HARTSDALE, NEW YORK (FEBRUARY 10, 2026)
In addition to hosting its first-ever Lower Hudson Valley South Division C Science Olympiad, Feb. 7, Maria Regina, the renowned all-girls Catholic high school in Hawthorne, New York, triumphed in the regional competition that attracted more than 500 young aspiring scientists from 15 high schools.
Maria Regina took home the honors as the top performing team from a Catholic high school and placed in the top 50% of all teams, alongside public high schools in the surrounding area.
In addition, Maria Regina captured two medals and placed in the top 10 in six additional events:
• Junior Fiona Kelly of Dobbs Ferry and sophomore Diamond Obegolu of Elmsford earned First Place in the Water Quality Lab event.
• Junior Leah Filippelli of Yonkers and freshman Mia Theiss of Hopewell Junction won Fourth Place in Entomology, known as the Bug Event.
• Junior Brooke Muto of Port Chester and freshman Mia Theiss of Hopewell Junction placed Ninth in the Astronomy Study Event.
• Juniors Lillian Hinsliff of Scarsdale and Fiona Kelly of Dobbs Ferry placed Ninth in the Chemistry Lab event.
• Seniors Anqi Lu of Queens and Rovena Preldakaj of the Bronx placed Ninth in the Circuit Lab event.
• Juniors Jillian Fox of Yonkers and Lillian Hinsliff of Scarsdale placed Ninth in the Designer Genes Study event.
• Sophomore Isabella Gonzalez of the Bronx placed Eighth in the Electric Vehicle Build event.
• Sophomore Vivian Salyer of the Bronx placed Eighth in the Helicopter Build event.
The Science Olympiad is the preeminent STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) competition in the U.S., known for its highly rigorous academic challenges and this was the time in more than 30 years that a high school within the Archdiocese of New York had served as host for this regional competition.
Principal Maria Carozza-McCaffrey (Class of ’99) said, “It is impossible to express the enormous pride we all feel for not only how our students stood out academically in this rigorous competition but the incredible hospitality and impact Maria Regina made as the host site on the visiting schools, especially the students who served as our ambassadors. It was so well-organized, thoughtfully planned and overall a whole lot of fun. So many individuals contributed to its success, especially Karen Lizzo, chair of the mathematics department and Reena Varma, chair of the science department whose tireless efforts, remarkable patience and dedication to the success of our students and this program made it such a hit.”
Carozza-McCaffrey noted that Maria Regina received immediate acclaim from the visiting schools and the honor of being named the host site for next year’s High School Division C Science Olympiad Regional Tournament, which will be held on Feb. 6.
A total of 26 teams, including 2 from Maria Regina, competed in collaborative events that showcase students’ critical thinking and creativity across a wide range of real-world applications in biology, chemistry, physics, earth science and mechanical engineering, among other disciplines.
The other high schools represented were Ardsley High School, Eastchester High School, Edgemont High School, Irvington High School, Nanuet High School, Pelham Memorial High School, Rye Country Day School, Rye Neck High School, Scarsdale High School, Stepinac High School, Tappan Zee High School, Tuckahoe High School, The Ursuline School and Yonkers High School.
Maria Regina’s competitors included:
Team 1:
● Leah Filippelli, Yonkers
● Jillian Fox, Yonkers
● Isabella Gonzalez, Bronx
● Lillian Hinsliff, Scarsdale
● Fiona Kelly, Dobbs Ferry
● Gabriella Meyo, Bronx
● Serafina Mistal, North Salem
● Brooke Muto, Port Chester
● Diamond-Flora Obegolu, Elmsford
● Mia Theiss, Hopewell Junction
● Kaitlyn Truong, Bronx
● Kiersten Wilantowicz, Hartsdale
Team 2:
● Adrianna Camacho, Yonkers
● Summer Ford, Yonkers
● Anqi Lu, Queens
● Vida Magalhaes, Yonkers
● Rovena Preldakaj, Bronx
● Alia Rabadi, Yonkers
● Vivian Salyer, Bronx
● Fiona Shabaj, Bronx
● Madalyn Vanbrakle, New Rochelle
Maria Regina High School is a Catholic school where young women are encouraged to achieve academic excellence, empowered to be compassionate leaders, and enriched with the Spirit to live a life of Charity, Truth and service to others
