Seton Catholic girls basketball coach Kayla Refner has been named the national High School Assistant Coach of the Year by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, according to a news release.

Refner has been an integral part of the highly successful Sentinel girls basketball program for years, the release states, as a star Sentinel player, college student-athlete and as a Seton coach.

“Kayla pours everything she can into our girls through her immense knowledge of the game alongside the love and caring she provides to our players,” Seton head coach Karen Self said in the release. “She is incredibly deserving of this award and I’m so excited for her impact to be recognized on a national level. Having coached Kayla in high school and now working side-by-side with her is a true honor for me as a coach.”

Refner has been a part of the coaching staff at Seton under Self since the 2018-19 season, helping coach the Sentinels to state titles in 2020 and 2021.

She was also scheduled to be a part of the 2020 McDonald’s All-American game coaching staff.

Prior to her coaching career, Refner, who then went by the last name Bustos, was a 4-year varsity starter for the Sentinels, leading the team to consecutive state titles in 2010 and 2011.

She was a multiple-season All-Region and All-State athlete and still holds a handful of Seton program records. After graduation, she played at Concordia University in Oregon.

Refner was set to be honored by the WBCA, along with all of the other recipients, at its annual convention the weekend of April 4-6 in Tampa, Florida.

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