VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State junior women's basketball guard Erin Whalen and senior guard Aryana Hicks were named to the All-Gulf South Conference Teams, announced Tuesday afternoon.  Whalen earned first team honors, while Hicks was a third team selection. 
 
Whalen, a native of Cumming, Ga., put together another outstanding season as she was the only player on the team to start all 29 games this season and she led the team averaging 14.0 points per game.  Whalen finished 156 of 354 from the field (.441), while she was a team-best 42 of 120 from distance (.350) and 51 of 70 from the line (.729).  Whalen averaged a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game, while she was second on the team to Hicks in assists (61) and led the team with 70 steals, while registering four blocked shots for fourth on the team.
 
She is fourth in the GSC this season and 25^th nationally in double-doubles with 11 while she is sixth in the league in field goals attempted (354), sixth in field goal percentage (.441) and sixth in made field goals (156), while she is seventh in minutes played (33:25) and seventh in points (405).  He 14.0 points per game puts her eighth in the league, while she is third in the league in total rebounds (249) for 38^th nationally and fifth in the league in rebounds per game (8.6).  Whalen leads the GSC in steals with 70, while she is tops in the league in steals per game at a 2.41 clip.  
 
For her career, Whalen has scored 772 points on 312 of 727 from the field (.429), while she is 76 of 227 from distance (.335) and 72 of 106 from the line (.679).  She is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game, while she has 135 assists, 143 steals and ten blocks.  Whalen earned second team all-league honors last season and is the first Lady Blazer since Kalifa Ford in 2023-24 to earn first team all-league honors.  
 
Hicks, a native of Punta Gorda, Fla., capped her outstanding two-year career with the red and black this season as she finished second on the team in scoring at 10.9 points per game in 27 games played and 27 starts.  Hicks went 117 of 220 from the field (.532) running the point for the Lady Blazers, while she was 56 of 68 from the line and drained three triples.  Hicks averaged 2.6 rebounds per game, but led the team with 139 assists this season, along with 50 steals for second on the team.  
 
She currently is tops in the GSC in assists (139) for 16^th nationally, while averaging 5.1 assists per game which also leads the league and is 16^th nationally.  She had one double-double this season with ten points and ten assists against Auburn Montgomery (1/17/26).  
 
For her career at both Niagara and VSU, she scored 854 points, while she scored 581 points at VSU and she finished with 269 career assists at VSU, placing her ninth all-time in school history.  
 
Click here for the All-GSC Women's Basketball Teams.