOLF

  • Top finishes for the Gamecocks this season include a 4th place at the Daniel Island Intercollegiate (Oct. 29-31 at Charleston), 4th at the Folds of Honor Collegiate (Sept. 4-6 at Grand Haven, Mich.) and 5th place finishes at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate (March 24-26 at Awendaw, S.C.) and the Schenkel Invitational (March 15-17 at Statesboro, Ga.).
  • Junior Nathan Franks was named the SEC Golfer of the Week twice this season, after winning the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate (Feb. 3-4) and the Schenkel Invitational (March 15-17).
  • Redshirt sophomore transfer Frankie Harris earned SEC Golfer of the Week honors after coming off his first career victory at the Daniel Island Intercollegiate (Oct. 29-31).

WOMEN’S GOLF

  • Carolina is ranked 2nd in the latest Clippd Team Rankings (April 10), just behind Stanford.
  • The Gamecocks have won four tournaments this season – The Old Barnwell Match Play (March 25-27), San Diego State Classic (Feb. 12-13), Therese Hession Regional Challenge (Feb. 3-5) and the ANNIKA Intercollegiate (Sept. 11-13).
  • Junior All-Americans Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist completed in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, April 3-6, one of the top amateur events in women’s golf. Darling placed 7thoverall and Rydqvist placed tied for 24th.
  • Rydqvist is the Gamecocks’ top ranked golfer, placing 17th in the latest Clippd Rankings and followed by Darling at 19th.
  • By virtue of her medalist finish at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, Rydqvist received an invitation to play in the ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge at Pelican LPGA event, Nov. 9-12, 2023.
  • Rydqvist was named SEC Golfer of the Week on Feb. 14 after placing 4th in the San Diego State Classic and also took league honors in the fall after winning the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Maylis Lamoure was named the SEC Freshman of the Week after the ANNIKA and Hannah Darling was SEC Golfer of the Week after going 3-0 in match play in the Therese Hession Regional Challenge.

MEN’S SOCCER

  • The Gamecocks advanced to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and finished the season with a 6-9-3 record.
  • The Gamecocks earned an upset win over then-#24 Kentucky on the road September 15, their first ranked win since 2019.
  • Ben Alexander was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Gamecocks defeat the Wildcats in Lexington for the first time since 2012.
  • Ethan Dekel Daks earned the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week after scoring the game-winning goal with five seconds left in the match against Old Dominion on Oct. 7.
  • Jordan Illian was named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week for scoring two goals and an assist against Coastal Carolina on Oct. 27.
  • Illian became the first Carolina freshman since 2007 to score a brace and his five-point night was the first since 2013.
  • The Gamecocks earned the No. 7 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament and defeated second-seeded and No. 1 ranked UCF 2-1 in the opening round Nov. 5.
  • It’s the first time in program history they have defeated the No. 1 ranked team in the country. It marks the first time since 2000 that Carolina has defeated two ranked opponents on the road in a season and the first time since 2016 defeating two ranked teams in a season.

 WOMEN’S SOCCER

  • Goalkeeper Heather Hinz was selected to the Houston Dash in the 2024 NWSL Draft on Jan. 12. It was the third-consecutive NWSL selection for the Gamecocks and the fifth overall. South Carolina has now seen an NWSL draftee or camp invitee for eight straight years.
  • Catherine Barry was named a United Soccer Coaches Third Team All-American
  • Heather Hinz and Catherine Barry were named United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Americans (First Team)
  • Catherine Barry, Heather Hinz and Gracie Falla were selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team
  • The Gamecocks made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, doing so for the 13th time in program history.
  • The Gamecocks finished 2nd overall in the SEC Standings and were ranked #21 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll.
  • Carolina was ranked nationally in the top-25 all season, reaching as high as 7th.
  • Reached the SEC Tournament for the 17th straight season.
  • Undefeated in the SEC regular season for the 4thtime in program history.
  • The following Gamecocks were selected for SEC post-season honors by the league’s coaches:
    • All-SEC First Team Forward, Senior Captain: Cat Barry
    • All-SEC First Team Defender and SEC Defender of the Year: Sophomore Gracie Falla
    • All-SEC First Team Goalkeeper and SEC Goalkeeper of the Year: 5th-year senior Heather Hinz
    • All-SEC Freshman team: Reagan Schubach

