If you are one to go out to bars, clubs, and the like, the concept of Ladies Night is likely not foreign to you. As far as the 2014-15 season in Gamecock Athletics is concerned, the ladies owned the whole year, not just a night. While most fans will look at the football and baseball team’s struggles and think of this a disappointing year, if you look further into the athletics program, you’ll see that there was still a lot of success. That success was mainly provided by the Lady Gamecocks in multiple sports throughout the year. Let’s take a look back at both men’s and women’s sports to see what teams fell short, and what teams reached new heights.
Football
The struggles of the football team have been well documented this year, and rehashing them will not do anyone’s mood any good. Due to a lack of talent, experience, and toughness, the defense gave up multiple big leads and the team stumbled to a 7-6 year. On the bright side, they did beat the Miami Hurricanes 24-21 in the Independence Bowl to secure that winning record.
Men’s Basketball
Much like the football team, problems that occurred for Frank Martin’s crew have been well chronicled on this website, and even finishing with a winning record, 17-16, for the first time in 5 years doesn’t make up for what could have been. The late game lead being squandered was also a theme for the basketball team, but they were able to win four of their last six to end the season on a high note.
Baseball
For the first time in over 15 years, the Gamecocks are not playing June baseball, and there is no road to Omaha for this team to travel. Sloppy fielding, inconsistent hitting, and overall drop pitching quality caused the South Carolina baseball team to also struggle through a tough season, ending in no postseason and a 32-25 record. One of the few bright spots was senior 1st Baseman Kyle Martin, whose .350 batting average, along with 14 homeruns and 56 RBI were enough to earn him All American honors at the end of the season.
Men’s Golf
One of the better performances by a men’s program this year for South Carolina came from its golf team. They recently finished their season in the NCAA Championship tournament, finishing 13th in the country. The team set a school record for team scoring average for the season, and Will Starke had one of the best seasons in program history. Starke finished the season with a school record low average of 70.27 per round, and became just the 6th Gamecock golfer to finish in the Top 20 nationally, ending the Championships at number 16.
Women’s Soccer
While Coach Mark Berson’s men’s team scuffled through most of the year to finish at 10-10, the Lady Gamecocks fared much better. The lady’s season ended with a disappointing 5-0 defeat to #2 Florida State, but that did little to take away from the accomplishments of this team. Coach Shelley Smith’s team made the program’s first ever trip to the Elite Eight, including a win in Chapel Hill over the perineal powerhouse and #6 ranked North Carolina Tarheels. Goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo became the first player in school history to be a 2-time 1st team All-American, and she was also selected to the Scholar All-American 1st team.
Women’s Equestrian
South Carolina head coach Boo Major was named National Coach of the Year, as here team upset UGA in the finals to win the NCEA National Title. They finished the season with a 21-5 record, and captured the 3rd national title (2005, 2007, 2015) in program history.
Softball
Just like the women’s soccer team, the softball team had their NCAA Tournament run end in Tallahassee, Florida. However it was UCF, and not FSU, that handed the lady Gamecocks the loss that ended their season. They finished the year 38-22, as one of four South Carolina women’s programs to make it to the NCAA tournament in their respective sport.
Women’s Basketball
Dawn Staley’s team followed up last year’s SEC Championship, with a 2nd straight conference title and a NCAA Tourney run to the Final Four. It marked the 1st appearance in the Final Four for the Lady Gamecocks basketball program, and was met by fans with the upmost enthusiasm. The Colonial Life Arena was routinely filled to the rafters, as South Carolina became one of the national leaders in attendance. Tiffany Mitchell was once again named SEC Player of the Year, and along with teammate Alaina Coates will play this summer for team USA in the Pan American Games. Freshman star Aja Wilson will also suit up for her country, playing for the US Under-19 team in the World Championships. Coach Staley was also enshrined into the Naismith Hall of Fame this year, only adding to the joy and accomplishment of a 34-3 season.
Track And Field
The season is not quite over for Coach Curtis Frye’s team, as there are still both men and women with chances left to compete in the NCAA track and field nationals. Jeeanelle Scheper and Nakita Gray both qualified for Nationals in the high jump, and both the men’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams made it to the finals as well.
All in all it was a successful season of Gamecock Athletics, 1 national Title, a Final Four in women’s hoops, an Elite Eight in women’s soccer, and winning (even if not tremendous) seasons for all 3 major men’s sports. While they may not always draw the same attention or fanfare as the men’s teams, the Women’s Athletics programs at the University of South Carolina thrived in teh 2014-15 school year, and left fans with plenty to be proud of. As always, it is great to be a Gamecock, but for this year especially, it is definitely the Lady Gamecocks that ruled the roost.