March 5, 2009
IRVING, Texas - Texas A&M's Damitria Buchanan and Katrina Limbaha were among 43 student-athletes honored on the 2009 Academic All-Big 12 Conference Women's Basketball Team on Thursday.
Buchanan, a 6-foot-2 junior forward from Houston, Texas, earned a place on the first team with a 3.2 grade-point average in psychology and will graduate in three years with a bachelor's degree from A&M in May. She plans to attend graduate school over the summer in hopes of obtaining a master's degree in school counseling with career aspirations of becoming a child psychologist or a school counselor.
Off the court, she is a classically trained pianist with 11 years of experience and was the senior class salutatorian at Jones High School. Buchanan is one of four A&M women's basketball players over the last three years to graduate in three and a half years or less including current teammate, senior center La Toya Micheaux of Missouri City, Texas, who is currently pursuing a master's degree in leadership.
Limbaha, a 6-foot-3 junior forward from Riga, Latvia, garnered first-team honors for the second time of her career with an impressive 3.760 GPA in international studies. She has played in 59 career games with five starts for the nationally-ranked Aggies.
Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and media relations offices, the women's basketball academic all-league squad consisted of 34 first-team members combined with nine on the second team. First-team members have recorded a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those with a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.
To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or in the two previous semesters and have participated in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are also eligible.