Idaho sophomore Alyssa Charlston has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America® Division I Women's Basketball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The post player, who boasts a 4.00 grade-point average, was named to the third team.
Of the 15 NCAA Division I women's basketball players to earn the honor, Charlston is one of just two sophomores, one of five to have a perfect GPA and the only student-athlete from the WAC. The Sammamish, Wash., native is majoring in broadcasting and digital media with plans to become an on-camera reporter.
On the court, Charlston ranks third in the WAC in rebounds (8.8) and fourth in points (14.7). She has taken her game to an even higher level in WAC play, averaging 16.3 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, and is one of just two WAC players to average a double-double in league play. Charlston has scored 20 or more points five times this season, including a career-high 30, and tallied nine double-doubles. In her most recent outing, she poured in 21 points and added a career-high 19 rebounds in a winning effort.
Charlston owns a team-best 49.2 field goal percentage (fifth in the WAC) and also leads Idaho from long range, hitting 35.3 percent of her three-pointers. She also ranks fifth in the WAC with 1.11 blocked shots and is one of two Idaho players to have started all 27 games this season.
Charlston is the fifth player in program history to earn the prestigious honor, and the first since 2001-02.
To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher on a 4.00 scale, have reached sophomore athletic status and completed one full year at their current institution.
The complete teams are listed below.
FIRST TEAM
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
GPA |
Major |
| Elena Delle Donne |
Delaware |
Jr. |
3.60 |
Early Childhood Education |
| Roxana Button |
Houston |
Sr. |
3.87 |
Psychology |
| Caroline Durbin |
New Mexico |
Jr. |
4.16 |
Business, Finance & Accounting |
| Amanda Johnson (1) (2) |
Oregon |
Gr. |
3.97 |
Counseling, Psychology & Human Services |
| Glory Johnson |
Tennessee |
Gr. |
3.60 |
Communication & Information |
(1) Capital One Academic All-America ® first team in 2010-11
(2) Capital One Academic All-America ® second team in 2009-10
SECOND TEAM
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
GPA |
Major |
| Lacey Boshe |
Missouri State |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Cell & Molecular Biology |
| Ashley Eide |
South Dakota State |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Health, P.E. & Recreation |
| Marissa Kastanek |
North Carolina State |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Psychology |
| Brittany Rayburn |
Purdue |
Sr. |
3.71 |
Animal Science |
| Rachel Semansky |
Montana State |
Jr. |
3.95 |
Elementary Education |
| Julie Wojta |
Green Bay |
Sr. |
3.58 |
Business Administration, Accounting |
THIRD TEAM
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
GPA |
Major |
| Janae Burich |
North Dakota State |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Marketing |
| Kody Burke |
North Carolina State |
So. |
3.95 |
Management |
| Alyssa Charlston |
Idaho |
So. |
4.00 |
Broadcasting & Digital Media |
| Jericka Jenkins |
Hampton |
Sr. |
3.71 |
Criminology, Criminal Justice |
Academic All-American of the Year: Elena Delle Donne, Delaware