Newport Harbor Sailing Foundation: Sailor Stories
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Mater Dei Sailing at the 2026 Mallory National Championship
The Mater Dei Sailing Team was proud to represent our school at the 2026 ISSA Fleet Race National Championship (Mallory Trophy) held this past weekend on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, Louisiana. Competing against the top high school sailing programs in the nation, our sailors delivered an outstanding performance and proudly finished 3rd overall in the country.
Most importantly, we would like to extend a sincere thank you to NHSF whose fundraising contributions made this trip possible. Your generosity gave our student-athletes the opportunity to compete at the highest level of high school sailing and represent Mater Dei on a national stage.
Saturday’s racing began under sunny skies with a light northwest breeze that gradually faded throughout the day, creating extremely challenging conditions. Despite the difficult breeze and long delays ashore, our team remained focused and consistent, finishing Day 1 at the top of the leaderboard against an incredibly competitive field.
Sunday brought another test of patience as teams initially headed out to little to no wind before racing was temporarily postponed. Fortunately, the breeze eventually filled in and built throughout the day, allowing the race committee to complete a full schedule of races in excellent conditions.
The Mater Dei sailors battled hard all weekend, showing resilience, teamwork, and composure against the nation’s best programs. After two demanding days of racing, the Monarchs secured a podium finish with an impressive 3rd place overall at the National Championship.
We are incredibly proud of our sailors for the way they represented Mater Dei both on and off the water. Their sportsmanship, dedication, and perseverance were evident throughout the event.