The FCIAC awards Exemplary Scholar-Athlete honors to players from its 16 member schools every season. Each week, the league will be announcing eight of those award winners, two each from four schools, with bios and photos on FCIAC.net.
Here is the third set of honorees for the Winter, 2025-26 season from Ridgefield, St. Joseph, Trumbull, and Westhill:
Kylie Lassow – Ridgefield
This National Honor Society member has achieved a 4.3 weighted GPA and has consistently been on the High Honor Roll throughout her time at RHS, primarily taking honors and AP classes.
Kylie has been on the varsity cheerleading team since her freshman year for both the fall and winter seasons. She served as captain for the fall and winter seasons in this 2025-26 school year.
Outside of athletics, Kylie serves as vice president of the National Charity League Ridgefield chapter, and she is a senator for Ridgefield High School’s Student Government.
Kylie also gives back to the Fairfield County community by organizing donation drives in support of Kids In Crisis, the organization located in Cos Cob which provides emergency shelter, crisis counseling, and community education programs for children of all ages and families facing crisis.
Carson Bloechle – Ridgefield
Carson is a senior at Ridgefield High School with an exceptional academic record, earning a 4.3 GPA and achieving High Honor Roll every semester throughout all four years at RHS while taking a rigorous course load of AP and honors classes.
He has been a varsity athlete for four years, competing in both ice hockey and track and field, and he serves as captain of the Ridgefield’s boys’ varsity ice hockey team.
Carson was one of the state’s best javelin throwers in boys’ outdoor track and field last spring. He earned All-FCIAC First Team and All-State kudos as the javelin champion at conference and state championship meets.
He threw the javelin 13 feet, 5 inches farther than the runner-up with his winning throw of 149 feet, 1 inch at the FCIAC Championships. Nine days later Carson improved by 11 and half feet further when his throw of 160-7 was 14 feet farther than the runner-up at the Class LL state championship meet, and then he placed third at the State Open (160-6).
Beyond his athletic and academic achievements, Carson is recognized for his leadership and commitment to service. He has participated in Unified Sports at Ridgefield High School and volunteers through Appalachian Service Project (ASP), spending a week each summer assisting families in need in Appalachia.
Francesca Pagano – St. Joseph
Francesca is a senior maintaining a GPA of 4.0 as a High Honor Roll student while taking all honors and AP classes.
She has been accepted into the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, and National Spanish Honor Society; and she received the Rochester Institute of Technology Social Sciences and Humanities Scholarship.
Francesca is captain of the girls’ cross country and basketball teams and also runs outdoor track in the spring. She earned her spot on the 2025 All-FCIAC Girls Cross Country Second Team during the fall season when she placed 22nd in the conference championship meet as St. Joseph’s second fastest runner with her time of 20:35 on the 3.1-mile course at Waveny Park in New Canaan.
She is president of the Feelings First Mental Health Awareness Club, vice president of the Women’s Studies Club, and secretary of the Writing Resource Center.
Francesca is a member of Peer Ministry who volunteered on a mission trip in West Virginia with the Appalachia Service Project. She has also been a counselor for local basketball camps for the past three summers.
Evan Balko – St. Joseph
Evan is a goalie for St. Joseph’s boys’ varsity ice hockey team, a student ambassador, and a member of Student Council.
He holds a 4.0 GPA while taking all AP and honors courses.
Evan also volunteers at The Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby.
He plans to attend college in the fall and is still deciding on both his school and his major.
Rachel O’Brien – Trumbull
Rachel is a senior co-captain of Trumbull’s girls’ indoor track and field team and has competed on the varsity level for three years.
She has achieved a 4.4 weighted GPA while taking mostly AP and honors classes and is a member of the National Honor Society, National English Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society.
Rachel is an Officer of the Interact Club at Trumbull High School.
She has been a manager for the varsity girls’ volleyball team for the past 4 years, and she’ll also be a co-captain for the girls’ outdoor track and field team this coming spring.
Rachel plans on studying Exercise Science and Kinesiology in college.
Sean Wilson – Trumbull
This superb basketball player has been accepted to the National Honor Society with a 4.1 weighted GPA. He is a High Honor Roll student while taking mostly AP and honors classes.
Sean has been a two-time co-captain for the Trumbull High School’s boys’ varsity basketball team, last season during his junior year and this season as a senior. Last year when the 6-foot-2 guard averaged 22 points, eight rebounds and 2.5 assists, he was the named the Player of the Year as one of seven players selected to the 2025 All-FCIAC Boys Basketball First Team, he was the only FCIAC player selected to the 12-player 2025 GametimeCT Boys Basketball All-State First Team, and he was also on the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Division II All-State Team.
This 2025-26 season Sean surpassed the 1,000-point milestone in career scoring in late January and still with plenty of games remaining to add to that.
Sean also volunteers for Special Olympics and helps with their events in all sports. He plans to do a postgraduate year at a prep school of his choice, and his decision will be coming soon.
Maggie Denninger – Westhill
Maggie is a senior captain of the indoor track and field team and has achieved a 4.2 GPA while taking rigorous academic courses.
Last year she ran the third leg on Westhill’s 4×100-meter relay team which broke a 40-year-old school record.
In addition to track, Maggie was a varsity defender on the girls’ soccer team, showing her dedication to athletics across seasons.
Following graduation, Maggie plans on pursuing a career in physical therapy, combining her love for sports and helping others.
Taren Geis – Westhill
This senior has been a member of the Westhill/Stamford boys swimming and diving cooperative program since his sophomore year and he has been a team captain during his junior and senior years.
Taren has qualified for the trials and then the finals each year at the FCIAC Boys Swimming and Diving Championships and at the state championship meets.
He is an AP student at the Academy of Information and Engineering in Stamford who has achieved a weighted GPA of 4.3 and received the Connecticut state Scholar Athlete Award.
Taren, who also is a member of the Stamford Sailfish Aquatic Club, has improved steadily throughout his career and he lowered his personal best time in the 50-yard freestyle to 23.71.
He gives back to his community tutoring students from his school and Turn of River Middle School in mathematics ranging from Algebra 2 to AP Calculus AB and being a volunteer swimming instructor for young children at the Yerwood Center in Stamford.
Taren is also a part of the Westhill High School Multicultural Club.