South Carolina women's basketball legend A'ja Wilson headlines USC Lettermen's Hall of Fame inductees

This weekend, the University of South Carolina will induct six new members to the USC Lettermen’s Association Hall of Fame.

Joining the list of already-enshrined Gamecock legends are women’s track and field sprinter Natasha Hastings (2005-2007), men’s diver Brandon Hulko (1999-2002), men’s tennis star Paul Jubb (2016-2020), men’s swimmer Akram Mahmoud (2014-2018), women’s soccer goalkeeper Mollie Patton (2006-2010), and women’s basketball forward A’ja Wilson (2014-2018).

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Headlining the group, Wilson has accomplished virtually everything that a basketball player could ever dream of achieving. With the Gamecocks, she was a four-time All-American who won the 2016-2017 national title and swept the 2017-2018 National Player of the Year honors. Wilson was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She has since become a three-time champion, four-time MVP, three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and two-time Olympic gold medalist. Her No. 22 jersey has been retired at South Carolina.

Patton was one of the very best keepers in Gamecock history. Owning the single-season record for shutouts, she was an All-American in 2009. Patton was Team MVP in both 2008 and 2009. She also helped guide Carolina to its first SEC Championship, saving a penalty kick against LSU to preserve the victory.

A native of Egypt, Mahmoud was a Junior Olympic Games gold medalist before arriving in Columbia. That success translated to his Gamecock career. Mahmoud was a 10-time All-American at South Carolina, claiming the honors in various lengths of the freestyle swim across all four of his seasons. He owns multiple school records and earned a silver medal in the 2016 NCAA Championship 1650-meter freestyle. Mahmoud won three SEC Championships in the event, as well.

A singles National Champion with the Gamecocks, Jubb was the first men’s tennis star to earn a title in Columbia. He was also a two-time All-SEC performer and an All-American with the Gamecocks. Jubb earned the 2020 National Arthur Ashe Jr. Leadership & Scholarship Award and is the program’s all-time leader in SEC victories while playing in the No. 1 spot.

Hulko earned seven All-American honors at South Carolina. Three came in the one-meter dive, two came in the three-meter dive, and two came in the platform event. During Hulko’s career, he won three bronze medals at the SEC Championships. In 2002, USC named him the school’s Male Athlete of the Year. Hulko spent some time with Team USA, even taking part in Olympic Trials ahead of the 2004 Olympic Games.

Hastings was a three-time individual National Champion sprinter. She also earned 10 All-American honors and seven different individual SEC Championships. Hastings set a school record in the women’s indoor 400-meter and earned the 2007 SEC Scholar Athlete award. Following her graduation, she earned gold medals as part of Team USA’s 4×400 relay teams in 2008 and 2016.

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This year’s Hall of Fame class will be inducted on Thursday, October 23rd. Then, on Saturday, October 25th, the newest Gamecock Hall of Fame members will be recognized on the field during South Carolina football’s matchup with the Alabama Crimson Tide.

*The GamecocksOnline profiles for each athlete contributed to this story

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