The FCIAC awards Exemplary Scholar-Athlete honors to athletes from its 16 member schools every season. Each week, the league will be announcing several of those award winners with bios and photos on FCIAC.net.
Here are the third weekly honorees for the Spring, 2024-25 season from Fairfield Ludlowe, Greenwich, St. Joseph and Trumbull.
Ellery Walker – Fairfield Ludlowe
This senior is a High Honors Scholar who holds a 4.60 weighted GPA while taking AP and honors classes. Ellery is an AP Scholar with Distinction and has earned her Seal of Biliteracy.
Ellery is a vice president of the English National Honor Society and a member of the National Honor Society as well as the Math, Science, Spanish, and History national honor societies. She has also received the University of Saint Joseph Book Award.
Ellery plays number one doubles and is co-captain of the girls’ varsity tennis team, where she earned the 2024 Coach’s Award and finished the 2024 season with a 16-1 record. She also plays field hockey during the fall season.
Additionally, Ellery actively participates in service and is a recipient of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. She is an intern for ALS United Connecticut, a mentor and tennis instructor for student-athletes with First Serve Bridgeport, and a volunteer for the Appalachia Service Project.
Ellery will attend Boston College in the fall, majoring in Neuroscience on a Pre-Med track.
Jacob Cohen – Fairfield Ludlowe
This senior has a 4.5 weighted GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. He is the recipient of the Fairfield Rotary Club Senior Award for Exceptional Academic Achievement and the RIT Computing Award.
Jacob has been a varsity player for the Fairfield Ludlowe lacrosse team since his freshman year and has served as a captain for the past two years. He was selected to the All-FCIAC Lacrosse Tier Two First Team as a sophomore and a junior. Jacob also played on the boys’ varsity soccer team for two years.
He is President of the Finance Club at Fairfield Ludlowe, Vice President of the National English Honor Society, and works as a lifeguard at the YMCA.
Jacob will play lacrosse and study economics and computer science as a student-athlete at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.
Cameron Clark – Greenwich
Cameron is a High Honors student with a 5.0 weighted GPA, earned through a schedule of AP and honors coursework.
She has received academic awards in Algebra II, Precalculus, and U.S. Government, and is recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction.
Cameron is captain of the softball team and a member of the volleyball team. Last spring as a junior she was selected to the 2024 All-FCIAC Softball Second Team and during this past fall season she was named to the 2024 All-FCIAC Volleyball Third Team as a senior.
Cameron will attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in the fall.
Thomas Donovan – Greenwich
Thomas has a weighted 4.86 GPA, he’s been a varsity member of Greenwich High School’s boys’ indoor track and field team and outdoor track and field team since his freshman year, and he is a captain of the track team.
He made the 2023 All-FCIAC Boys Outdoor Track and Field First Team, the 2024 All-FCIAC Boys Indoor Track and Field First Team, he has also made All-FCIAC Second Team, and has helped secure his Cardinals three team championships.
In school, Thomas is a member of the National Honor Society, the GHS Jazz Ensemble, and has been volunteering at the Seaside Center, Greenwich Green and Clean, and the Don Bosco Center since freshman year.
Next year, Thomas will continue his academic and athletic pursuits at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Samantha Post – St. Joseph
Samantha is part of the National Honor Society, Tri-M Members, and has been consistently part of the Principal’s Honor Roll throughout her four years at St. Joseph High School.
She has maintained a 3.7 GPA while taking AP and honors classes. Samantha has been a captain of St. Joseph’s girls’ indoor track and field team and outdoor track and field team since her junior year
Samantha expects to continue her education and track and field career at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island.
Brandon Rovinelli – St. Joseph
Brandon has a 4.0 GPA and he’s a hard throwing righthander who has been a starting pitcher for St. Joseph’s varsity baseball team all four years.
During those four years he has been a captain his junior and senior year and a key contributor toward helping lead the Cadets to two deep runs and state tournaments.
St. Joseph’s 21st-seeded Cadets defeated three higher-seeded teams to advance to the semifinals of the 2024 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class M Baseball Tournament last spring, one year after St. Joseph previously advanced to the state Class M semifinals in 2023.
Brandon has committed to playing baseball and studying economics at Columbia University.
Jiya Abbi-Malhotra – Trumbull
Jiya is a well-rounded student who has excelled in the classroom and as a leader both on and off the court. She is a captain of the varsity girls’ tennis team this year and has demonstrated a strong commitment to growth, leadership, and service that extends far beyond athletics.
Jiya holds a weighted GPA of 5.416 and is a National Merit Commended Student, as well as the recipient of the Columbia University Book Award. Jiya is a member of six honor societies at Trumbull High School and serves as an officer of the Math National Honor Society. She also leads as President of the Model Congress team.
Additionally, Jiya volunteers for various community organizations. She is a student representative for the Board of Education, director of northeastern operations for Trumbull Tutoring, and as a youth volunteer with Hindi USA, where she mentors younger students.
Jiya will attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where she plans to major in Mathematics and Government.
Aryan Gautam – Trumbull
Aryan has achieved a 4.0 GPA and is a High Honor Roll student while taking AP, UConn ECE, University of Bridgeport, and honors classes.
He has been accepted to the National Honor Society and Student Government Board, and he’s versatile athlete who has achieved all-conference postseason honors in golf and volleyball.
Aryan shot an even-par 71 at Woodway Country Club in Darien to win the 2023 Hap Holahan Golf Tournament by one stroke when he was a junior. He helped Trumbull win the FCIAC championship with a one-stroke victory over Greenwich this past fall and was selected to the 2024 FCIAC All-West Boys Golf Team.
Aryan made the 2024 All-FCIAC Boys Volleyball Second Team last spring while helping the Eagles finish 19-4 and advance to the finals at the FCIAC and state Class L postseason tournaments.
He will be attending the University of Rhode Island studying Computer Engineering.