By james art 
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Suspended South Carolina offensive tackle Ashlyn Watkins has had charges against her dismissed, according to online court records.
Watkins was charged with assault and kidnapping on August 31. She has since been cut from the women’s college basketball team and did not accompany her teammates to the White House in September to be honored by President Biden for the national championship season.
Court records show Watkins’ charges were dismissed Nov. 1. There was no immediate information on its removal.
The top-ranked Gamecocks opened the season Monday night with a closer-than-expected 68-62 victory over Michigan in Las Vegas. They get a tougher test next when they face No. 9 NC State in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday.
Watkins was a big factor in South Carolina’s 38-0 national title season. The 6-foot-3 forward led the Southeastern Conference with 91 blocks. She averaged 9.2 points and was second to WNBA first-round pick Camila Cardoso on the team with 7.4 rebounds per game.
She dunked once each her freshman and sophomore seasons, the first two dunks in South Carolina’s program.
Watkins is expected to play an even bigger role with the team when he returns to the basketball court.