SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT

On April 3, the Gamecock women’s basketball team defeated the Connecticut Huskies, 64-49, to win the 2022 NCAA Championship. It was the 8th national championship in USC school history and the second women’s basketball national title. Previous national championships won by Gamecock teams include 2002 women’s outdoor track & field, 2005, 2007 and 2015 equestrian, 2010 and 2011 baseball and 2017 women’s basketball.
In the latest Learfield Directors’ Cup Standings (as of April 6), South Carolina is ranked 32nd among all Division I schools, and 9th in the SEC, with 362 points. The Gamecocks have collected points in women’s basketball (100), women’s soccer (73), football (45), women’s swimming (43), women’s indoor track and field (43.5), volleyball (25) and men’s indoor track and field (22.5). Since 2013, South Carolina has averaged 648.84 points per year, with a majority of its points scored in the spring sports.
As of April 7, top team finishes/up-to-date rankings include: Women’s basketball (Champions), women’s golf (3rd in latest rankings), men’s tennis (9th in latest rankings), women’s soccer (10th in final poll), women’s outdoor track and field (14th in latest poll) and women’s indoor track and field (18th in NCAA championshiips).
Gamecock student-athletes concluded the Fall 2021 semester with a departmental grade point average of 3.245 with 16 of 18 teams earning a GPA of 3.0 or better. It marked the 30th straight semester that Gamecock student-athletes earned a departmental GPA of 3.0 or better. Women’s soccer (3.733) earned the highest team GPA in the fall semester and their fourth-highest team GPA on record.
The 2021 Southeastern Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll was announced on Feb. 8, 2022 and South Carolina’s 120 student-athletes topped the list of all SEC schools. The 2021 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball. It is based on grades from the 2021 spring, summer and fall terms.
South Carolina leads all Southeastern Conference schools with 2,555 student-athletes earning SEC Academic Honor Roll status since the 2015-16 academic year. Carolina has led the SEC in six of the last seven years in Academic Honor Roll honorees, finishing second in 2017-18.
South Carolina is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX, a law that states, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” As part of the Title IX celebration, Former track and field standout Dawn Ellerbe and women’s basketball great Sheila Foster, will be recognized at the 2022 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville as a “SEC Trailblazer” for their contributions to the advancement of women and the growth of women’s athletics.
The University of South Carolina athletics program ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate, released on Dec. 1. The GSR measures the number of scholarship student-athletes that graduate within a six-year period of their initial full-time enrollment. For this report, the rates are based on student-athletes who entered college in the fall of 2014. South Carolina’s athletic teams had a 96 percent score, which is second in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt (97) in the GSR, and second in the state of South Carolina, behind only Wofford (97). Of the over 350 schools in NCAA Division I, South Carolina’s score tied for 31st overall. South Carolina’s Football GSR score (89) ranked third among SEC schools, second among South Carolina schools (Wofford) and tied for 23rd among all FBS schools. An outstanding 11 teams scored a perfect GSR (100): Men’s Basketball, Men’s Track & Field, Men’s Soccer, Men’s Swimming & Diving, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Track and Field, Women’s Soccer, Softball, Women’s Swimming & Diving, Women’s Tennis and Volleyball. Nearly every NCAA-sponsored team exceeded the Division I national average for their sport.

