VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State women's basketball graduate student Kwajelin Farrar was named the Gulf South Conference East Division Player of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday afternoon.  Lady Blazer head coach Deandra Schirmer was named GSC East Division Coach of the Year.  Farrar and senior Kayla Bonilla were named to the GSC East Division First Team, while sophomore Jirah Ards earned GSC East Division second team honors.
 
This marks the first time since 2000-01, a VSU Lady Blazer has been named GSC Player of the Year, as Tracy Sprolden earned the honor that season for the East Division.  Farrar becomes the fifth different Lady Blazer to earn the honor and the seventh overall in school history.  Shannon Williams was named GSC Player of the Year three times from 1987-1990.  Yolanda Jenkins earned GSC East Division Player of the Year honors in 1994-95 and Kathy Kennedy was tabbed East Division Player of the Year in 1996-97.
 
Schirmer guided the Lady Blazers to their first GSC East Division regular season title since the 2009-10 season and just the sixth in program history since they joined the GSC.   VSU finished the regular season with a 16-2 record overall and in league play in 2020-21.  The Lady Blazers were picked third in the East Division in the GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll this season and had two separate winning streaks of seven-games during the season.  Schirmer is 34-13 overall in her two seasons at VSU and 26-12 in league play.
 
Lee's Julia Duncan took home East Division Freshman of the Year honors to round out the specialty awards.
 
Joining Farrar and Bonilla on the first team were West Florida's Danielle Norquest, Lee's Haley Schubert and Montevallo's Marisa Snodgrass.  On the second team, along with Ards, were Lee's Julia Duncan and Hannah Garret, Shorter's Jasmine Gaines and Montevallo's Jordan Jones. 
 
Farrar, a native of Grovetown, Ga., has had an outstanding first season at VSU, as she is tied for the team-lead in scoring with Bonilla at 14.2 points per game.  Farrar has played and started all 18 games and is a team-best 111 of 182 from the field for a 61.0 field goal percentage for seventh nationally and second in the league.  She leads the team in rebounding at 9.9 per game for 32^nd nationally and 179 total rebounds for third in the league and 18^th nationally.  She has 37 assists on the year, a team-high 22 blocks and 20 steals.  Her 22 blocked shots are good for second in the GSC and 44^th nationally.  She is seventh in the league in defensive rebounds per game (5.5) and is tenth nationally and second in the league in double-doubles with ten. 
 
Bonilla, a native of Columbus, Ga., has been a mainstay for the Lady Blazers for her entire career as she is 84 of 182 from the field for a 46.2 average this season.  Bonilla is 19 of 58 from beyond the arc (32.8 percent) and a team-best 68 of 83 from the line for an 81.9 percent average.  She is third in the GSC in free throws made (68) for 36^th nationally and is fifth in the league in free throws attempted (83) for 43^rd nationally.  Bonilla's 81.9 free throw percentage is good for fourth in the league. 
 
She is sixth in the GSC in assists (64) and second in steals (46) for 13^th nationally.  Bonilla has started all 18 games with 15 games in double figures.  She has played in 108 career games with 96 starts and has scored 1,296 points for 14^th all-time in school history. 
 
Ards, a native of Eufaula, Ala., also had an outstanding first season in Titletown.  She is fourth on the team in scoring at 8.2 points per game, while going 47 of 121 from the field in 18 starts for the Lady Blazers.  She is second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 rebounds per game, while she is 13 of 38 from beyond the arc (34.2 percent) and 41 of 55 from the line (74.5 percent).  She is second on the team in both free throws made and free throw percentage. 
 
She is second on the team in both assists (51) and steals (28).  She has scored in double figures seven times this season and has two double-doubles on the year and three games of double figure rebounds.  She is ninth in the GSC in defensive rebounds per game (5.1) and seventh in minutes played at 557:44 to lead the team.  Ards is eighth in the GSC in total rebounds with 113 for second on the team.