March 3, 2008

CANYON, Texas - In addition to her numerous accomplishments on the basketball court, local product Emily Brister continues to be recognized for her success in the classroom as she has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America First Team. The junior guard holds a cumulative GPA of 3.90 while studying bilingual education.

Earlier this season, The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and ESPN the Magazine announced the 2007 Basketball Academic All-District teams--junior Emily Brister drew first team accolades while sophomore Holly Isaacs was named to the second team. Additionally, Brister earned a spot on the CoSida/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VI First Team.

The Amarillo, Texas, native has been a dominant force on both ends of the court this season as she leads the Lady Buffs in scoring and in rebounding. She is shooting .467 (192-of-411) from field goal range, .320 (32-of-100) from behind the arc and .856 (161-of-188) from the charity stripe. She leads the Lone Star Conference in scoring with an average of 21.4 points per game, a figure that also places her ninth in the nation.

Brister also is averaging 7.6 rebounds per game with a total of 204, leading the way with 64 offensive boards and 140 defensive grabs.

West Texas A&M heads to Bartlesville, Okla., this week for the Lone Star Conference Tournament and is set to square off against Southeastern Oklahoma at 8:30 p.m. in Thursday's quarterfinal game.