SOFTBALL

  • The Gamecocks have been ranked in all 10 NFCA polls this season.
  • Alana Vawter was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week on April 2
  • Carolina defeated then-No. 11 Clemson 6-4 on the road in 12 innings.
  • The Gamecocks have played eight extra-inning games this season, tied for the most in the nation.
  • They’ve also played four 10-plus inning games, the most by any program in Division I.
  • Carolina turned a triple play in the third inning against Charleston Southern, the first in the recorded history of Carolina softball (since at least 2000).
    • It was the fourth triple play recorded this season in Division I.
  • Jori Heard threw a perfect game in the 4-0 win over Bethune-Cookman on March 2.
    • It was the first 7-inning perfect game in Division I this season.
    • It was the first perfect game for South Carolina since Melissa Hendon against Pittsburgh on March 4, 2007.
  • The Gamecocks swept Ole Miss March 29-31, their first SEC road sweep since 2013.
  • Carolina opened the Puerta Vallarta College Challenge defeating then-No 13 Utah 9-1 in a six-inning run-rule victory.
  • The Gamecocks scored a season-high 18 runs in their win over UC San Diego while in Mexico.
  • Aniyah Black and Sage Mardjetko were named to the Puerta Vallarta College Challenge All-Tournament Team.
  • Carolina earned a win over then-No. 16 Mississippi State 3-1 on April 7.
  • Riley Blampied became the 12th player in program history to record 100 career RBIs and 100 career runs.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

  • The women’s swimming and diving team finished the regular season ranked No. 23 in the CSCAA Dual Meet Rankings and placed 31st in the NCAA Championships
  • In the 200 backstroke, sophomore Amy Riordan became the first Gamecock woman to earn All-America honors in the backstroke since 1993.
  • Junior Greta Pelzek became an All-America in the 200 butterfly, placing 10th in the NCAA meet.
  • The men’s swim team completed the season with one new program record and more than 30 new entries in the program’s all0time top 10 list.
  • Eight of South Carolina’s swimmers were named to the 2024 Academic All-District Swim & Dive Team as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC). The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the pool and in the classroom. The women’s team is represented by seniors Bella Pantano and Nicholle Toh, junior Greta Pelzek, and sophomore Amy Riordan. The men’s team representatives are seniors Jackson Davis and Daniel West, and juniors Wylie Kruse and Linus Kahl.
  • This also marks the conclusion of the third season under head coach Jeff Poppell. Across his three seasons at the helm, Poppell has now brought a total of nine SEC medals to South Carolina and had 21 NCAA individual event qualifiers.

MEN’S TENNIS

  • The Gamecocks are 13-12 overall and 4-7 in SEC play and are ranked 21st in the latest ITA Top 25 rankings.
  • So far this season, Carolina has nationally-ranked wins over #1 Virginia, #20 Arizona State and #24 Alabama.
  • Following the win over then top-ranked Virginia, Carolina vaulted to No. 2 in the national rankings.
  • Senior Toby Samuel leads the Gamecocks, ranked No. 15 in the nation with a 14-4 overall record, all playing the No. 1 position. He is 10-4 against nationally-ranked opponents and has an 11-match win streak to his record.
  • Junior Casey Hoole is ranked #105th in the nation and has a 19-19 overall record, with four wins coming against nationally-ranked competition.
  • The doubles team of Hoole-Samuel are currently ranked No. 13 in the nation with a 9-4 record. They are 4-2 against nationally-ranked teams.
  • Josh Goffi is in his 14th season directing the Gamecock men’s tennis squad. He has a 226-152 record and has led the Gamecocks to nine NCAA post-season tournaments.  Last year, the Gamecocks reached the quarter-finals of NCAA play and ended the season ranked 8th in the nation.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

