Ellerbe and Foster Represent South Carolina as SEC “Trailblazers”

In conjunction with the Southeastern Conference’s 50^th anniversary of Title IX celebration, a distinguished group of individuals from all 14 SEC member institutions will be honored during the 2022 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament, March 2-6, in Nashville, Tenn.
 
Known as SEC Trailblazers, this group has contributed to the advancement of women and the growth of women’s athletics at their universities and within the Southeastern Conference.
 
Representing the University of South Carolina are track and field standout Dawn Ellerbe and women’s basketball great Sheila Foster.
 
A standout in the throw events in women’s track & field from 1993-97, Dawn Ellerbe was a four-time NCAA Champion (two 201b. weight, two hammer) and six-time All-American. She won the 1996 SEC Commissioner’s Trophy for the most points scored by a female at the SEC Championship, leading the Gamecocks to a runner-up finish. Ellerbe was named the SEC Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year in both 1996 and 1997. She set numerous national and world records throughout her illustrious career, winning 16 national titles and five SEC titles, and posted a seventh-place finish in the 2000 Olympic Games. She still holds the South Carolina record for the 20lb. weight, and has the second-best marks in the shot put, discus and hammer throw. She was inducted into University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.
 
A 6-foot-1 center/forward, Sheila Foster rewrote the South Carolina women’s record book during her tremendous career, some of which still stand today. The program’s all-time leading scorer until 2018, Foster still holds school records for career rebounds and career double-doubles as she established herself as one of the most dominant post players in college basketball the minute she stepped onto the court. The Spartanburg, S.C., native helped South Carolina to the 1979 NWIT Championship as a freshman, the AIAW Final Four as a sophomore, and, as a senior, led the Gamecocks to a berth in the first ever NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. Foster was the program’s first multi-year All-American and the first Gamecock woman of any sport to have her jersey retired (No. 53 in 1982). In 1993, she was the first female athlete to be inducted into the then 41-member South Carolina Association of Lettermen Hall of Fame.
 
Each trailblazer will be honored on court during half-time of their team’s first game of the tournament, as well as with the full group of honorees on semifinal Saturday.
 
The SEC will have a year-long celebration of the anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation enacted half a century ago that has had a dramatic and lasting impact on opportunities for women in collegiate athletics.
 
Under the banner of “50th Anniversary of Title IX: Creating Opportunities,” the SEC’s celebration will include recognitions at Conference championship events, commemoration of achievements through online and social media channels, commemorative memorabilia and a collaboration with the SEC Network highlighting the advancement of women’s sports.
 
For more information on Gamecocks Athletics – 50 Years of Title IX click here