Seniors Cassidy Miller and Hannah Meyer have meant so much to the San Marcos girls water polo program.
Their talent, work ethic and leadership helped the Royals compete and win at the highest level of high school water polo in the country. They were CIF-SS Division 1 runners-up in 2017, champions in 2018, sixth-place finishers in 2019 and fourth this past season.
Both team captains, Miller and Meyer earned All-CIF first-team honors this season, achieved grade point averages above 4.0 and signed to continue their careers at NCAA Division 1 powerhouse programs. Miller is headed to UCLA and Meyer is going to USC.
The Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table is honoring Miller and Meyer as the High School Girls Water Polo Players of the Year.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Marcos teammates and the other high school and college athletes of the year for fall and winter sports are being awarded in a virtual format. The presentations are being done on the Round Table’s social media platforms of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook and on the Noozhawk.com Sports Page.
There are no awards being presented for springs sports because the season was cut short by the coronavirus outbreak.
Miller was the leading scorer for the Channel League-champion Royals, firing in more than 80 goals during a 22-8 season.
“Arguably our best offensive player and all-around perimeter defender,” said Coach Chuckie Roth. “She is easily one of the top-10 high school players in the country.”
Roth called Miller a great team leader and role model. She carries a 4.6 grade point average.
“She has an incredible inner drive that has helped her get to where she is,” he said. “She comes to practice excited and present to learn each day. She works incredibly hard and never needs to be reminded of the little things. Her offense abilities improved dramatically over the four years, while her one-on-one defense is some of the best in the country.”
When it came to shutting down an opponent, no one was better than Meyer. Her defense was key to the Royals winning the CIF title in 2018.
“She is arguably the best center defender in the country,” said Roth. “She was scored on less than 20 times in the past three seasons. She is a huge part of why we are as good as we are.
“Without Hannah, our team would be much different.”
Meyer is also a standout in the classroom, attaining a 4.2 GPA.
“She is an incredible leader and role model in our program,” said Roth. “She will do anything for the program or a team member. She has left a great legacy and impacted countless underclassmen.”
Miller and Meyer also excelled for the San Marcos girls swim team.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
Hop Studios
You must be logged in to post a comment.