DALLAS – Seniors Miyah Barnes and Rachael Childress were awarded All-Conference honors for the fourth time in their careers as announced by the conference office Monday morning. Childress was named All-Conference USA First Team for the third consecutive season, and Barnes garners her third All-Conference USA Second Team honor.
Childress will go down in UAB, Conference USA and NCAA history as one of the best three-point shooters of all-time, recently breaking into the top five in NCAA career threes made with 415 triples. In her senior season, Childress broke both the UAB and C-USA three records and continues to climb the ranks in the national record books. The Rogersville, Ala. native is the nation’s active career leader in threes and sits in the top five in threes made (103), three-point percentage (45.4%) and threes per game (3.43) this season.
The shooting guard ranks fourth in UAB history in scoring with nearly 1,800 career points. Childress is averaging 16.7 points per game in her senior campaign, the best in her career at UAB. Her 500 points is the fourth in Conference USA this season, and her 103 threes tie for fourth in C-USA single season history (she currently holds the top two spots in the record book). As a freshman, Childress was named the C-USA Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.4 points per game with 95 triples in her rookie season.
Off the court Childress has been recognized as a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team, CoSIDA Academic All-District and a Senior CLASS Award top 30 finalist.
“Rachael is the best shooter I have ever coached,” said head coach Randy Norton. “Each year she has added to her game and has made herself into a complete player. She has lived in the gym ever since she picked up a basketball. It’s great to see her dedication and work ethic pay off.”
Barnes sits near the top of multiple UAB records and is one of just three Blazers to amass 1,000 points and 500 assists in a career. She sits second in career assists (517), free throw percentage (80.6%), games played (127, tied with Childress) and minutes played (4,121).
The point guard is averaging a career best 12.5 points per game in her senior campaign. She leads the league in free throw percentage, shooting 86.7 percent from the charity stripe this season. Her 104 assists (3.5 per game) are sixth best in C-USA. The Memphis, Tenn. native is top 15 in C-USA standings in scoring, free throw percentage, assists, assist/turnover ratio and minutes played this season.
Earlier this season, she was one of 20 players named to the Nancy Lieberman Watchlist for the top point guard in the country.
“Miyah has done so much for our program and has done a great job running the show from the point guard position for the last four years,” added Norton. “Her commitment, sacrifice and work ethic have allowed her to become one of the best point guards in Conference USA.”
Barnes, Childress and the rest of the Blazer women’s basketball team will face 12-seed Louisiana Tech in the first round of the Conference USA Championships on Wednesday, March 11 at 11:30 a.m. in Frisco, Texas. The Blazers clinched the fifth seed Saturday with a win over Southern Miss, narrowly missing out on a first-round bye. UAB is seeking its first C-USA Tournament Championship title in school history.
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