Mater Dei girls basketball player Katie Lou Samuelson and Mission Viejo softball player Taylor McQuillin were selected the national players of the year for their sport by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA).
McQuillin, the 2014 Gatorade national softball player of the year, led her school to a No. 1 ranking in the nation by MaxPreps for most of the year. During the 2015 season, McQuillin set a California record for wins with 103. She finished her senior year with a 30-1 record and a 0.31 ERA. She signed with Arizona.
Samuelson, the Register’s player of the year for three consecutive years, averaged just under 30 points a game. The 6-foot-4 senior also set a new school mark for 3-pointers made in a season (117). She signed with Connecticut.