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BASEBALL

Carolina has four wins over top-5 opponents this season after defeating No. 1 Texas in a doubleheader on March 13 and winning twice over No. 4 Vanderbilt on March 25 and 26. Carolina has the nation’s sixth-best strength of schedule as of April 5.
Braylen Wimmer was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week on March 28 after going 6-for-12 in the series win over Vanderbilt with four extra base hits and five RBI.
Brandt Belk and Matthew Becker were named the SEC Co-Player and Co-Pitcher of the week on March 14. Belk was 4-for-5 with a double, a home run and two runs scored in the series opener against Texas, then had a pair of hits in each of the wins over the Longhorns. Becker allowed just one hit in six innings, striking out 11 to help Carolina clinch the series win over Texas.
Michael Braswell was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 21. Playing in his first game as a collegian, Braswell was 2-for-4 with three runs scored and his first home run in a Carolina uniform. Braswell added a pair of RBI in Saturday’s game. Then on Sunday, he earned the win on the mound, striking out the side in the top of the 10th inning. Then in the bottom of the 10th, his RBI fielder’s choice scored Colin Burgess for the walk-off win, which also gave him the win on the mound.
Will Sanders was named to the Preseason All-SEC second team by the league’s 14 head coaches. Sanders who was a Freshman All-SEC honoree last season for the Gamecocks, made 22 appearances with 10 starts for Carolina last season, going 6-3 with a 3.54 ERA, a save and 54 strikeouts in 53.1 innings pitched.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Lamont Paris, who has been a part of nine NCAA Division I Tournaments and 17 twenty-win seasons as a college head and assistant coach, was named USC’s 33rd head coach on March 24. Paris, 47, becomes the first African-American head coach in the history of the Gamecock men’s basketball program. Paris comes to Carolina after five seasons as the head coach at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, coaching the Mocs to an 87-72 overall record (.547), including a 65-29 mark the last three seasons. This season, he led the Mocs to their first Southern Conference title and NCAA berth since 2016. Chattanooga finished the season with a 27-8 mark. He is one of 20 finalists for the Hugh Durham Award, given by CollegeInsider.com to the top Division I mid-major coach in college basketball. The Mocs’ NCAA NET ranking improved in each of his seasons at Chattanooga, finishing with a 63 ranking this season.
The Gamecocks finished the 2021-22 season with an 18-13 overall record, 9-9 in the SEC. Carolina finished in a tie for 5th in the SEC and was seeded 7th in the SEC Tournament.
Carolina had three Quad 1 wins, defeating LSU, 77-75, at Colonial Life Arena and knocking off Texas A&M, 74-63, and Vanderbilt, 72-70, on the road.
Devin Carter was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, averaging 9.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. The Miami, Fla. native scored a season high 22 points against Army and also had 21 points against Georgia and 20 against Arkansas.
Freshman point guard Jacobi Wright was named to the SEC Community Service Team for men’s basketball. Since arriving on campus in the summer, Wright has been actively involved in different service outreach projects from the get-go. The Fort Mill, S.C., native leads the team in community service hours. He participated in a six-week pen pal program over the summer with a local camp. He has also participated in packing school supplies into backpacks that were delivered to that same camp. Wright also spent time reading for a local school district’s upcoming March Madness reading campaign. Off the court, Wright serves as one of the men’s basketball team representatives on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). He is also a member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee on SAAC.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

South Carolina was ranked No. 1 in both polls every week of the season, sealing the streak by winning the 2022 NCAA Championship with a 64-49 win over UConn. It was the second national championship for the Gamecocks with both coming in the last five NCAA Tournaments.
The Gamecocks led the nation with a school-record 14 wins over ranked opponents this season, including six over top-10 foes.
South Carolina’s 35 wins were a new school record as were the team’s 1,771 rebounds, 635 offensive rebounds, 1,135 defensive rebounds, 47.9 rebounds per game and +17.7 rebounding margin. The defensive effort set a school record by allowing opponents just 50.7 points per game.
Junior Aliyah Boston was the unanimous National Player of the Year, the second Gamecock in the last five seasons to earn that title. She became the first player to win both the Naismith Trophy for player of the year and Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. She also picked up the Lisa Leslie Award for the third time in as many seasons.
Head coach Dawn Staley captured Naismith, WBCA and USBWA National Coach of the Year honors.
Boston was named Most Outstanding Player at the NCAA Final Four and the NCAA Greensboro Regional. At the Final Four, Destanni Henderson and Zia Cooke joined her on the All-Tournament Team. Henderson made the Regional All-Tournament Team as well.
In addition to Boston unanimously earning First-Team All-America status, Destanni Henderson was a third-team selection by USBWA and Zia Cooke picked up honorable mention recognition from the Associated Press.
Boston was the SEC Player of the Year for the first time in her career and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in as many seasons. Henderson joined her on the All-SEC First Team. Cooke picked up second-team honors. Staley was named SEC Coach of the Year.
Laeticia Amihere was part of the Canadian team that finished first in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying tournament in Osaka, Japan, in February, helping her home country qualify for the 2022 World Cup.
Kamilla Cardoso played for her home country Brazil in the FIBA World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia, in February, where she made the All-Tournament Team.
Laeticia Amihere was named Chair of the SEC Women’s Basketball Leadership Council for the 2021-22 academic year.
Head coach Dawn Staley led the U.S. to a gold medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as the head coach of that team for the first time in her career. She has been on the court or the bench for six of the U.S.’s seven straight gold medals in women’s basketball.
South Carolina was well represented at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with alumae A’ja Wilson and Allisha Gray winning gold medals for the U.S. in 5×5 and 3×3 women’s basketball, respectively. Current junior Laeticia Amihere became the first active Gamecock to participate in Olympic women’s basketball, playing for her native Canada. Gray was named USA Basketball 3×3 Female Athlete of the Year.
Four current Gamecocks represented their countries at the FIBA AmeriCup in June – Destanni Henderson and Aliyah Boston (U.S., gold medal), Laeticia Amihere (Canada) and Kamilla Cardoso (Brazil). Freshman Sania Feagin also helped the U.S. to a gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup in July.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

