BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Gulf South Conference announced Friday its Fall Academic honors as three Valdosta State student athletes earned GSC All-Academic accolades, while 81 Blazers were named to the Fall Academic Honor Roll.
 
Blazer senior volleyball standout Kaia Baker, along with football graduate student Austin McKay and junior Jeremiah Mawali earned GSC All-Academic honors.  The Blazer football team had 33 selections to the honor roll, while women's soccer had 25, along with 11 from volleyball and six from each the men's and women's cross country teams.  As a league, 1,129 student-athletes were named to the honor roll, while 157 posted perfect 4.0 grade-point averages.   
 
Baker, a native of Porta Westfalica, Germany, earned D2CCA First Team All-Region accolades this season and was named the GSC Libero of the Year.  For her senior season, Baker played and started in all 31 matches at libero, ranking first in the GSC in digs with 579 for 14th nationally. She also ranked first in the conference in digs per set at 5.03 per set, for 32nd nationally.  Baker also racked up a staggering 43 service aces, as well as 12 kills and 68 assists.  She earned first team all-GSC honors this season.
 
She reached a career milestone this season when she surpassed 1,500 career digs against Mississippi College on Nov. 9, including her time at Eastern Arizona College.    For her VSU career, she played in 35 matches in two seasons with 642 digs, 46 aces and 13 kills.  
 
McKay put the finishing touches on his VSU career helping lead the team to the national title game this season and a 13-1 record overall, while the Blazers won their eleventh Gulf South Conference title.  He finished the 2024 season going 7 of 10 in field goals with a long of 45 and was 57 of 58 in extra-points.  
 
For his career, he played in 24 games and scored 78 points.  He finished 7 of 10 in field goals, while going 57 of 58 in extra-points.  McKay also handled kickoff duties in 2022 and 2023, with 43 kickoffs for 2,251 yards.  
 
Mawali, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla., earned Don Hansen Honorable Mention All-America honors this season for the Blazers.  Mawali earned first team all-league honors playing in 13 games this season and helping the Blazers finish 11^th nationally in total offense at 448.6 yards per game.  VSU was 23^rd nationally in passing yards per game at a 248.0 clip, while the team was 16^th nationally in rushing offense at 200.6 yards per contest with all leading the Gulf South Conference.  The Blazers allowed just 12 sacks all season for a 0.86 average per game for 12^th nationally, while the Blazers were sixth nationally in third down conversion (.518) and seventh nationally in fourth down conversion (.696).