COLUMBIA — For the first time in program history, South Carolina women's basketball is heading to the White House.

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

President Biden also will honor the UConn men's basketball national champion team on the same day but with a separate ceremony.

The Gamecocks defeated Iowa on April 7, completing a 38-0 season. It was the first undefeated season for South Carolina 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 during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Staley most recently attended the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, after her two-week long 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 will debate former President Donald Trump for the first time at 9 p.m. on Sept. 10 in Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center. The invitation did not specify if Harris would be in attendance for the basketball ceremonies.

Why hasn't South Carolina women's basketball been to the White House?

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

2017 GAMECOCKS: Coach Dawn Staley says defending champion South Carolina won't be at White House ceremony

After the 2022 title win, Rep. James Clyburn announced at the championship parade that South Carolina was invited to celebrate its win at the White House. Clyburn said scheduling was then to be worked out with the team and the White House. Reportedly, the White House and the team never found a time that worked.

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

South Carolina returns all but one player from the 2024 national championship team. Kamilla Cardoso was drafted by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA draft a week after the title win. The Sky are scheduled to host the Washington Mystics in Chicago on Sept. 11.

The status of Ashlyn Watkins, a junior forward who was arrested on Aug. 31, on charges of assault and kidnapping, is still unknown. A police report obtained by The Greenville News on Tuesday provided more details and insight on 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 lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina women's basketball's team to visit White House