The South Carolina Gamecocks notched their ticket to the Elite 8 with the help of MiLaysia Fulwiley, who’s supported by another SC star athlete.

The South Carolina Gamecocks are looking for a three-peat for the NCAA title. On Friday, they defeated the Maryland Terrapins 71-67 in the Sweet 16 to notch their ticket to the Elite Eight for the fifth straight year.

Milaysia Fulwiley came off the bench to lead South Carolina in scoring with 23 points, adding five rebounds and three assists as well. In her second season with the team, Fulwiley has become a key player in the team’s success. In her freshman year last year, she was the SEC Tournament MVP and earned All-Freshman Team honors.

Fulwiley’s talent on the court is matched by her girlfriend’s talents on the track.

Meet JaMeesia Ford: Gamecocks track star and girlfriend of Milaysia Fulwiley

It might be tough to date an athlete of Fulwiley’s caliber – unless you’re a star athlete yourself and have no trouble keeping up. That’s the case for Fulwiley’s girlfriend, JaMeesia Ford, who competes in track and field for South Carolina. Both parts of this power couple won Freshman of the Year at the Gamecock Gala last year.

Ford won a PanAm gold medal in the 4×400-meter relay for the United States. Last year, she became the NCAA 200-meter indoor champion and is the American national under-20 indoor record holder over 200 meters and world under-20 for over 300 meters.

The power couple

Ford and Fulwiley met at a joint women’s basketball and track and field hangout in the 2023 fall semester when they were both freshmen.

“I got to know her off the track,” Fulwiley said. “So once I’d seen how she was on the track… I was like, ‘Wow, she’s almost as great of a person on the track as she is off the track.’”

The two spent their first date at Crafty Crab and quickly cemented themselves as the power couple of SC athletics – a symbol they’re proud to represent. They both note that there aren’t many same-sex, dual-sport couples, and enjoy the fact that they give younger women that public example.

“I’ve never really seen a couple that thrives like us,” Fulwiley said “That’s what really made us want to go public.”

“For people to support us individually and as a couple, that just shows us that we’re a power couple but also power individuals,” Fulwiley said. “We both put our sports first and relationship second. But it’s all working out.”

The two match each other’s prowess. Fulwiley had the second-most points and highest steals on the Gamecocks team this year. She may see her college-playing days come to an end after this tournament though, as the WNBA is making their interest in her known.

As for Ford, she’s aspiring to be a frontrunner in the 2028 Olympics.