  • The Gamecocks are 16-5 overall and 8-4 in SEC play and are ranked 18th in the latest ITA Top 25 rankings.
  • So far this season, the Gamecocks have nationally-ranked wins over #23 Georgia Tech, #16 Tennessee, #17 Alabama and #13 Auburn.
  • Graduate student Ayana Akli currently is ranked 7th in the nation in singles with a 24-9 overall record. Playing in the #1 singles position, she is 12-9 against nationally-ranked foes.
  • Junior Sarah Hamner is ranked 16th in the nation in singles with a 29-6 overall record, in the #2 singles position. She is 15-5 against nationally-ranked opponents.
  • Akli and Hamner combine for the 21st nationally-ranked doubles team in the nation. They are 10-8 overall with the majority of their matches in the #1 position.  The duo is 5-6 against nationally-ranked opponents.
  • junior Olympe Lancelot has won each of her last seven matches. She is 19-13 overall and 8-3 in SEC play.
  • Kevin Epley is in his 12th season as the Gamecocks head coach and is 192-105 overall and led the Gamecocks to post-season play each year.

TRACK & FIELD

  • South Carolina won two gold medals at the NCAA Indoor Championship – JaMeesia Ford won the 200m championship after running a program record time of 22.34 for the first individual 200m champion since 2006.
  • The women’s 4x400m relay team of Zaya Akins, Jahnile Registre, Jayla Jamison and JaMeesia Ford claimed the program’s sixth 4x400m relay championship in program history, running 3:26.20
  • In all at the NCAA Indoor Championship, South Carolina finished 12th in the women’s standings and 24th in the men – the highest finish for both squads since 2019.
  • The Gamecocks earned seven First Team All-American honors at the NCAA Championship, while also recording two Second Team All-American nods
  • Dylan Targgart earned bronze in the shot put at the NCAA Championship, becoming the first medalist for Carolina since Josh Awotunde in 2018
  • At the 2024 SEC Indoor Championship, the men won the program’s first ever Distance Medley Relay as Jaoaud Khchina, Bryson Miller, Joshua Kosgei and Anass Essayi took home gold with the fastest relay time in program history – 9:34.50
  • The Gamecocks secured six medals in the final day of the SEC Indoor Championship – JaMeesia Ford won gold in the 200m, while the 4x400m relay team of Akins, Registre, Jamison and Ford also took home gold. Dylan Targgart (shot put) and Anass Essayi (mile) took home silver in their respective events, while Channing Ferguson (high jump) and Judy Kosgei (800m) secured bronze medalist honors.
  • The men finished 4th at the SEC Indoor Championship for their best finish since 2010, while the women finished 11th overall.
  • JaMeesia Ford was named to the Bowerman Watch List on April 10 for the fourth consecutive month, looking to become the program’s first ever Bowerman winner.
  • Ford also earned SEC Women’s Freshman Runner of the Year as well as USTFCCCA Southeast Region Track Athlete of the Year
  • Dylan Targgart earned SEC Indoor Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year – becoming the sixth Gamecock to ever win the award and the third male to do so.
  • During the indoor season, the Gamecocks accounted for 49 new Top-10 program marks as well as 11 new program records – so far in the outdoor season, Carolina has accounted for 28 new Top-10 marks and four new program records

