Allie Barber and Markus Howard earn Marquette's 74th McCahill Award

MILWAUKEE – Former Marquette University women's volleyball player Allie Barber and men's basketball player Markus Howard are the recipients of the 74th Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a Marquette student-athlete.

The pair will be honored in a virtual celebration on the evening of Sunday, April 18 as well as part of the 2021 Alumni National Award celebration on Tuesday, May 25.

"Rarely have we honored two individuals in a single year as winners of the McCahill Award, but I couldn't think of two more deserving student-athletes in Allie Barber and Markus Howard," said Marquette University Vice President and Director of Athletics Bill Scholl.

"Allie and Markus represent the pinnacle of performance, both on and off the court, and have left an indelible mark on not only Marquette, but at the BIG EAST Conference and national level. Both have certainly excelled on the court with record-setting careers, but the legacy each left at MU is much deeper than that. In addition to inspiring their peers, they provided a blueprint for what it means to be a Marquette student-athlete and we could not be more grateful for their careers in Blue & Gold."

The most decorated player in MU women's volleyball history, Barber was a three-time AVCA All-American and graduated as the program's all-time kills leader with 1,871 kills.

The native of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year twice in her career. Barber was a four-time all-BIG EAST First Team selection and was the league's freshman of the year after bursting onto the scene in her first year with 219 kills.

Barber led the team to four-straight NCAA tournament berths and led the Golden Eagles to their first Sweet 16 in program history in 2018. Throughout Barber's career, MU won 101 games, which ties her senior class for the winningest in program history.

She was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, earning first team honors, a nominee for the NCAA's Woman of the Year and the 2019-20 BIG EAST Sport Excellence Award winner for volleyball.

In the classroom, Barber graduated in May 2020 with a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences and earned a 3.98 grade point average. The 2019-20 CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year was a member of the Alpha Sigma Nu and Chi Alpha Sigma honor societies at MU and was selected as a four-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team member.

"Allie Barber is one of the most special people I've ever had the privilege of working with," Marquette head women's volleyball coach Ryan Theis said. "I probably have 20 quotes praising her, including med school recommendations, and congratulating her on many awards, but this may be the biggest honor of them all and I couldn't be happier for her.

"Throughout her career she was a model student, teammate, community member and person. With Allie as one of our leaders, we achieved our program's first ever Sweet 16 trip in 2018 and reached the top-10 of the national polls. She is Marquette's all-time kill leader and one of the greatest volleyball players I've ever coached. She has an even bigger future ahead of her after med school and we can't wait to see the difference she continues to make in the world."

After her career at MU, Barber is taking a gap year while working as a medical scribe in a hospital to gain clinical experience while applying for medical school. The former All-American earned an MCAT score in the 98th percentile.

Barber was also actively involved in the community while at MU, which included a service trip to Costa Rica to build multi-purpose courts back in 2018, volunteering for the Milwaukee Miracle League and as a cook for Campus Kitchens, as well as a member of Marquette's SAAC.

Barber is the sixth women's volleyball player to earn the award and the first since Elizabeth Koberstein in 2014.

Howard was the all-time leading scorer in Marquette men's basketball history with 2,761 points and a two-time Consensus All-American. In his senior year, Howard was named a First Team All-American, just the fourth in MU history, and led the nation in scoring with 27.8 points per game.

He earned All-BIG EAST honors three times in his career and was selected as the unanimous BIG EAST Player of the Year in his junior season. He was dubbed Marquette's most valuable player three seasons in a row.

Howard finished tied for seventh in NCAA history with 434 career 3-pointers, and is 21st all-time in points scored. He became the BIG EAST's career scoring leader in league games and ranks in the top-five in 10 Marquette career categories. In his senior year, he owned three of the five 50-point games by active NCAA players, and averaged a BIG EAST record 28.7 points per game in league play.

Howard now plays for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, and he scored his first NBA points on Jan. 10 against the New York Knicks.

Off the floor, Howard graduated in May 2020 with a bachelor's degree in digital media. The 2020 Senior CLASS Award winner served as a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Oversight Committee and started the Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter on Marquette's campus.

Along with Barber and other MU athletes, Howard participated in the 2018 Courts for Kids trip to Costa Rica. He has also put in over 100 community service hours with groups like the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Hunger Cleanup, Al's & Briggs Run & Walk and Boys & Girls Club.

Howard was twice awarded Marquette's Dwayne Wade Legacy of Leadership Award. Outside of Marquette, the Arizona native owns two gold medals playing for USA Basketball, having won titles at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship and the FIBA Americas Championship in 2015.

Howard is the 19th men's basketball player to earn the award and the first since Steve Novak and former MU women's basketball player Carolyn Kieger were co-winners in 2006.

About the Robert L. and William P. McCahill Award:
The McCahill Award was named after Captain Robert L. McCahill, a former Marquette student-athlete who gave his life for his country at the Battle of Iwo Jima during World War II in 1945. Established by his brother, Colonel William P. McCahill, also an MU student-athlete, the award was first presented in 1946 and has been awarded annually as the highest honor bestowed upon a Marquette student-athlete.

After Colonel McCahill's death in 1999, Marquette University officially renamed the award to recognize the lifetime accomplishments of both Captain Robert and Colonel William McCahill.

The award is given annually to a student-athlete who has achieved in athletics, scholarship, and service to the university.

Past recipients of the award include Olympic silver medalist John Bennett (1954), two-time NBA All-Star Don Kojis (1961), Naismith Award-winner Butch Lee (1978), and NCAA 10,000-meter run champion Keith Hanson (1986).

Allie Barber and Markus Howard earn Marquette's 74th McCahill Award

Players Mentioned

Markus Howard

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