Holiday Surprise: Lander Basketball Timeout Turns into a Heartwarming Proposal

The mistletoe was missing but love was in the air during the women’s basketball game Saturday (Dec. 7) at Lander University.

Karlie Dean, a senior business major at Lander and member of the Spirit Team’s Sassy Cat dancers, was performing one of her high-energy routines alongside her team during the game’s first timeout when Mrs. Bearcat, a University mascot, interrupted the performance – to the song “Chapel of Love” – and led Karlie away from the team.

Little did Karlie know that her longtime boyfriend, Dalton Hawkins, disguised as Lander’s beloved Bearcat mascot, had orchestrated a moment that they would treasure forever.

During the game’s first timeout, Dalton had gone to the center of the court and removed the head of the costume. There, Karlie found him kneeling, and within seconds Dalton officially proposed marriage and placed a ring on her hand.

To the delight of her teammates, family, friends and Lander fans, Karlie said “yes.” Even the players from the USC Aiken women’s basketball team, realizing a big moment was happening, jumped excitedly on the sidelines.

The couple’s journey began in kindergarten at Ware Shoals Primary School, where they first met and became best pals. In the classroom, their lively chatter often prompted their teacher to remind them to quiet down. Though their childhood friendship flourished, life took them in different directions — Dalton’s family moved away during third grade, and later, Karlie’s family relocated.

Years passed without contact, until fate brought them together again during Karlie’s senior year of high school at Greenwood Christian School. At a mutual friend’s birthday party, the pair reconnected, and their bond reignited instantly. They’ve been inseparable ever since.

With the support of Lander’s Spirit Team Coach Kim Schoolfield, this heartfelt moment promises to be one for the books — a love story turned magical holiday season surprise.