St. Elizabeth leads four Catholic schools into the 2026 Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament, which begins Tuesday with first-round action at eight locations. Padua, Archmere and Ursuline join the Vikings in pursuit of a state championship over the next few weeks.
The Vikings earned the third seed after a season that ended with a 16-3 record, with all three records coming at the hands of strong out-of-state competition. St. Elizabeth is a veteran squad, led outside by guard Za’Mylah Seda-Owens, who scored her 1,000th career point in January, and inside by Skylar Bolden. Makayla Sullivan adds stellar defense in the interior, and on offense she can hit from both inside and outside.
St. E’s played a challenging schedule against Delaware foes, with wins over top-eight seeds Padua (twice), Howard and Caravel. They also played tournament qualifiers Early College, Newark Charter and Archmere. The Vikings will host the winner of No. 19 Odessa-No. 14 Middletown on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. They have not seen either potential opponent this season.
Padua is the sixth seed, also earning a first-round bye. The Pandas’ record of 10-10 is deceiving, as they played one of the toughest schedules in Delaware and picked up many bonus points that got them into the top eight. They have multiple possible offensive weapons, including Kai Dwirantwi, Gianna Graham and Lily DiMarco.
The Pandas have a win over No. 7 Howard, two against Ursuline and others over Archmere and Wilmington Friends, all in the tourney. They have lost to top-eight seeds Cape Henlopen, Caravel and St. Elizabeth (twice). Padua will play the winner of No. 22 Sussex Tech-No. 11 Caesar Rodney at home on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. The Pandas did not play either the Ravens or Riders this season.
Archmere just missed a first-round bye, securing the ninth seed with a record of 15-5. Archmere’s leader is senior Bridget Malloy, who can score inside or out, and she is supported by sharpshooting guard Sara Boyer and forward Ellie DeLuca. Anaya Mungin runs the show on the court.
The Auks’ four in-state losses all came to teams seeded higher than them: St. Elizabeth, Padua, Howard and Caravel. They have defeated fellow playoff teams Odessa, Concord, Newark Charter, Ursuline and Friends. They also played their first-round opponent, Appoquinimink, earning a 51-40 win in West Middletown on Jan. 17. The Auks and Lady Jaguars will battle at Moglia Fieldhouse in Claymont on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. The winner travels to No. 2 Cape Henlopen on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
Finally, Ursuline is in the field as the 15th seed after a 10-9 season that included several tough games in and out of the First State. The Raiders rely on the play of freshman guard Amoree Anderson and senior forward Naiya Murphy, as well as some complementary pieces who have developed nicely as the season has progressed.
Ursuline’s big win this season came in early January against the second seed, Cape Henlopen. The Raiders also have victories over Friends and Delcastle, with losses at the hands of top seeds Sanford, Smyrna, Padua (twice), Caravel and Archmere. The Raiders are home on Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. against the 18th seed, Friends. The Raiders defeated the Quakers, 49-35, at the Chase Fieldhouse on Jan. 31. The winner of the rematch meets second-seeded Cape Henlopen on Feb. 26 at 6 p.m.
The quarterfinals are scheduled for Feb. 28 at Salesianum School in Wilmington and March 1 at Delaware State University in Dover, with sites and times to be determined. The semifinals are March 6 at 6 and 8 p.m., and the championship is March 8 at 1 p.m., with the final two rounds are at the Carpenter Center.
Tickets for games through the quarterfinals are available at www.gofan.co/app/school/DIAA.
