Sister Act: From Dominican to Division 1

career at Dominican.They helped the girls basketball team to three regional titles, a conference title, and an appearance at the WIAA girls basketball state tournament. On the track, both Makari and Makaiyah qualified for the state meet three times and are part of the 4x100 meter relay that owns the school and conference record. They also were the top two runners on the Dominican girls cross country team as seniors.

Makari ’23 and Makaiyah ’23 Cornelius have been joined at the hip since they were born. The twins play the same sports, they like the same kind of music, and they both want to pursue a career in architecture.

Not much will change for the two recent Dominican High School graduates, as they’ll both be studying and competing in track & field at Alabama A&M University for the next four years.

“Committing to a Division 1 school has always been our goal,” Makari said. “Alabama A&M is a great program. We fit in with the team culture. The facilities are nice. They have everything that we need to compete against the best in the country.”

Makari and Makaiyah leave behind a successful athletic

“I have grown so much as an athlete because of my time at Dominican,” Makaiyah said. “You get a chance to be part of a team the moment you step foot in the school. It really helps that we got a chance to compete at the varsity level as freshman. That experience is so valuable. The growing pains made us stronger and more confident. That will be so important for us at the next level.”

It wasn’t always a foregone conclusion that Makari and Makaiyah were a package deal. They spoke to different schools and had conversations about going their separate ways. Ultimately, the chance to stay together and finish what they started was too hard to pass up.

“I wanted to run with Makaiyah during our collegiate career.” Makari said. “Having that support system makes it easier to move far from home and chase our dreams.”

“Not only is she my sister, she is my best friend,” Makaiyah said. “It’s very special and we are grateful for the opportunity. It’s a new journey and I’m happy we are doing this together.”

Conference & Regional Champs

The Dominican girls basketball team had a season to remember, finishing the year with a 23-3 record and clinching a share of the team’s first conference title since 2012. Dominican also won the regional championship for the third year in a row. The Knights were ranked number one in the state in Division 3 for three weeks. Alicia Burgos ’23 and Keona McGee ’24 reached 1,000 career points during the season. Congratulations on a great year!