The women's athletic programs stepped up in a big way during their respective seasons, making names for South Carolina both within the SEC and on a national scale.
The women's soccer team continued their dominance in the fall. The Gamecocks fought through the Elite Eight and advanced to their first ever College Cup. But that's all they could do, as they fell to No. 1 Stanford in the semifinals. Still, South Carolina clinched its second-straight SEC regular season title and had a lot of success to look back on.
"I couldn’t be more proud of this group and this team," head coach Shelley Smith said. "We told these players to not hang their head. They’ve done amazing things for our program. They've accomplished great things."
Most of that success came from their leader, senior Savannah McCaskill, as she continued to have yet another record-breaking season. Her Gamecock career was over, but she headed straight for the NWSL. After her original team folded, McCaskill had to find a new home and was once again drafted second to land with Sky Blue FC.
The spring continued that success from the women. The tennis team had a historic season of its own, claiming a perfect SEC record for most of the regular season before falling to Florida at home on April 7. But before that, the Gamecocks clinched their first ever perfect SEC road record, going 6-0 during that stretch.
"The team has accomplished a lot thus far, but we still have plenty to work on and a number of tough matches ahead. Proud of the way we competed down the stretch today and excited for the new challenges ahead."
The softball team has found a way to win this season, pulling off multiple late comebacks to defeat top-ranked opponents. A big highlight was sweeping then-No. 2 Tennessee to make a name for the Gamecocks within the SEC.
"I'm so proud of this team, the way they fought all weekend," head coach Beverly Smith said. "Then the way they came out, and put an exclamation point on game three, I'm so proud of them."
Both the tennis and softball teams will look to continue their historic seasons as they look ahead to postseason play.