South Carolina’s No. 18 ranking in the pre-season AVCA Beach Volleyball Top 20 poll marked 50 consecutive polls where the team was ranked, dating back to March of 2017.
South Carolina beach volleyball freshmen Chase Teal and Lauren Wilcock were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s High School Beach All-American teams, the organization announced on Sept. 10. The Gamecocks now have seven current or past honorees on the roster and have 10 total in the eight years the award has existed.
Head coach Moritz Moritz and assistant coach RJ Abella have been together since the program’s first season back in 2014. Across all of collegiate beach volleyball, the duo is currently tied only with UCLA (Stein Metzger and Jenny Johnson Jordan) in terms of longest tenure together as a staff.
Through its first 20 games of the spring, South Carolina already has four wins over ranked opponents: No. 20 FGCU, No. 15 Pepperdine, No. 11 FAU and No. 20 Tulane.
Junior Skylar Allen, a returning All-American, became just the third woman in program history to reach 25 career wins in the number one position. Her career record of 38-23 includes 32 victories playing in the top pair and her career win percentage of .604 at number one is the second highest in program history.
Senior Jordan Smith is following up a breakout 2021 season with an equally strong 2022 so far. Playing at the number two position in all 17 of her starts so far, Smith is 13-4, pushing her career record to 44-15 (.746). She is nearing Macie Tendrich’s program record for fastest Gamecock to reach 50 career wins, with Tendrich making it in just 68 matches.
Senior Whitley Ballard has enjoyed a career year in her final spring, currently holding a 14-7 overall record. Ballard made only one start in the previous two seasons but already has a career high for wins (14) and total starts (21). Of her 14 wins, eight have come from the number one pairing.

CROSS COUNTRY

Carolina wrapped up its season on Oct. 29 at the SEC Championships. The squad was led by Hope Dominique. Kira Jenkins, Katerina Hendrix, Lily Weeks and Claudia Satzke rounded out the Gamecocks’ top five.
South Carolina won its first two meets of the season, placing first out of 13 teams at the Eye Opener meet on Sept. 3 in Spartanburg, and first out of 12 teams at the Winthrop Invitational on Sept. 18 in Rock Hill.
The Gamecocks finished 10th out of 39 teams at the Paul Short Run Brown race on Oct. 1.
Hannah Twine has led the way in each cross country meet this year for the Gamecocks, winning individual honors at the Winthrop Invitational and placing second at the Eye Opener.
Lily Weeks has been a standout freshman, running second for the Gamecocks at the Eye Opener and the Paul Short Run.

EQUESTRIAN

South Carolina upset then-No. 4 Georgia in the final SEC regular season meet in a 10-9 decision. The Gamecocks came away with the win on Senior Day
Maya Clarkson was named the February SEC Rider of the Month on the flat after going 4-0-0.
Senior Sloane Vogt was named the February NCEA Standout Student Athlete of the Month.
Steve Irwin was named the February NCEA Horse of the Month.
Alice Kass was named the March SEC Rider of the Month on the flat with a 2-0-0 performance and a program season best score of 89.5 that helped her earn MOP honors.
In the SEC Championships, junior Jordan Allen earned MOP honors in fences in both meets she competed in. In the meet against Georgia, she scored a 275 which tied the Championship record score in the event.
Jordan Allen was named to the SEC All-Championship team in fences and sophomore Emma Lane was named to the SEC All-Championship team in reining.
Sloane Vogt received the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for her accomplishments in the classroom.
Trinity Hammerschmidt made the Second Team All-America list for her standout performance on the flat this season. She was the lone Gamecock to earn All-America honors.
23 Gamecocks earned NCEA Academic honors for their tenacity in the classroom..

