March 27, 2006

West Texas A&M University women's basketball player Emily Brister was named Division II Bulletin Freshman of the Year, as well as being an honorable mention All-American, announced Monday (March 27) by the publication.

Brister, a 5-9 freshman guard from Amarillo, Texas (Amarillo High School), headlines the 10-player All-Freshman Team, and is on the honorable mention list. Brister led the nation in steals, swiping 4.1 per game, with 132 swipes on the year and tying a Lady Buff single-season record, joining Josephine Longoria's 132 steals in 1990-91, and establishing a new school record for steals average. Brister also led the LSC and is ninth in the NCAA-II in scoring, netting 21.1 ppg, finishing with 676 points, ranking second on the WTAMU single-season scoring list and tied for fourth on the scoring average list.

This season Brister also averaged 2.8 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. Brister ranked seventh in the conference in 3-point FG made, hitting 2.19 per game (70-of-196, .357). From the free throw line, Brister was a team-best 80.7 percent (196-of-243), setting a new WTAMU single-season free throws made record and third in free throw attempts, as well as ranking 10th in the league in FT percentage, leading the conference in both free throws made and attempted.

Brister was named the LSC Tournament MVP for her performance in leading the Lady Buffs to their first conference championship since the 1996-97 season. In the LSC Championship game, Brister established a new career-high in rebounds as she tallied 11 rebounds to go along with 17 points to record her third double-double of the season.

This honor is Brister's third All-American award, joining being tabbed as a third-team Daktronics All-American and being selected to the Kodak/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) honorable mention All-American list. Brister was also named a WBCA South Central Regional Finalist, as well as the Daktronics All-South Central Region Team. She was also the LSC South Player of the Year, LSC South Freshman of the Year, and named to the first-team All-LSC South list.

Brister is one of two Lone Star Conference players on the list, joining Julie Dawson from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Brister is one of seven NCAA-II South Central Regional players on the list, as she joins Washburn University's Jennifer Harris, who was chosen the Player of the Year and named to the first-team All-American list, as well as Emporia State University's Michelle Stueve, who was tabbed to the third-team. Michelle Lieber from Montana State University-Billings, Jennifer Knight from St. Edward's University, and Washburn's Brook Ubelaker complete the South Central Regional selections.

Brister helped WTAMU to a 28-4 record, the most wins since 1996-97, having its season-long 13-game winning streak snapped in the NCAA-II South Central Regional Semifinals, falling to Emporia State, who went on to win the regional and advance to the Elite Eight.

WTAMU also won the LSC Championship, the Lady Buffs' conference-record eighth LSC title. This was the 19th season under head coach Bob Schneider that the Lady Buffs have reached the 20-win milestone.

-WT-