VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State football senior Eric Watts and women's basketball junior Erin Whalen were named the Herb and Linda Reinhard Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year, respectively, at the annual awards banquet Wednesday evening.
The VSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) unanimously voted in February 2024 to rename the two most prestigious department awards bestowed upon a student-athlete. In a heartfelt tribute to the enduring legacy and profound impact on VSU athletics, the awards were renamed the Herb and Linda Reinhard Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year.
The renaming of the awards symbolizes the deep appreciation for the Reinhard's unwavering support of VSU student-athletes and serves as a lasting testament to their remarkable contributions to the university's athletic community. Herb Reinhard retired in June 2024 after 32 years as the Director of Athletics at VSU.
Criteria for the award include that the student-athletes must be a junior, senior or graduate student, have been enrolled at VSU for at least one full academic year and have a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.0. The award is voted on by the athletic administration, with both academic and athletic achievement taken into consideration. Ties are not broken.
In addition to the Male and Female Student-Athletes of the Year Awards, the Scholar-Athlete Academic Awards were announced as senior Rachael Lee of softball, senior Kassidy Hernandez of the Red Hots and senior Preston Wetherell of baseball were named the Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
With community service being a significant part of what Blazers do, the department logged a total of 2,529.5 community service hours during the year. The 2025-26 Dr. F. Lamar and Nancy Pearson Community Service Award went to the Blazer softball team with 1,177 total hours and 45.27 hours per team member. The individual community service award went to softball senior Charlotte Phillips with 169 hours of service.
Watts, a senior running back from Opelika, Ala., helped lead the Blazers to their league-best 12th Gulf South Conference title in the fall and the program's 21st berth in the NCAA postseason. In 2025, he played in all 11 games and rushed 73 times for 467 yards with a team-high nine touchdowns on the ground. Watts averaged 42.5 yards per game and added 16 receptions for 157 yards.
He recorded a season-high 92 rushing yards with a touchdown on just five carries at Johnson C. Smith and also had three kickoff returns for 74 yards during the season. Watts earned second-team All-Gulf South Conference honors, and his nine rushing touchdowns ranked fourth in the league.
For his career, Watts played in 21 games for the Blazers, rushing 134 times for 796 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also recorded 29 receptions for 281 yards and one touchdown after transferring in 2023 from Itawamba Community College. Watts was named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll in both 2023 and 2025.
Whalen, a native of Cumming, Ga., has been a mainstay on the Lady Blazer basketball team for three years. She earned Academic All-GSC honors this season along with first-team all-conference and second-team all-region honors in 2026.
She was the only Lady Blazer to start all 29 games this season and led the team in scoring at 14.0 points per game. Whalen finished 156-of-354 from the field (.441), while hitting a team-best 42-of-120 from three-point range (.350) and 51-of-70 from the free throw line (.729). She averaged a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game and ranked second on the team in assists with 61. Whalen led the team with 70 steals and recorded four blocked shots.
For the season, she ranked fourth in the Gulf South Conference and 28th nationally in double-doubles with 11. She was sixth in the league in field goal attempts (354), sixth in field goal percentage (.441), seventh in field goals made (156), seventh in minutes played (33:25) and eighth in total points (405).
Her 14.0 points per game ranked eighth in the conference, while she finished fourth in total rebounds (249) and fifth in rebounds per game (8.6). Whalen also finished third in the GSC in total steals with 70 and led the conference in steals per game at 2.41.
For her career, Whalen has scored 772 points on 312-of-727 shooting (.429), including 76-of-227 from three-point range (.335) and 72-of-106 from the free throw line (.679). She averages 6.4 rebounds per game and has recorded 135 assists, 143 steals and 10 blocks. Whalen has also earned GSC Academic Honor Roll honors in each of her three seasons in Titletown.
Lee, a native of Cartersville, Ga., carries a 4.0 grade-point average in interdisciplinary studies and was named to the GSC Academic Honor Roll last season. She also earned Easton/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-America Scholar honors last year.
A consistent presence for the Blazer softball team over the past two seasons, Lee is hitting .238 in 42 games with 40 starts this season. She has recorded 25 hits, 21 runs scored, nine doubles, four home runs and 23 RBI, along with nine walks and four hit-by-pitches. She holds a .438 slugging percentage, a .319 on-base percentage and a .757 OPS.
For her career, Lee has played in 93 games with 91 starts, hitting 10 home runs while scoring 59 runs and driving in 46 RBI.
Hernandez, a native of Miami, Fla., was named the top student from the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration and will graduate in May summa cum laude with two bachelor's degrees in finance and business administration, along with a minor in applied mathematics and a certificate in data science.
She is the recipient of the prestigious President's Award for Academic Excellence, which is presented to the top graduating student in each of VSU's six colleges. Hernandez becomes the ninth Blazer student-athlete to earn the President's Award for Excellence.
Hernandez has been a key member of the Red Hots for four years and helped the team win three national titles — Hip Hop in 2025 and both Hip Hop and Jazz in 2026 — as the Blazers captured both titles in the same year for the first time in program history. The victories further established the Red Hots as a powerhouse dynasty with 11 total national championships.
She also earned All-America honors at the 2024 National Dance Alliance College Camp and will continue her dance career this summer as a member of the NDA staff.
Wetherell, a native of Port Orange, Fla., played two seasons at State College of Florida before transferring to VSU prior to the 2025 season. This year he holds a 1-1 record in 17 appearances, pitching 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Last season he recorded a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 innings of work. Wetherell earned GSC Academic Honor Roll honors last season and was also a member of the Dean's List. He carries a 3.73 cumulative grade-point average while majoring in management.
