This South Carolina ‘power couple’ spotlights athletic achievements, representation
MiLaysia Fulwiley didn’t know JaMeesia Ford was that fast.
Fulwiley first knew Ford as the pretty girl she spotted between classes during the second week of school.
“I liked her outfit,” Fulwiley said, sheepishly recalling her initial impression, “because she had this ‘schoolgirl’ look. She had on a skirt, and she looked like she was going to class. And I had on my sweats.”
“This was when I had blond hair?” Ford asked, smiling, remembering details of their meet-cute.
“Yeah, she had on blond hair,” Fulwiley said.
They officially met at a joint women’s basketball and track and field hangout during the 2023 fall semester. Fulwiley, 2024 NCAA women’s basketball champion and “generational talent,” in the words of South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, has plenty of athletic accomplishments of her own. But in getting to know Ford, a sprinting phenom, Fulwiley got to know track — and how Ford zooms on it.
Over the next several months, Ford set an under-20 world record in the 200 meter, became a two-time NCAA Indoor champion in the 200 and 4x400 meters and achieved a world ranking of No. 17 in the 200.
“I got to know her off the track,” Fulwiley told The State, beaming. “So once I’d seen how she was on the track ...
“Well, what do you call it? The track or the field,” Fulwiley asked, interrupting herself to double-check with Ford. “The track,” Ford answered with a giggle. This is a constant learning process.
“I was like, ‘Wow,’” Fulwiley continued, “‘she’s almost as great of a person on the track as she is off the track.’”
It didn’t take long for Fulwiley and Ford to break off from group hangs and start spending time one on one. They had their first date at Crafty Crab. And Old Chicago Pizza became one of their favorite spots.
Since hard-launching their relationship on TikTok in March, Fulwiley and Ford have cemented themselves as the power couple of USC athletics. They won co-Female Freshman of the Year at South Carolina’s 2024 Gamecock Gala, an annual event honoring the school’s top student-athletes. And they’ve been intentional in sharing their relationship with the world, recognizing that there aren’t a lot of dual-sport, same-sex couples out there for young women to look up to.
“I’ve never really seen a couple that thrives like us,” Fulwiley told The State. “That’s what really made us want to go public.”
Love and basketball (and track)
Fulwiley and Ford are rarely idle.
First there’s weights. Then practice. Class. Study hall. More class. More practice. And the occasional name, image and likeness deal obligation. (In addition to niche local deals like her signature “Laywitdabutter sauce” with Columbia restaurant Mr. Seafood, Fulwiley has high-profile sponsorship agreements with Under Armour’s Curry Brand and Red Bull.)
Their windows of freedom are sparse and tiny, usually occurring in the early morning and late evening. Still, they manage to find pockets of time throughout the day to see each other. A couple minutes here or there. A shared walk to class. An active text thread.
“It’s easy for us to understand because we’re both athletes,” Ford said. “... When we have free time, we make the best of it. Because we don’t have a lot of time with each other. So we just admire those moments.”
Their travel schedules often conflict, so they watch each other compete virtually. When Ford has a race and the women’s basketball team is on the road, Fulwiley and her teammates crowd around her phone.
She turns to the rest of the huddle, assuring everyone that Ford is about to add another win to her resume. It’s inevitable. They watch with great anticipation as Ford settles into the starting block, then ramp up their cheers as she flies down the lane.
Hops become full-fledged jumps. Yells turn into screams. And Ford proves Fulwiley right almost every time, beating her competition to the finish line.
“Just to see her go out there and actually win college races,” Fulwiley said, “that showed me she’s really talented. And I just want to be a part of her journey.”
Ford feels the same way watching Fulwiley’s games.
“It’s a good feeling just watching your significant other accomplish their goals,” Ford said.
She became a regular at Colonial Life Arena last season, often bolting from practice to her room (for a quick shower and outfit change) to home games to see Fulwiley in action. Away games go on Ford’s TV so she and her roommate can cheer from afar.
During the postseason, Ford traveled to Greenville for the SEC championship game against LSU on March 10. She arrived at Bon Secours Wellness Arena during the first quarter after competing at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Boston the day before. Fulwiley scored a team-high 24 points and became the first freshman to win tournament MVP since Candace Parker (Tennessee) in 2006.