FOOTBALL

Gamecock spring football practice will conclude with the annual Garnet and Black Spring Game on Saturday, April 16. The game will be at Williams-Brice Stadium starting at 7 pm and televised on SECN+. The annual alumni game will begin at 6 pm.
South Carolina defeated North Carolina, 38-21, to win the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 in Charlotte. Dakereon Joyner was named the game’s MVP after completing all 9 of his passes for 160 yards and a touchdown, and rushing for 64 yards on 10 carries.
The Gamecocks finished the season with a 7-6 overall record. Shane Beamer was named the co-winner of the Steve Spurrier First-Year Coach of the Year Award by the Football Writers Association of America.
Three players – Kingsley Enagbare, Kevin Harris and ZaQuandre White – were invited to the NFL Combine, March 1-7, in Indianapolis, Ind.
Senior defensive back Jaylan Foster was named second-team Walter Camp All-American and the AP, SEC Coaches and USA Today All-SEC first team. He led the team in tackles with 90, had five interceptions, four tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry.
Sophomore defensive back Cam Smith was named second-team All-SEC by the Associated Press. He had 41 total tackles along with 11 pass breakups and three interceptions.
Juju McDowell, Tyshawn Wannamaker and Alex Huntley were named to the SEC All-Freshman team by the league’s 14 coaches.
Parker White has become the Gamecocks’ all-time leader in games played with 59.
Five members of the squad were recognized on the Pro Football Focus All-SEC squad. Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare was named to the first team as a defensive end, tight end Jaheim Bell and cornerback Cam Smith earned second-team honors, placekicker Parker White was named to the third team and wide receiver Josh Vann earned honorable mention status.
Senior linebacker Spencer Eason-Riddle was named to the SEC Football Community Service Team. It is the fifth time he has earned this honor. Eason-Riddle has been a regular at the Dorn VA Medical Center and the oncology center of the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital among other community service endeavors. He founded and developed the “Sandstorm Buddies Program” which matches student-athletes with cancer patients and their families, where they can serve in a mentor capacity. He also spearheaded a shoe drive in 2021, asking fellow student-athletes and staff to donate lightly worn shoes and cleats to the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Midlands so they can be used by area middle or high school students.
Gamecock team awards as selected by players and coaches for 2021 include:
COACHES’ CHOICE AWARDS
Dr. Harris Pastides Outstanding Student-Athlete Award – Parker White
Community Service Award – Jaylin Dickerson and Spencer Eason-Riddle
Strength & Conditioning Award – Jaylan Foster, Jovaughn Gwyn and Damani Staley
Overcoming Adversity Award – Carlins Platel, R.J. Roderick, Aaron Sterling and ZaQuandre White
Offensive Scout Team Award – Colin Henrich and Patrick Reedy
Defensive Scout Team Award – Sean McGonigal
Special Teams Scout Team Award – King-Demenian Ford
Nutrition Award – Kingsley Enagbare, Jordan Strachan and Dylan Wonnum

PLAYERS’ CHOICE AWARDS
Most Outstanding Senior Award – Jaylan Foster and Nick Muse
Most Inspirational Walk-On – Jaylan Foster
Above All Else Award – Spencer Eason-Riddle and Zeb Noland
Steve Spurrier Award (MVP Offense) – Josh Vann
Joe Morrison Award (MVP Defense) – Kingsley Enagbare and Jaylan Foster
Jim Carlen Award (MVP Special Teams) – Parker White
Steve Wadiak Team MVP Award – Kingsley Enagbare and Jaylan Foster
Rex Enright Captains’ Award – Jabari Ellis, Kingsley Enagbare, Jaylan Foster, Jovaughn Gwyn, Parker White
Senior tight end Nick Muse was selected to play in the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl on Feb. 3, 2022, in Las Vegas, Nev. Muse started 12 games and had 20 catches for 222 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
SEC Player of the Week recognitions during the 2021 season included linebacker Debo Williams (freshman) vs. Eastern Illniois, placekicker Parker White (special teams) vs. East Carolina, punter Kai Kroeger vs. Vanderbilt (special teams), Parker White (special teams) vs. Florida, right guard Jovaughn Gwyn (offensive lineman) vs. Auburn and fullback Trai Jones (freshman) vs. Auburn.

