COLUMBIA — For the first time in program history, the South Carolina women’s basketball team will travel to the White House.

South Carolina and coach Dawn Staley will celebrate the Gamecocks’ third national title with a ceremony at 11 a.m. Sept. 10 with President Joe Biden, the school announced Thursday.

President Biden will also honor UConn’s national championship basketball team on the same day, but with a separate ceremony.

The Gamecocks defeated Iowa on April 7 to complete a 38-0 season. It was South Carolina’s first undefeated season and only the fifth undefeated season in NCAA history.

This will be the second meeting this summer between Staley and a member of the Biden family. In July, Staley was part of First Lady Jill Biden’s presidential delegation at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Staley recently attended the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on August 22, following her two-week trip to Paris. The four-day convention celebrated Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, the Democratic nominees for president and vice president in the 2024 election.

Harris is scheduled to debate former President Donald Trump for the first time on Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The invitation did not specify whether Harris would attend the basketball ceremonies.

Why hasn’t the South Carolina women’s basketball team been to the White House yet?

In 2017, South Carolina was invited to celebrate the program’s first title, but in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, Staley declined the invitation. The invitation came after Staley publicly said that South Carolina had not been approached about a visit to the White House despite winning their title ahead of other championship sports teams who received invitations before the Gamecocks.

2017 FIGHTING BULLETS: Coach Dawn Staley says reigning champion South Carolina will not attend the White House ceremony

After winning the 2022 title, Rep. James Clyburn announced during the championship parade that South Carolina had been invited to celebrate its victory at the White House. Clyburn said that the schedule would be worked out with the team and the White House. The White House and the team reportedly never found a suitable time.

Who will be at the White House for the South Carolina women’s basketball team?

South Carolina has all but one player returning from the 2024 national championship team. Kamilla Cardoso was drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA draft a week after winning the title. The Sky will host the Washington Mystics in Chicago on Sept. 11.

The status of Ashlyn Watkins, a junior forward who was arrested Aug. 31 on charges of assault and kidnapping, is still unknown. A police report obtained by The Greenville News Tuesday provided more details and insight into the incident.

The school did not announce which team members would attend the ceremony.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina women’s basketball team visits White House