Six water polo girls make U.S. national team cut

Six Newport Beach girls have been named to the USA Water Polo youth and cadet national teams following selection camps held over Memorial Day weekend.

Newport Harbor High senior Maddy McLaren and Corona del Mar junior Cassidy Papa were among 29 players selected to the U.S. Youth (18-and-under) National Team.

Newport Harbor freshmen Chanel Schilling and goalie Carlee Kapana, Corona del Mar eighth-grader Maddie Musselman and Mater Dei sophomore Brianna Daboub were among 30 players selected to the U.S. Cadet (16-and-under) National Team.

The youth national team selection camp was held at Golden West Colllege, and the cadet national team selection camp was held at Long Beach State.

McLaren, a defender bound for UCLA, and Papa both went to Hungary with the youth national team last summer. McLaren was the Daily Pilot Newport-Mesa Player of the Year as a senior at Harbor after leading the Sailors to their fifth CIF Southern Section Division 1 title. The Sunset League co-Player of the Year, a first-team All-CIF Division 1 selection, led the Sailors with 72 goals.

Papa, also a two-time Dream Team honoree, was first-team All-Pacific Coast League and second-team All-CIF. The driver tied for the CdM team lead with 81 goals.

The youth national team will train throughout the summer and send teams to compete in Hungary in July, to the UANA 19U Championships in Montreal in August and the FINA 18U World Championships in Australia in December.

Kapana has experience on the cadet national team. Last August, she was one of two goalies as the Team USA girls claimed silver at the Youth Pan American Championships in Puerto Rico.

The cadet national team will have a training camp in July with the Canadian National Team and other international teams.

—From staff reports