MEN’S GOLF

The Gamecocks are currently ranked 24th in the latest Golfstat Rankings while sophomore Jack Wall is the top Gamecock individual at 62nd and junior Ryan Hall comes in at 64th. South Carolina is currently 27th in the Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches Poll.
Carolina has won three tournaments this season, including two in the spring. The team won the Cleveland Golf Palmetto Intercollegiate, March 7-8, in Aiken, S.C., and then claimed a share of the team title (with East Tennessee) at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, March 27-29, in Awendaw, S.C.
Ryan Hall and Jack Wall finished 1-2 on the individual leaderboard at the Cleveland Golf Intercollegiate. Hall shot a three-round 10-under-par score while Wall was at five-under.
Hall finished tied for third at the Hootie at Bulls Bay with a three round score of nine-under-par.
In its first tournament of the 2021-22 season, the Gamecocks took the title in the J.T. Poston Invitational, held in Sapphire, N.C., Sept. 27-28. Carolina finished two shots ahead of second-place Middle Tennessee. Ryan Hall and Jack Wall shot three round scores of 208, leading the squad and placing tied for 12th overall. The Gamecocks had five golfers finish in the Top 25.
Ryan Hall is currently 10th in the PGA Tour University Velocity Global Ranking (as of April 6). Entering its second season, PGA TOUR University presented by Velocity Global rewards elite college players with access to Tours operated under the PGA TOUR umbrella, while upholding the principles and virtues of collegiate athletics. At the end of each college golf season, the top 15 players in the final Velocity Global Ranking earn status on the Korn Ferry Tour or a PGA TOUR international tour. The Class of 2022 Ranking will be finalized May 30 following the conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA D-I Men’s National Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

WOMEN’S GOLF

The Gamecocks have won a program-record five tournaments this season. The latest was the Wolfpack Match Play, April 3-4 in Raleigh. Carolina defeated Notre Dame and Louisville before besting North Carolina in the championship match.
Carolina is currently ranked third in the latest Golfstat Ratings while freshman Hannah Darling is the top Gamecock individual at 10th, followed by sophomore Mathilde Claisse at 51st and senior Worapitcha Anudit at 54th.
Carolina also won the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, March 25-27, in Athens, Ga., placing eight shots better than second-place Texas A&M. Louise Rydqvist and Hanna Darling tied for fifth at the Gamecocks highest finishers.
On March 12-13, Carolina shared the Valspar Invitational title in Augusta, Ga. with Ole Miss. Hannah Darling was USC’s top finisher, tying for second place.
Carolina went wire-to-wire to win the 2021 ANNIKA Intercollegiate by seven shots over second-place Duke. The field consisted of 11 teams that made last year’s NCAA Championships field. Hannah Darling was the Gamecocks’ top finisher, placing second overall.
The Gamecocks also won the 2021 Landfall Tradition, held Oct. 29-31 in Wilmington, NC. In winning the tournament, Carolina defeated 12 Top 40 teams. The squad finished 12 strokes ahead of second-place Michigan. Freshman Justine Fournand took individual medalist honors.
USC also owns a second-place finish this season at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, Feb. 28-March 2, at Hilton Head, S.C.

MEN’S SOCCER

Men’s soccer joined the Sun Belt Conference ahead of the 2022 season, the conference announced on Wednesday, April 6. The Gamecocks join a host of schools moving to the Sun Belt, including the only other SEC program to have a men’s soccer team, Kentucky. Carolina makes the move after being a member of Conference USA since 2005.
Coach Tony Annan’s 2022 recruiting class has signed eight players and are anticipating more signings as they continue to recruit.
Benjamin Alexander, Bryce Griffith, Laurits Lillemose, Rocky Perez, Damola Salami, Kosi Udeh, Joseph Belenardo, Micah Colodny are the first eight signees of the Gamecock 2022 signing class.
Peter Clement was named to the All-Conference USA Second Team. The co-captain was tied for the Gamecocks’ lead in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11).
Logan Frost was named to the All-Conference USA Third Team. Frost tied Cement for the team lead in goals (4), assists (3) and points (11). Frost led the team in shots (28) and shots on goal (11).
Harrison Myring was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team. He put up 18 shots and eight shots on goal in eight appearances.
Josh Corning, Jared Gulden, Parker League, Brian Banahan, Logan Frost and Andrew Halloran were all chosen to the CoSIDA District 4 All-Academic team.
South Carolina led Conference USA in average home attendance, drawing 1,622 fans per game in 11 contests.