VOLLEYBALL

  • The Gamecocks defeated No. 8 Tennessee in the final game of the 2023 season, marking the sixth season in a row where South Carolina defeated a ranked opponent. That extends the longest streak since joining the SEC in 1991. Tennessee is the third top-10-ranked team beaten during the streak, joining No. 5 Kentucky in 2021 and No. 4 Florida in 2020.
  • Middle blocker Oby Anadi finished her junior season with a team-high 129 total blocks, the fourth-most in a season for the rally-scoring era. Her 15 total blocks against Cincinnati on Sept. 8 broke Mikayla Robinson’s single-game record of 14 for most in a match during the rally-scoring era (since 2001). Only three other women in the program’s 50 season have finished a match with more total blocks. Thanks to her efforts, the team finished the match with 21 total blocks, the most in a match of any length since Oct. 8, 2004.
  • The Gamecocks end the 2023 season with a total attendance of 23,114 over 14 home games, a new program record. A crowd of 3,293 fans weathered a tropical storm on Aug. 30 against Clemson, the total is the second-highest for a home game in program history, just behind the record of 3,458 (also against Clemson, 8/25/2018). That came after an opening-weekend total of 5,340 fans for the two-game series against Towson. The team saw three of the top five most well-attended matches in program history happen in the span of six days. The team has more games with 2,000 or more fans this season (5) than in the previous 49 seasons of volleyball at South Carolina combined (3) and six of the top-10 most-attended matches in program history came in the team’s first eight home games of 2023.
  • Senior middle blocker Ellie Ruprich earned the nod as SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4, the team’s first honor of the season and the fourth weekly award of Ruprich’s career (2x Freshman of the Week, 2x Defensive). Ruprich finished with 25 total blocks in wins over Clemson, Miami and Troy, almost matching the combined total of the three opposing teams over the course of the week.
  • With a team-high 15 kills against No. 13 Kentucky on Nov. 3, senior Riley Whitesides surpassed 1,000 career kills. She is just the seventh woman since 2001 to reach 1,000, and only 16 other Gamecocks in the 50-season history of the program have reached the milestone. On Sept. 24, Whitesides also reached 1,000 career points in the team’s match at Missouri, making her the fourth Gamecock in the last decade and ninth overall since 2001 to reach that milestone.
  • Senior Ellie Ruprich became just the eighth woman in program history to reach 400 career blocks thanks to a five-block night against No. 10 Arkansas on Oct. 27. She is just the third woman in the modern scoring era (since 2001) to reach 400 career blocks, joining Darian Dozier (2012-15) and Mikayla Robinson (2017-21). All five of Ruprich’s blocks were solo stuffs, the most by a Gamecock in a four-set match since Stephanie Pflughaupt against Rice 37 years ago (10/18/1986). The Beverly Hills, Michigan native is still in the hunt of some rarely contested records. In the rally scoring record book, Ruprich surpassed Mikayla Robinson’s solo block record (now with 96) in the match against LSU on Nov. 12. In the all-time record book, she passed current South Carolina hall of famer Heather Larkin for sixth in program history for total blocks on Nov. 17, now with 424, and is three away from moving past Darian Dozier (2012-15) for fifth place.
  • Senior Kiune Fletcher’s 26 total kills at Mississippi State on Wednesday, Nov. 8 were the second-most in a three-set match in program history, behind only Shonda Cole’s record of 27 set against Georgia on Nov. 15, 2006. The last Gamecock to have 25 or more kills in a match of any length was – ironically – Fletcher’s cousin Mikayla Shields, who had 29 in a five-set win over Missouri six years ago (Nov. 8, 2017). The 26 kills for Fletcher were the most in the NCAA for a three-set match this season. Only four SEC players have more than 26 kills this season in a match of ANY length. After adding 25 more kills in the match against LSU on Nov. 12, Fletcher became the first Gamecock since Juliette Thevenin in 2013 to post 25 or more kills in back-to-back matches. Thevenin did it Sept. 6-7 of 2013; the last Gamecock to do so in SEC play was Shonda Cole in 2006 (Sept. 15-17). The SEC announced its players of the week awards on Monday, Nov. 13, with Kiune earning her first career weekly honor. It was the program’s first Offensive Player of the Week award since Mikayla Robinson on Aug. 30, 2021 and the second weekly honor of 2023.