Ford also went to Cleveland for the national championship game between South Carolina and Iowa. Her coaches approved the trip as long as she made it back for 6 a.m. weights the next day. Fulwiley’s mom, Phelliccia Mixon, drove Ford to the airport through postgame traffic so she would make her flight (and practice — mission accomplished on both counts).
“I didn’t really start watching basketball till I met her, so it was very new for me,” Ford said. “And the championship game, it was, I don’t know how to explain it. I’m speechless still.”
“Things like that showed me that she was very willing and committed to my career,” Fulwiley said. “And vice versa.”
Social media and representation
Neither Fulwiley nor Ford recalled having a same-sex sports couple to look up to when they were younger.
Fulwiley remembers seeing WNBA star Brittney Griner’s now-wife, Cherelle, love up on and support her. But because Fulwiley and Ford are both elite athletes and openly together while in college, they view their relationship as unique.
They officially shared their relationship with the world in a TikTok on March 12. The video captured Fulwiley and Ford dancing at the Dodie Anderson Academic Enrichment Center, where student-athletes meet with academic advisers and attend tutoring. While the post — made to Fulwiley’s account — didn’t explicitly declare them girlfriend and girlfriend, Fulwiley’s teammates Bree Hall and Tessa Johnson did so in the comments.
“Fav couple,” Hall wrote.
“Couple goalsssss,” Johnson typed.
Fulwiley’s TikTok garnered over 41,400 likes, 200 comments (many congratulating the young couple), 1,000 saves and 700 shares.
The positive feedback emboldened Fulwiley and Ford to post each other more. They started sharing pictures after basketball games and videos of them participating in the latest viral dance trends. In August, Fulwiley posted pictures of a photo shoot with Ford in Times Square promoting Under Armour’s collaboration with Tuff Crowd.
When they split South Carolina’s top freshman award, Fulwiley’s celebratory posts on both platforms went viral, with each photo gallery combining for more than 100,000 likes.
“Once we realized that we are all over each other’s social media, we realized that we can’t break up,” Fulwiley said with a laugh.
“Period,” Ford said, also smiling and tilting her head to the side.
TikTok and Instagram have been mostly welcoming of their relationship, Fulwiley said, while Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) tend to house more hate.
South Carolina women’s basketball is considered a national powerhouse and fervently celebrated in Columbia, so every member of the team is, at minimum, a local celebrity. When Fulwiley and Ford went public with their relationship, Ford was surprised to see people know of her athletic accomplishments, too.
Fulwiley scoffed at this idea and at Ford’s surprise to have been nominated for Female Athlete of the Year at the 2024 Gamecock Gala, an award that would go to Fulwiley’s senior teammate and Final Four most outstanding player Kamilla Cardoso.
“I’m like, ‘Girl, the school sees what you’re doing,’” Fulwiley told Ford. “ ‘You’re literally putting on for track and field.’ ”
Ford let out a shy laugh, placed her left hand over her mouth and turned her gaze to the floor. One thing these women are going to do is hype each other up. Deservedly so. And they’re not the only ones.
Aside from the occasional troll or nasty comment, Fulwiley and Ford feel largely celebrated by Gamecocks fans and their online community. Fans young and old have mostly positive things to say. “What a beautiful couple,” and “Couple goals,” are often written under their posts.
Fulwiley and Ford’s experience may come as a surprise to come, given the South’s reputation regarding LGTBQ+ acceptance. According to GLAAD — the world’s largest Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization — LGBT people in the region face obstacles at higher rates than the rest of the United States. South Carolina received a C in SafeHome.org’s 2024 LGBTQ+ state safety report cards published Aug. 7. The grade is tied for second-best among states housing SEC member schools behind only Arkansas, which received a B+. Tennessee and Georgia also received a C, while Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama and Florida were all given Fs.
“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.”
Ford hopes people see her and Fulwiley and feel safe to be themselves.
“Love who you love,” she said softly and encouragingly.
Fulwiley brought it back to competition.
“If you thought last year was something,” Fulwiley said, grinning, “then this year…”
She trailed off, leaving the rest for everyone to find out.
SafeHome.org grades of SEC states:
SafeHome.org’s grading system factors in state legislative analysis and hate crime data from the FBI.
Arkansas (B-)
South Carolina (C)
Tennessee (C)
Georgia (C)
Oklahoma (C-)
Missouri (D+)
Louisiana (D)
Texas (D)
Mississippi (F)
Kentucky (F)
Alabama (F)
Florida (F)
This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 8:58 AM.