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Emma Bucci was named to the Ireland U-19 Team for April’s UEFA Women’s U-19 Championship.
The Gamecock women’s soccer program hosted the 14th annual Fan Appreciation Free Clinic on Wednesday, April 6.
Carolina finished the season with a 14-7-1 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Championship Elite 8 for the fifth time in the last eight seasons. This season marked the ninth consecutive 12-win season for the Gamecocks and the ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. It was the 17th winning campaign in 21 years under Shelley Smith.
The Gamecocks defeated North Carolina, 1-0, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. It was the Tar Heels first loss in the opening round in the 40-year history of the NCAA Tournament. Carolina went on to defeat Hofstra, 3-0, and Penn State, 2-0, in the following rounds before falling at BYU, 4-1.
Ryan Gareis was taken with the sixth pick in the fourth round of the National Women’s Soccer League College Draft by the Houston Dash. Gareis was the 44th overall pick in the draft and the only selection Houston made on the night. Gareis became the third Gamecock ever to be taken in the NWSL draft.
Lauren Chang and Sarah Eskew were named to the Academic All-America® Women’s Soccer Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Chang was named to the second team, while Eskew earned third team honors. It’s only the third time in program history the Gamecocks have earned multiple Academic All-America® honors (2014 and 2016). South Carolina was one of only three Division I programs to have multiple players selected.
For the third consecutive season, the South Carolina women’s soccer program had multiple players selected to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-South Region team. Jyllissa Harris was also named a Scholar All-American. Harris was named to the All-Region First Team and the All-America Second Team, while forward Ryan Gareis and goalkeeper Heather Hinz were named to the All-Region Second Team.
Senior Jyllissa Harris was named to the All-SEC first team by the league’s coaches.
For the seventh consecutive season, the Gamecock women’s soccer program had three players selected to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region team. Defender Jyllissa Harris was named to the first team, while forward Ryan Gareis and goalkeeper Heather Hinz were named to the third team.
Forward Ryan Gareis was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 4 for her efforts against Auburn, scoring the game-winning goal and earning an assist.
Central defender Jyllissa Harris was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 27 for her efforts in wins against Vanderbilt and Kentucky. The senior earned her third career SEC Player of the Week honor and her second Defensive honor.
Lauren Chang became the program’s all-time leader in matches played (106), hitting the mark against Tennessee on Oct. 10.

SOFTBALL

The Gamecocks have earned three wins over nationally ranked teams. Defeated #24 UCF on Mar 4, 5-2. Beat #15 Georgia 7-3 on Mar 13, beat #19 Auburn 10-7 in 11 innings on Mar 19.
The 10 home runs by Katie Prebble through her first 24 games were the most by any Gamecock in recorded history (since 1982).
The 115 walks by Carolina hitters are the most to start as season under coach Bev Smith. Hannah Kumiyama’s 20 and Jordan Fabian’s 19 are second and third, respectively.
The 13 stolen bases by Jordan Fabian through 31 games are the most since Samie Garcia (15) and Alaynie Page (13) in 2013.
Freshman Emma Sellers’ 27 hits through 31 games are the most by a freshman since Mackenzie Boesel had 30 hits in 2017.
The 46 stolen bases by Carolina are the most to start a season since stealing 56 in 2013. It’s the third time under Smith they’ve stolen at least 45 (2011, 13)
Joyce Compton, who coached the Gamecocks for 24 years, will have her jersey retired at a ceremony on April 23 at Beckham Field. The Gamecocks also host Ole Miss on that day. Compton took the Gamecocks to the Women’s College World Series twice and to the NCAA Tournament 13 times.

SWIMMING AND DIVING

Graduate diver Brooke Schultz was named SEC Diver of the Meet for her sweep of the springboard titles at SEC Championships. She set both a new school record and a new pool record in the 3-meter dive with a score of 407.30, breaking the previous record that had been in place since 2015.
Junior Manny Vazquez Bas earned a bronze medal in the platform dive at SECs, setting a new school record in the event. His score of 403.95 broke the previous record of 386.05 that had been in place since 2017.
Freshman Michael Laitarovsky lowered his own school record in the 100 back during a preliminary heat at the SEC Championships, shaving over half a second off his previous time for a new record of 46.17
Sophomore Bella Pantano also broke her own school record in the 100 back at SEC Championships. She swam a 53.32 leadoff spilt in the women’s 400 medley relay for the new mark.
Junior Patrick Groters set a new school record in the 200 IM during the SEC Championships. He swam a 1:43.77 in the finals to break the previous record that had been in place since 2018.
Senior Mari Kraus qualified for the NCAA Championships with her fourth-place finish in the 200 back at SEC Championships. She swam a 1:53.11 in the A-final to earn the automatic qualification.
Schultz qualified for the NCAA Championships in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives. She placed third in the 1-meter at Zone B Championships and won the 3-meter event. Her 12-dive score of 752.70 in the 3-meter set a new school record by 30 points. The previous record had been in place since 2015. Schultz earned All-American Honorable Mention honors at the NCAA Championships for her 9th place finish in the 1-meter dive.
Vazquez Bas qualified for the NCAA Championships on both the 3-meter springboard and platform dive events. At Zone B Championships, Vazquez placed fourth in the platform, setting a new 12-dive record of 776.70. He added 85 points to the previous record that had been in place since 2015.
Schultz and freshman Sophie Verzyl were both named to USA Diving’s High Performance Squad. The group consists of divers who “most exhibit the potential, skill, and determination to become future U. S. Olympic Team members.”

