HERMOSA BEACH, CA - After a perfect summer on the sand with 10 titles in 10 events, standout beach talent Mateo Fuerbringer (Hermosa Beach, CA) is the consensus choice as the 2024 AAU Beach Volleyball National Player Of The Year.
Now 15, the 6-4 Fuerbringer’s summer of dominance in 2023 was punctuated by an unprecedented double at the AAU Nationals in Hermosa Beach. At the same event, Fuerbringer won his own age group (U14) teamed with Elogious Holder, then played up to win the U16 crown with Joaquin Jones. “It meant a lot. I put in a lot of work over the years practicing and playing volleyball. This award is pretty cool.” Fuerbringer also praised his hometown and its famed beach courts. “It’s the best beach there is. I love living down here.” Fuerbringer hails from quite the credentialed volleyball family:
Dad - Matt Fuerbringer. Four-time All-American and NCAA champion at Stanford. Professional beach and indoor player. Currently an assistant on the U.S. Men’s National Team, bronze medal in the 2024 Olympics.
Mom - Joy McKenzie Fuerbringer. All-American and NCAA champion at Long Beach State. Won another NCAA crown as an assistant coach at UCLA. She was the head coach at her alma mater from 2017-2021. Currently owner and director of club program Mizuno Long Beach.
Sister - Charlie Fuerbringer. Led Mira Costa HS (Manhattan Beach, CA) to state title and won Gatorade state Player of the Year. Will study/play at the University of Wisconsin starting in Fall 2024.
First issued in 2000, Fuerbringer joins a select group of awardees. Among them, 2006 winner Maddison McKibbin (Honolulu, HI) was an NCAA finalist at USC and currently plays the AVP Tour. 2007 honoree Taylor Sander (Norco, CA) was a 4-time All-American at BYU and won an Olympic Bronze Medal with Team USA. 2010 recipient Sara Hughes (Costa Mesa, CA) won the first-ever NCAA Beach Championship at USC and will represent Team USA in the Paris Olympic Games. 2015’s Kathryn Plummer (Aliso Viejo, CA) was a 2-time national player of the year at Stanford, leading them to three NCAA crowns. Plummer later won the AAU James E. Sullivan award as the best Olympic/Collegiate athlete in the U.S., and heads to the Paris Olympic Games as part of Team USA.The Amateur Athletic Union, founded in 1888, has a rich history in the development of sports in the United States and the Olympic movement. The AAU first licensed Beach Volleyball in 1957 in Manhattan Beach. The AAU Beach program, founded in 1994, launched a boom in junior programming for beach volleyball athletes.
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