BAILEY THOMAS BECOMES FIRST UNLV LADY REBEL TO BE NAMED SENIOR CLASS AWARD CANDIDATE
Senior guard is one of two nominees from the Mountain West Conference
@UNLVLadyRebels on Twitter | Senior CLASS Award Official Release
UNLV Lady Rebels senior guard Bailey Thomas has been selected as one of 30 candidates for the 2020-21 Senior CLASS Award, it was announced Monday. Thomas becomes the first player in program history to be selected as a candidate for the prestigious award, which is given to the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball student-athlete who excel both on and off the court.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
Thomas, a native of Las Vegas, is in her third year as a starter for the Lady Rebels, is having the best year of her career for UNLV as she is averaging over 10 points a game while ranking in the top 10 in the Mountain West in assists, steals and is among the nation’s leaders in total minutes per game. One of the top defensive players in the Mountain West, she is the only Lady Rebel to be named All-MW Defensive twice while she was also selected 2019-20 MW Defensive Player of the Year.
She also excels in the classroom, receiving her undergraduate degree in just three years with a 3.92 GPA, and currently has a 4.0 GPA in graduate school where she is scheduled to earn her master’s of accounting degree after just one year. Thomas has been a leader both on and off the court as well, serving as team captain and the team’s SAAC representative the past three years while also setting an example with her countless community service efforts over her time at UNLV.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The men’s and women’s candidates will be narrowed to two fields of ten finalists in late February, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will then select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C’s of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2021 NCAA Men’s Final Four and NCAA Women’s Final Four this spring.