[IN PICS] 2026 prospect McKenna Woliczko visits Dawn Staley's South Carolina amid Iowa, USC links

Dawn Staley and the South Carolina Gamecocks have completed their roster for the upcoming season. However, Staley has already moved on and has raised the stakes for next year as she is looking to secure top talent in the 2026 class.

One of the biggest players in the class is five-star forward McKenna Woliczko, who is ranked No. 6 in the country by 247Sports. Woliczko, a 6-foot-2 prospect from California, took an official visit to South Carolina this week.

EJ Arocho, a national scout for Prep Girls Hoops, shared multiple behind-the-scenes photos of Woliczko on her visit with the Gamecocks. In the first photo, she posed with Dawn Staley, while in the second, she was seen next to a wall that featured the word "Gamecocks" in large white block letters.

Woliczko also posed with the current South Carolina team, including Chloe Kitts and Tessa Johnson.

Woliczko is the first 2026 prospect to visit Columbia this summer. Saniyah Hall, a top-ranked player in the class from Montverde Academy, Florida, visited South Carolina in May. Woliczko narrowed her list to four schools last month: South Carolina, Iowa, USC and Ohio State. She is expected to visit Iowa in August.

McKenna Woliczko shares her thoughts on Dawn Staley and South Carolina

McKenna Woliczko will announce her decision regarding college before her final high school season begins in November. She came down to four programs and has shared positive thoughts on each of the contenders.

Woliczko spoke highly of Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks program during an interview with On3 last month.

"I love Dawn (Staley) and the rest of the coaching staff," she said, per The State. “I think that South Carolina is, when you’re looking to get to that next level, like the WNBA, South Carolina will help you get there.

"They’re just recruiting the best of the best, so then you’re able to play with top players in the country, and that’s what it’s going to be like playing in the pros. I think it’d be cool to figure that out at the college level, instead of being pushed right into that at the pro level."

Woliczko, who plays for Archbishop Mitty High in California, is recovering from an ACL injury she suffered in January.