South Carolina Celebrates 50 Years of Women's Varsity Sports

The University of South Carolina Athletics Department has been celebrating 50 years of varsity women’s sports at the school throughout this academic year. On Sunday, the Gamecocks brought in more than 250 former female student-athletes as part of that celebration to honor them for their contributions to the history of South Carolina Athletics. The former student-athletes were also given VIP treatment at the South Carolina women’s basketball game against Texas on Sunday.

University President Michael Amiridis and Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati were also in attendance. Every era and all of the sports, including sports that no longer exist at the school such as Gymnastics, were well-represented. A common theme among the former Gamecocks was an appreciation for the opportunity to compete as varsity athletes, even if the amenities afforded to them during their time weren’t as robust as those enjoyed by today’s student-athletes.

“I love seeing how it has evolved, and the interest there is in women’s sports,” said former basketball player Betsy (Scott) Bargar (1974-78), who was later a graduate assistant with the team. She went on to a career in teaching, coaching, and administration and currently lives in Ohio. “We had a fanbase, but now, it’s just astronomical. I love that. We laid a lot of the groundwork back then, but it was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the camaraderie we had. We did so much off the court together. These women deserve the recognition and have people that will follow them.”

“We’re so grateful for the experience we had here because it made us what we are today,” said former women’s basketball All-American Dr. Martha Parker Hester (1985-1989), who is also a member of the USC Association of Lettermen’s Athletics Hall of Fame and has been practicing medicine in Columbia for more than 30 years. “I don’t think my experience could have been any better. Coach (Nancy) Wilson made a culture and turned a program around that was in the dust. I think that was a springboard for where we are today. The budgets are bigger now, and there is NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness), but we wouldn’t change a thing.”

“I couldn’t be where I am in life without the experience I had at the University of South Carolina and the support for women’s athletics along the way,” said former diver Reyne (Borup) Quackenbush (1987-1989), who transferred to South Carolina from Florida in the middle of her career and works for a software development company. “There are more opportunities for more women to shine now and hone those transferable skills for wherever they land in their professional life. I was in an individual sport, but still part of a team. That’s no different than in professional life. I’m an individual contributor, but I’m part of a team and responsible for creating success.

“I’m grateful for what the girls now have. Sports have so many life-lessons that you’ll use later in life. The hurdles that we faced after college, we wouldn’t have been able to handle unless we had the experience with sports. There’s teamwork, selflessness, and playing for something bigger than yourself. All of that forms who you really are.”

“Even with the budget that we had back then, it was like gold to us because we didn’t have anything before that,” said former softball player Shirley Burton (1982-1985), who lives in Orlando, Florida. “I could have gone elsewhere, but South Carolina was the perfect spot for me. We had more at that time than I think most schools were doing for their women’s teams. What the girls have today is phenomenal, but you also have to realize we helped build that path for them.”

“Just walking into the room and seeing the different generations and hearing the conversations about how things have changed and how grateful they are to be celebrated is awesome,” said Vanessa (Kovar) Vogel (2013-2016), a former soccer player who recently moved back to Columbia. “I think South Carolina has always done a good job of celebrating its women’s teams. It’s cool see to all the women that came before me who paved the way.”

The former Gamecocks hope the current student-athletes appreciate what they have in terms of opportunity as well as resources.

“Who wouldn’t want to play today?” Burton said. “I remember when we were excited just to get a new fence. We had to play off-campus for two of the years I played here. I still think South Carolina has the best experience that anybody could ask for. We enjoyed our four years here and didn’t want to go anywhere else. I just hope they enjoy it because it can be the best four years of your life!”

“Keep doing what you’re doing and enjoy it!” Bargar said. “Don’t let anything tear down that joy of getting to play.”

“I appreciated things a lot more after I graduated,” Kovar said. “I didn’t realize how great I had it, even though it was hard. It’s not easy playing a Division One sport but having the Dodie (Anderson Academic Enrichment Center), the meals, the training, the doctors, and the support staff was great. Then you graduate and you’re on your own, so you have to figure a lot out for yourself. (For those playing now) You have to just take it all in and appreciate every little struggle. It’s not always going to be easy, but it’s going to be worth it.”