MEN’S TENNIS

The Gamecocks are 18-5 on the season with four wins over top-10 teams. They boast a 7-2 mark in conference play and are tied for second in SEC standings.
South Carolina earned two of their top-10 wins during the ITA Indoor National Championships in Seattle, WA. They upset No. 8 Stanford 4-3 and No. 10 Kentucky 4-1.
The Gamecocks earned their highest team ranking since 1989 following their performance at the Indoor Championships. They jumped to No. 6 and have spent six consecutive weeks in the rankings top-10 and all 12 weeks in the top-15.
South Carolina took down No. 1 Tennessee on the road 4-3. Sophomore Connor Thomson came back from being down 0-6, 0-3 to clinch the match against the top-ranked team.
Junior Daniel Rodrigues was named SEC Player of the Week for weeks 3, 9, 10, and 11 of the season. He is on a nine-match winning streak with all nine wins coming over ranked opponents, including five in the top-35 (18, 19, 21, 25, and 35). The Gamecock is 18-2 from the No. 1 singles position and has a 14-2 record over ranked opponents.
Rodrigues’ win over No. 107 Alex Reco of Arkansas marked his 100th career singles win, making him just the tenth Gamecock to achieve this milestone.
Sophomore Toby Samuel clinched the match over Vanderbilt with his 50th career singles win in just his second season as a Gamecock. Samuel has a 13-5 record in dual match action and has clinched six matches on the season.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

South Carolina took down upstate rival Clemson in a thrilling home dual-match opener. Freshman Misa Malkin clinched the match and was later named the SEC Freshman of the Week.
The Gamecocks upset then-No. 16 Tennessee in a 4-1 decision at home.
South Carolina has ranked wins over Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss and Kentucky.
At home, the Gamecocks are 7-1.
Freshman Sarah Hamner was ranked the No. 1 singles player in the nation. She is the first in program history to receive the top spot in the singles list.
Currently, the following Gamecocks are ranked by the ITA: No. 2 Sarah Hamner, No. 61 Ayana Akli, No. 86 Elise Mills, No. 23 Misa Malkin/Sarah Hamner, No. 38 Megan Davies/Sarah Hamner, No. 71 Ayana Akli/Misa Malkin.
South Carolina has three more SEC matchups before the SEC Championships with Auburn, Alabama and Florida coming up. Auburn and Alabama will be the final two home matchups.
Sarah Hamner earned her 30th win in the match against Vanderbilt, making her the first Gamecock since 2009 to reach the mark. She has the opportunity to reach the top spot in the record book if she wins seven more singles matches this season.
Both No. 38 Davies/Hamner and Akli/Cruz are 6-2 in SEC doubles play this season.

TRACK & FIELD

The Gamecocks wrapped up the indoor season with three First Team All-America performances.
Rachel Glenn finished third in the women’s high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. She has finished in the top three of every championship meet she has competed in.
The Gamecocks’ women’s 4X400-meter relay team finished fifth in the country at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March.
Evan Miller took sixth in the country in the men’s 200 meters. It was Miller’s first career First Team All-America honor.
Destinee Rocker earned Second Team All-America honors for her 13th-place finish at Nationals.
The women’s team finished in a tie for 18th in the country at the NCAA Indoor Championships and the men finished in a tie for 47th despite having one male athlete who qualified.
The Gamecocks have moved into the outdoor season and are seeing success already.
Anass Essayi ran a school record at the Florida Relays in the 1,500 meters. He ran away with the race in a time of 3:40.14. Essayi took down Jim Schaper’s previous record which was set in 1974.
All-in-all, the Gamecocks have 19 top-50 NCAA times and marks.
The highest-ranked Gamecock is Anass Essayi who owns the second-fastest time in the NCAA this season in the 1,500 meters.
Rachel Glenn is at No. 3 in the nation in the women’s high jump. The defending outdoor high jump champion has cleared 1.90m/2.75 and won both of her high jump contests this season.
Glenn also owns the No. 8 time in the 400-meter hurdles this season. She ran a personal best of 56.43 seconds in the event at the Florida Relays.
As of Wednesday, April 6, Carolina has 28 qualifying marks and times to the East Regional, which is the first round of NCAA postseason competition.
In Week 2 of the USTFCCCA TFRI, the Gamecocks’ women’s team came in ranked 14th in the nation.
Carson Lenser and Tierra Frasier have both claimed SEC Freshman of the Week awards so far in the outdoor season.
The Gamecocks track and field teams have two more home meets: the Gamecock Invitational on April 16 and the UofSC Open on April 23 before heading to Penn Relays (April 28-30).
The postseason for the track and field squads is as follows: SEC Outdoor Championships (May 12-14), NCAA East Regionals (May 26-29) and the NCAA Outdoor Championships (June 8-11).

