Jan. 18, 2017
By Leigh Torbin
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — For the sixth consecutive year, the Notre Dame women’s basketball program is congratulating one of its signees for their selection to the prestigious McDonald’s All-American teams as Danielle Patterson (Brooklyn, New York / The Mary Louis Academy) is the latest future Irish student-athlete to earn this distinction.
Patterson will be one of eight McDonald’s All-Americans on next year’s roster, matching a school record set this season as Patterson would replace the graduating Lindsay Allen (2013) on this honored roll. Patterson will join McDoanld’s All-America Game alumni Erin Boley (2016), Marina Mabrey (2015), Arike Ogunbowale (2015), Ali Patberg (2015), Brianna Turner (2014), Kathryn Westbeld (2014) and Jackie Young (2016) on the 2017-18 Notre Dame team.
Notre Dame’s other signee for next year, Mikayla Vaughn, is playing for the top team in the nation as her Paul VI High School is Fairfax, Virginia sits as the No. 1 team in the nation in the espnW, USA Today and MaxPreps polls. Vaughn was a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American team for her leading role in helping the Panthers to a current run of 34 consecutive wins.
Patterson, who averages 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game this season, becomes the 18th McDonald’s All-American to join the Irish since the boys program was extended to include girls in 2002.
Notre Dame McDonald’s All-American Girls
2002 Courtney LaVere
2003 Crystal Erwin
2005 Lindsay Schrader
2007 Devereaux Peters
2009 Skylar Diggins
2010 Kayla McBride
2012 Jewell Loyd, Michaela Mabrey
2013 Lindsay Allen, Taya Reimer
2014 Brianna Turner, Kathryn Westbeld
2015 Marina Mabrey, Arike Ogunbowale, Ali Patberg
2016 Erin Boley, Jackie Young
2017 Danielle Patterson
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Leigh Torbin, athletics communications associate director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2013 and coordinates all media efforts for Notre Dame’s women’s basketball and men’s golf teams. A native of Framingham, Massachusetts, Torbin graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. He has previously worked full-time on the athletic communications staffs at Vanderbilt, Florida, Connecticut and UCF.