Brister Garners 3rd Straight All-America Honors

CANYON, Texas – Having already secured her place as one of the most outstanding players in the rich tradition of Lady Buff basketball, junior guard Emily Brister received another national accolade this week as she earned All-America status for the third straight season. The Amarillo, Texas, garnered first team All-America honors from Daktronics and received honorable mention recognition from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

This season, Brister was named the Lone Star Conference South Division Player of the Year for the third straight season as she led the Lady Buffs to a regular season title - with a 13-1 division record - followed by the Lady Buffs' ninth LSC Championship and 16^th NCAA postseason appearance. She was named the LSC Tournament MVP after averaging 25.7 points per game in the Lady Buffs' three-game run to the title in Bartlesville, Okla.

WT's standout led the LSC in scoring for the third straight season (21.8 ppg), and she led the league in steals (3.06 per game). Additionally, she concluded the year ranked sixth in the country in scoring and 15th in the nation in steals.

Last year, Brister was voted first team Daktronics All-America and was an honorable mention selection by the WBCA. The two-time LSC Female Athlete of the Year, Brister became West Texas A&M's all-time leading scorer in a late-season two-point win over Abilene Christian - which clinched the LSC regular season crown and the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament - as she broke former Lady Buff Celeste Stevenson's 1,993 career points mark. Three days later, Brister became the first Lady Buff in program history to eclipse the 2,000-point mark and will enter her senior year with in 2008-09 with 2,106 career points.

2008 Daktronics All-America Teams

First Team
Lauren Beckley, Shippensburg
Emily Brister, West Texas A&M
Katie Cezat, Hillsdale
Ashley Langen, North Dakota
Celeste Trahan, Elizabeth City State
Player of the Year: Trahan

Second Team
Kate Lynch, Southern Connecticut State
Jennifer Rushing, Delta State
Michelle Stueve, Emporia State
Sheena Walton, Tampa
Vanessa Wilt, Cal State-San Bernardino

Third Team
Anna Atkinson, Wingate
Jeana Hoffman, South Dakota
Johannah Leedham, Franklin-Pierce
Syretha Marble, North Georgia
Sarah Van Horn, West Virginia Wesleyan