VOLLEYBALL

Fresh off a weekend where it recorded the nation’s only two wins over top-25 opponents by an unranked team, South Carolina volleyball joined the national polls on Aug. 30. The Gamecocks came in at No. 24 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) ranks, the first time the team made the top-25 since 2002. South Carolina last came in ranked in the national top-25 on Dec. 2, 2002, earning the No. 24 spot in a season where it finished with a 23-7 record and made the second round of the NCAA tournament. The team did earn a spot in the AVCA’s top-15 poll in November of last season, but the poll accounted for only the four conferences competing that fall.
Along with the two big wins for the team, senior Mikayla Robinson also collected two major career milestones over the course of the opening weekend. Against Washington State, she broke the program record for career blocks in the rally-scoring era (now with 436), surpassing Darian Dozier (2012-15). Against Rice, she also recorded her 1,000th career kill, making her the 16th member of the program to reach the milestone. She is one of just four Gamecocks in the program’s 49-season history to have both 1,000 kills and 400 blocks in a career, the last coming in 1997 by future South Carolina Hall of Famer Heather Larkin.
Head coach Tom Mendoza won his 100th career match as a head coach after an upset of No. 18 Washington State on Aug. 27. He has a 66-47 mark with the Gamecocks and previously went 47-18 in two seasons at High Point.
Kyla Manning was named as one of just seven women on the CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 team on Nov. 18. The graduate student is pursuing her masters degree in Biomedical Sciences and currently carries a postgraduate GPA of 3.77. She is the fourth Gamecock in program history to make the all-district team two or more times; the last to do it was Sarah Cline (2007, 2008 and 2009 honoree).
The SEC coaches recognized three members of the program in the conference’s postseason teams. Kyla Manning and Mikayla Robinson made the 18-woman All-SEC team and Lauren McCutcheon is part of the seven-woman All-Freshman team. This is the first time since 2002 that the Gamecocks received three or more postseason honors from the conference’s coaches. It is Robinson’s fourth appearance on the postseason team, the fifth member of the program to be a four-time honoree since South Carolina joined the SEC in 1991. McCutcheon is the eighth freshman in program history to make the conference’s All-Freshman team, joining Robinson and Riley Whitesides as former honorees on the 2021 roster.
South Carolina made its third trip to the NCAA tournament in the last four years, making the Atlanta regional and facing No. 17 Western Kentucky in the first round. It was the team’s third trip in head coach Tom Mendoza’s four seasons as head coach, with the lone miss coming in 2020-21’s modified 48-team tournament field. Overall, it was the tenth NCAA tournament trip in the program’s 49-year history.
The Gamecocks faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules, battling nine teams in the current NCAA tournament – including five games total against schools earning a top-16 seed – and nine matches against AVCA top-25-ranked teams during the regular season. Including the NCAA tournament first round opponent Western Kentucky, the Gamecocks ended with 10 games against ranked opponents, the most in program history. The previous high was eight, done in 1995, 2003 and 2010.
Former volleyball head coach Kim Williams joined the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame class in October; Williams coached from 1993-2004 and helped put the program back on the map, taking her teams to the NCAA Tournament on six occasions while winning a school-record 236 matches. She posted a .630 winning percentage and recorded eight 20-win seasons. Highlighting her win total is a program-record 104 wins against SEC opponents; for comparison, the program overall has 218 wins in SEC play since joining the conference back in 1991. She was named the SEC Coach of the Year in 1997 and mentored 16 All-SEC team members, many of them collecting multiple honors. The volleyball program already has four former players enshrined in the hall of fame (Ashley Edlund, Heather Larkin, Cally Plummer and Shonda Cole), all four played for Williams during their time in Columbia.