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Education Reporter Ian Grenier covers K-12 and higher education in the Columbia area. Originally from Charleston, he studied history and political science at USC and reported for the Victoria Advocate in South Texas before joining the Post and Courier.
Ian Grenier
The University of South Carolina erupted into celebration April 7 after another national title in women's basketball.
Hannah Wade/Staff
COLUMBIA— It's starting to become a familiar scene on South Carolina's campus.
Sneakers strewn across the sidewalk. Sandstorm blasting from portable speakers. And students, joyful and partly undressed, storming into the Thomas Cooper Library's fountain, celebrating a women's basketball national championship.
As they did in 2017 and 2022, students packed the fountain's edge in the game's waning moments,counting down the last few seconds separating Dawn Staley's Gameco*cks from their second national title in three years.
And when the crowning final buzzer sounded 600 miles away in Cleveland, the crowd's roar was enough to convince anyone still hesitant about women's basketball's impact on campus.
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- By David Cloningerdcloninger@postandcourier.com
"I go to a women's basketball school, and I am proud to say that," Nick Dirkman, a USC junior, said— fresh from a dip in the fountain.
The rest of the capital city will get a chance to celebrate with another championship parade, Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann confirmed in an April 7 Instagram post congratulating the team.
"Thanks to them, we have a parade returning to Main Street," he wrote. "Let's welcome them home to celebrate their undefeated season and National Championship title together!"
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A student dons a Gameco*ck mascot head while sitting atop the shoulders of another in the Thomas Cooper Library's fountain. South Carolina's campus erupted when the school's women's basketball team defeated Iowa to win the national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Students stand barefoot, prepared to jump in the Thomas Cooper Library fountain, as the school celebrates a national championship win by its women's basketball team.
- Hannah Wade/staff
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Students jump in the reflection pond at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
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Shoes are strewn along the edge of the Thomas Cooper Library fountain on April 7, 2024.
- Hannah Wade/Sstaff
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Students jump in the reflection pond at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/staff
Buy Now
A student removes her shoes as she prepares to jump in the fountain of the Thomas Cooper Library to celebrate USC's win over Iowa in the women's basketball national championship game.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
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Students jump into the reflecting pond at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus on April 7, 2024. The Gameco*ck's women's basketball team defeated Iowa 87-75 to win its third national championship under coach Dawn Staley.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
Students jump into the reflection pool at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Students jump into the reflecting pool at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus on April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
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Students pose for a photo in the reflecting pool at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus on April 7, 2024, as they celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
For the third time in school history, the South Carolina Gameco*cks celebrated a national championship in women's basketball, April 7, 2024.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
A student helps another into the fountain at Thomas Cooper Library in a scene that's become a tradition for University of South Carolina students as they celebrate the school's third national championship title in women's basketball.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Photos: Students celebrate Gameco*ck women's basketball win over Iowa for national champs
Thousands of fans stormed the Thomas Cooper fountain on the University of South Carolina's campus Sunday after the women's basketball team defeated Iowa to win the NCAA National Championship.
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A student dons a Gameco*ck mascot head while sitting atop the shoulders of another in the Thomas Cooper Library's fountain. South Carolina's campus erupted when the school's women's basketball team defeated Iowa to win the national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Students stand barefoot, prepared to jump in the Thomas Cooper Library fountain, as the school celebrates a national championship win by its women's basketball team.
- Hannah Wade/staff
Buy Now
Students jump in the reflection pond at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
Shoes are strewn along the edge of the Thomas Cooper Library fountain on April 7, 2024.
- Hannah Wade/Sstaff
Buy Now
Students jump in the reflection pond at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/staff
Buy Now
A student removes her shoes as she prepares to jump in the fountain of the Thomas Cooper Library to celebrate USC's win over Iowa in the women's basketball national championship game.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
Students jump into the reflecting pond at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus on April 7, 2024. The Gameco*ck's women's basketball team defeated Iowa 87-75 to win its third national championship under coach Dawn Staley.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
Students jump into the reflection pool at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Students jump into the reflecting pool at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus on April 7, 2024, to celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
Students pose for a photo in the reflecting pool at the Thomas Cooper Library on the USC campus on April 7, 2024, as they celebrate the Gameco*ck women's basketball team winning its third national championship.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
For the third time in school history, the South Carolina Gameco*cks celebrated a national championship in women's basketball, April 7, 2024.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Buy Now
A student helps another into the fountain at Thomas Cooper Library in a scene that's become a tradition for University of South Carolina students as they celebrate the school's third national championship title in women's basketball.
- Hannah Wade/Staff
Blocks away from the soaking wet crowd on campus, a USC flag was already flying from the top of the Statehouse, as congratulations steamed in online from USC icons like country music star Darius Rucker, USC football coach Shane Beamer and even Pres. Joe Biden, who tweeted his congratulations to the team on X, the app formerly known as Twitter.
"Congratulations to @Gameco*ckWBB on closing out a perfect season with a NCAA Women's Basketball Championship win – your teamwork, focus, and tenacity was on full display all year," the president wrote in a tweet. "You've made your school and community proud."
For some of the students storming the fountain, seeing such passion surrounding a women's team made the win "a little bit close to home," as sophom*ore USC student Sam Lyons said.
"I've been a Gameco*ck since I was a baby, and I finally got to go to my dream school, and to see the girls win? I'm so proud of them," she said.
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- By David Cloningerdcloninger@postandcourier.com
Different forms of celebration were anywhere one could look across campus.
One student in a rooster hat rallied atop a friend's shoulders under the fountain's spray, as GAME-co*ck and U-S-C chants rang out.
Students slid down the walls surrounding the fountain, some more gracefully than others, as a few haphazardly cannonballed into the shallow water.
Still-barefoot students tip-toed across the street as they headed to celebrate elsewhere, and babies and dogs accompanied their parents into the fray while more and more fans arrived to witness the spectacle.
And while the Empire State Building in New York City might be lit up in garnet and black to celebrate the win, as it announced on Twitter, there's little doubt that the beating heart of USC women's basketball is in the middle of that fray, right on campus.
"It's the biggest thing on campus right now, it'll be the biggest thing in a week, two weeks, three weeks, might carry into the summer," soaking wet freshman Patrick Champion said. "It's great to be a Gameco*ck."
South Carolina
How Caitlin Clark's wave-off spurred Gameco*cks' Raven Johnson's revenge season
- By David Cloningerdcloninger@postandcourier.com
Reach Ian Grenier at 803-968-1951. Follow him on Twitter@IanGrenier1.
More information
- TV talking heads on why Gameco*cks seem ignored at Final Four
- Magic, Darius among those to pay tribute to Dawn Staley and national champion Gameco*cks
- 'Time for the repeat tour': USC welcomes champion Gameco*ck women's basketball home
- Editorial: A star couldn't eclipse Gameco*cks' remarkable end to a remarkable season
- Dawn Staley's Gameco*cks No. 1 in final AP women's poll
Ian Grenier
Education Reporter
Ian Grenier covers K-12 and higher education in the Columbia area. Originally from Charleston, he studied history and political science at USC and reported for the Victoria Advocate in South Texas before joining the Post and Courier.
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