Over the last five years, girls wrestling has continued to gain popularity in San Diego County.
With more high schools now adding and offering the sport this winter, CIF San Diego has needed to expand.
As such, for the 2025-2026 season, CIF created the San Diego Section’s Division 4 — marking the second consecutive year of expansion for girls wrestling.
Mater Dei Catholic hoisted the inaugural Division 4 title on Saturday. The Crusaders finished with 112 points, ahead of host Valley Center (96 points) and Crawford (94 points).
For Mater Dei Catholic, Saturday’s win serves as an exclamation mark on what has been a season of notable growth for the program.
The Crusaders ended the regular season by finishing fourth overall at the Metro Conference tournament, and saw Kaila Strother claim the program’s first-ever individual conference title in school history.
Along with Strother, Mater Dei was powered this season by Kailani Topasna, Lyla Ibarra, and Beatriz Rockholt for the majority of the year.