Generations of USC women’s athletics will be celebrated at a South Carolina basketball game.
Few people champion women’s sports as passionately as South Carolina basketball coach Dawn Staley. Her program will play a significant part in honoring generations of female athletes.
On January 12, 2025, when the Gamecocks face their new SEC rival, the Texas Longhorns, the University of South Carolina will celebrate over 50 years of women’s sports. This event will go beyond a simple pregame or halftime ceremony, as the athletics department is planning a reunion for past female athletes.
The matchup against Texas is set to be one of the season’s highlights for Staley’s team, with the Longhorns being one of two SEC teams with a real shot at challenging the Gamecocks for conference supremacy. More details on the reunion and the celebration will be announced in the coming months.
In the past five decades, four of the university’s women’s varsity sports have won national championships. The women’s track and field team claimed the 2002 Outdoor National Championship, and Staley’s basketball team has become the top program in the sport, securing three titles (2017, 2022, 2024). No other program has won multiple championships during this period.
Additionally, the women’s track and field program boasts 14 individual national champions in both indoor and outdoor events. Allison Brennan also brought home an individual national championship for South Carolina in the 1-meter diving event. The university’s women’s equestrian team, while not a fully sanctioned varsity sport, has also been dominant under coach Boo Major, winning three NCEA Overall Championships (2005, 2007, 2015) and three Hunter Seat National Championships (2005-2007).
