Top 10 South Carolina Gamecocks sports moments of 2022, from national title to Clemson upsets
COLUMBIA — Whether on the field, court or track, it has been a big year for the South Carolina Gamecocks.
From NCAA and conference championships to historic upsets and recruiting wins, here are the 10 best moments for South Carolina sports in 2022:
1. Women's basketball beats UConn to win second national championship
The Gamecocks had one of the most dominant seasons in the history of college women's basketball en route to the 2022 NCAA title. They were ranked No. 1 in the nation from wire-to-wire and lost just one regular-season game. In the national championship game, senior Destanni Henderson led South Carolina to a 64-49 rout of rival UConn with 26 points, and Aliyah Boston recorded her 30th double-double of the season.
REPEAT CHAMPIONS:How South Carolina women's basketball can join most elite programs as repeat NCAA champion
2. Football beats No. 8 Clemson for the first time since 2014
Unranked South Carolina football entered then-No. 8 Clemson's Memorial Stadium on Nov. 26 as a significant underdog. The Gamecocks had lost seven consecutive games in the historic Palmetto Bowl rivalry, and Clemson had won 40 consecutive games at home.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler's performance was highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown pass to Antwane Wells, who finished with 131 receiving yards. The Gamecocks secured a 31-30 victory after recovering a forced fumble on a fourth-quarter punt return by the Tigers.
3. Women's soccer upsets Alabama to win SEC championship
Though the Gamecocks were not the regular-season SEC champions, they won the postseason conference title for the second time in four years and third time in program history. The team advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA tournament and finished 15-4-5.
After losing 2-0 to Alabama during the regular season, South Carolina beat the Crimson Tide in the SEC championship 1-0 behind a goal from Brianna Behm. Goalkeeper Heather Hinz recorded five saves for her 13th shutout of the season.
SEC CHAMPS:South Carolina women's soccer wins SEC championship, redeems earlier loss to Alabama
4. Aliyah Boston named consensus national player of the year
Aliyah Boston, then a junior, led the Gamecocks' national championship team in both scoring and rebounds, averaging 16.8 points and 12.5 rebounds per game. She earned a laundry list of postseason awards, headlined by unanimous national player of the year honors. She was also named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first athlete, male or female, to win both awards.
Boston won her third consecutive Lisa Leslie Center of the Year honors and set 12 single-season program records along with four single-game and two career records.
5. Fans storm the field after football upsets No. 5 Tennessee
South Carolina fans stormed the field at Williams-Brice Stadium in 2022 for the first time since 2010 after the Gamecocks shockingly dominated then-No. 5 Tennessee 63-38. In front of a sold-out crowd on senior night, Rattler threw for a career-best 438 yards and six touchdowns.
During the field storming, the hedges along the student section were reduced to sticks as fans tore off branches as souvenirs. The program was fined $100,000 by the SEC for violating its access to competition area policy.
STORMING THE FIELD:'Truly unstoppable:' How South Carolina football will remember field storming vs Tennessee
6. Chico Carter hits buzzer-beater to lead men's basketball past Clemson
Entering this season's rivalry matchup, Clemson had won four of its last five games against South Carolina. The two teams put on a show at Colonial Life Arena on Nov. 11 that ended with a 60-58 win for the Gamecocks on a buzzer-beating jump shot from Chico Carter.
Carter led the team with 16 points, and freshman GG Jackson nearly logged a double-double with 12 points and eight rebounds.
BUZZER BEATER:South Carolina basketball beats Clemson, 60-58, on buzzer-beater by Chico Carter Jr.
7. Ashlyn Watkins records first dunk in women's basketball program history
Freshman Ashlyn Watkins came to the Gamecocks as the winner of the dunk contest at the 2021 McDonald's All-American game. In South Carolina's 85-31 win over Clemson on No. 17, Watkins madr history when she threw one down on a fast break in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-3 Columbia native became just the ninth player in the history of college women's basketball to dunk. She joins an elite club that includes WNBA superstars Brittney Griner, Candace Parker and Sylvia Fowles.
WATKINS DUNK:Watch South Carolina women's basketball's Ashlyn Watkins score first dunk in program history
8. Men's tennis doubles pair reaches NCAA tournament semifinals
Daniel Rodrigues and Connor Thomson had a historic performance at the NCAA doubles championships, reaching the semifinals and earning All-American accolades. They earned an at-large bid to the tournament and upset pairs from No. 8 Texas, No. 25 Stanford and No. 3 Baylor en route to the semifinal round, where they lost to No. 2 Ohio State.
Rodrigues and Thompson set school records for most wins in a single season with 18 and best winning percentage in a season at 81.8%.
9. Women's 4x400-meter relay breaks school record, places 5th at nationals
The Gamecocks' 4x400-meter relay set a new school record of 3:25.45 at the SEC Outdoor Championships in the same race where Kentucky's 4x400 relay set the NCAA record. The lineup consisting of Stephanie Davis, Makenzie Dunmore, Angel Frank and Jahnile Registre placed fourth in the conference finals and went on to place fifth at the NCAA championships behind four other SEC relays. Their time of 3:25.78 at the national meet earned first-team All-American honors.
10. Gamecocks flip GG Jackson commitment from North Carolina
South Carolina men's basketball had a tumultuous offseason transitioning from fired former coach Frank Martin to new coach Lamont Paris, but the team also picked up its highest-ranked recruit in program history from Columbia native GG Jackson. Jackson, a five-star prospect, reclassified from the class of 2023 to 2022 and was ranked the No. 6 recruit in the nation.
After originally committing to perennial powerhouse North Carolina, Jackson decommitted nine days before flipping to the Gamecocks.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Reliving the top 10 South Carolina Gamecocks sports moments of 2022
