Valdosta State guard Erin Whalen was named the Division II Women's Basketball National Player of the Week as presented by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and NCAA Division II Conference Information Directors Association (D2CIDA) for the week of Dec. 29-Jan. 4.

Whalen had a strong all-around week for the Lady Blazers as they recorded wins over Fort Lauderdale, Mississippi College and Delta State, as she averaged 16.7 points, 11 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals in those contests. After opening the week with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds in a 107-55 win over Fort Lauderdale, she had 19 points, 17 rebounds, six assists and four steals to help VSU defeated Mississippi College 83-57.

On Sunday, Whalen had 18 points on seven-of-13 shooting from the field and two-of-five from three-point range with a pair of free throws as the Lady Blazers downed Delta State 70-62; her three-pointers came in the fourth quarter to allow VSU to extend a four-point into double figures. Whalen finished the week by making 48.7 percent of her field goal attempts (20-of-41), four three-pointers and six-of-seven from the free throw line to earn the Gulf South Conference's Player of the Week award. 

Whalen is the first-ever WBCA/D2CIDA National Player of the Week recipient from either Valdosta State or the GSC, and is the conference's first women's basketball national weekly awardee since West Florida's Jaclyn Jarnot (Dec. 13, 2022). The Valdosta State junior is also the first GSC basketball player, man or woman, to earn national weekly accolades this season.

The co-branded WBCA/D2CIDA national weekly award program is in its second season and is administered by D2CIDA and supported by the WBCA. Click here for a complete list of this season's weekly award winners.