Whatever you do, don't count out Mater Dei.
Although the Monarchs are a part of a loaded Division 3 this year, including St. Francis (SJ), Cathedral Catholic (SD), Yorba Linda (SS), Santa Margarita (SS), and Westlake (SS), they've also earned their spot as a contender in their impressive 2026 debut.
The Mater Dei girls opened their season at the Mountie Xpress Invitational, where they finished third overall in the merged results behind Yorba Linda and Westlake. They did all this after losing two top-5 scorers from their 12th-place CIF DIII team last season and adding new freshmen to the mix. Ultimately, the Monarchs' average from last season's Mountie Xpress Invitational improved by about 30 seconds, demonstrating that they were even better than last year.
-- Kara Sipiora winning the Sophomore Girls race at the PR City Invitational --
For starters, Kara Sipiora continues to establish herself as a reliable low-stick for the team. This spring, she dropped a minute from all her track times, setting personal records of 5:15 and 11:14. However, her greatest strength has always been the XC course, where she finished 39th overall at last year's state meet and won last week's Junior Girls - Small School race.
Sipiora is leading an impressive junior class, the backbone of this team, including Veronica Gomez, Annabelle Uy, and Caroline Martinez. Each of them was a member of last year's State team and showed significant improvement over last year's Montie Xpress performances.
The true X-factor this season is the addition of freshman Julieta Maldonado, who had one of the best high school debuts in the Southern Section last week. Maldonado ran the 4th-fastest freshman time at the meet and the 17th-fastest overall. She's already a few seconds off Kara Sipiora's impressive sophomore-year times, and if this progress continues, she will help elevate this team into title contention.
Comparing Mater Dei's Varsity: 2025 to 2026| 2025 Mountie Xpress | 2026 Mountie Xpress |
|---|
| Abigail Feldman (12) - 12:16.9 | Kara Sipiora (11) - 12:15.30 |
| Kara Sipiora (10) - 12:25.2 | Veronica Gomez (11) - 12:30.60 |
| Veronica Gomez (10) - 13:10.0 | Julieta Maldonado (9) - 12:31.70 |
| Alyssa Sipiora (12) - 13:19.7 | Annabelle Uy (11) - 12:59.70 |
| Caroline Martinez (10) - 13:45.9 | Caroline Martinez (11) - 13:04.90 |
| Madison Juarez (11) - 14:07.2 | Danielle Mello (10) - 13:17.70 |
| Chase Roldan (9) - 14:14.0 | Emma Roberts (9) - 13:19.10 |
Although it is just the start of the season, Mater Dei is a Division 3 team you can't take lightly in the CIF Southern Section or statewide. The Monarchs don't just have the potential for an incredible 2026 but also for a remarkable 2027, with no seniors on their varsity squad.
Whatever you do, don't count out Mater Dei.
Although the Monarchs are a part of a loaded Division 3 this year, including St. Francis (SJ), Cathedral Catholic (SD), Yorba Linda (SS), Santa Margarita (SS), and Westlake (SS), they've also earned their spot as a contender in their impressive 2026 debut.