TOWSON, Md. - Maintaining a 4.00 Grade Point Average in college is not easy. Neither is averaging a double-double in the Western Athletic Conference. But Idaho sophomore women's basketball player Alyssa Charlston manages to do both, and her success on the court and in the classroom was recognized Thursday as she was honored as a third-team Capital One Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

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 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 fourth in the WAC with 14.7 points per game, and third with 8.8 rebounds. She has taken her game to an even higher level in conference 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.

A 6-foot-1 post player, Charlston has scored over 20 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 scored her milestone 500^th point on Feb. 2, and has a career scoring average of 10.1 points per game.

But scoring points in bunches doesn't mean taking a lot of shots. 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 3's. She also ranks fifth in the WAC with 1.11 blocked shots, and adds 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Charlston 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 in a decade, as Darci Pemberton's first-team honor in 2001-02 was the last for an Idaho women's basketball player.

To be eligible for Academic All-American 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.

FIRST TEAM

Name                                 School                        Yr.     Hometown               GPA  Major

Elena Delle Donne               Delaware                     Jr.     Wilmington, Del.       3.60   Early Childhood Educ.

Roxana Button                    Houston                      Sr.     Coppell, Texas         3.87   Psychology

Caroline Durbin                   New Mexico                 Jr.     Austin, Texas            4.16   Business, Finance & Accounting

Amanda Johnson (1) (2)       Oregon                        Gr.     Santa Rosa, Calif.     3.97   Counseling, Psych. & Human Ser.

Glory Johnson                    Tennessee                   Gr.     Knoxville, Tenn.        3.60   Master's (Communication & Info.)

SECOND TEAM

Name                                 School                        Yr.     Hometown               GPA  Major

Lacey Boshe                       Missouri State             Sr.     Marshfield, Mo.        4.00   Cell & Molecular Biology

Ashley Eide                        South Dakota State      Jr.     Sioux Falls, S.D.      4.00   Health, Phys.Edu. & Recreation

Marissa Kastanek                North Carolina State     Jr.     Lincoln, Neb.            4.00   Psychology

Brittany Rayburn                  Purdue                        Sr.     West Lafayette, Ind.  3.71   Animal Science (Pre-Vet)

Rachel Semansky                Montana State             Jr.     Highwood, Mont.      3.95   Elementary Education

Julie Wojta                          Wisconsin-Green Bay   Sr.     Francis Creek, Wis.   3.58   Business Admin., Accounting

THIRD TEAM

Name                                 School                        Yr.     Hometown               GPA  Major

Janae Burich                       North Dakota State      Jr.     Roseville, Minn.        4.00   Marketing

Kody Burke                         North Carolina State     So.    Riverside, Calif.        3.95   Management

Alyssa Charlston                 Idaho                          So.    Sammamish, Wash.  4.00   Broadcasting & Digital Media

Jericka Jenkins                    Hampton                     Sr.     Lancaster, Texas       3.71   Criminology, Criminal Justice