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 fourth and final set of honorees for the Winter, 2025-26 season from Greenwich, Fairfield Ludlowe, Staples and Wilton:
Sadie Trager – Greenwich
This senior captain of the cheerleading team has balanced her athletic commitments while prioritizing academics and was recognized as an AP Scholar with Distinction.
Sadie has been a member of the varsity cheerleading team for four years and she played a vital role as a member of the 2025 Triple Crown winning championship team which won FCIAC and state titles as well as a New England Regionals championship – a first for Greenwich High School.
She is an active volunteer with the Greenwich Youth Cheerleading League, serving as a junior coach for the Generals and GYCL United.
Sadie is a proud member of the National Honor Society, the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, the National English Honor Society, and the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society.
Sadie will be attending the University of Georgia in the fall. Go Dawgs!
Mason Jones – Greenwich
Mason has been accepted to the National Honor Society and maintained a 4.5 weighted GPA in mostly AP and honors classes.
He was also named an English Distinguished Scholar and a member of the Rho Kappa Social Studies Honors Society.
Mason is a captain and two-year member of the varsity basketball team, and he will be attending Wake Forest University in the Fall.
Lauren Santa Barbara – Fairfield Ludlowe
This National Honor Society member is a two-sport athlete who has maintained a weighted GPA of 4.4 during her senior year.
Lauren has been a member of both the girls’ basketball team and softball team. She is a senior co-captain for the softball team this year who was a very good two-way player in her previous two years. Last year Lauren was selected to the 2025 All-FCIAC Softball First Team.
That occurred one year after her sophomore season when Lauren was the starting third baseman who helped the 2024 Fairfield Ludlowe Falcons win their fourth consecutive FCIAC championship shortly before they won their second straight Class LL state championship.
Lauren has been elected class secretary of her Class of 2026 for three consecutive years and volunteers through Key Club. She was also a recipient of the Boston College Book Award.
Max Saunders – Fairfield Ludlowe
Max, who has been accepted to the National Honor Society and Math Honor Society, has achieved an unweighted GPA of 3.88 and is a High Honor Scholar while taking mostly AP and Honors classes.
He was captain of both the football and wrestling teams as a senior, having been with both programs all four years, and he is entering his third year of rugby.
Max was in Ludlowe’s starting lineup in his 165-pound weight class at the 2026 FCIAC Wrestling Championships. He had a successful tournament when he wrestled very well in the consolation wrestlebacks, culminating with him registering a fall at 3:44 to end the match which secured him fifth place.
Max was a recipient of the St. Lawrence Book Award, he is the Sentinel for his local FFA chapter, and he volunteers for the SASO and Unified Water Study programs.
Freya Harvey – Staples
Freya is a senior captain of the girls’ basketball team who has been a consistent leader and contributor throughout her high school as a member of the varsity program since her freshman year.
Last year she was selected to the 2024-25 All-FCIAC Girls Basketball Third Team.
Freya began her high school career on a successful note in her first season as a student-athlete, the fall of 2022, when she was a member of the Staples girls’ soccer team which won the Class LL state championship with a 4-1 victory over Cheshire.
Academically, Freya has challenged herself with a rigorous course load and will have completed seven AP courses by the end of her senior year.
She plans to pursue a degree in engineering following graduation from Staples High School and is committed to continuing her academic and athletic growth at the next level.
Nolan Francis – Staples
Nolan has been captain of the boys’ swimming and diving team for two seasons, earning the distinction of being the first junior captain in team history.
He received Staples’s inaugural Junior Leadership Award, was the team’s MVP last year, he earned All-FCIAC honors, competed at the State Open, and has been ranked among the top 10 in Connecticut in the 18-and-the 1,650 freestyle.
Nolan is a member of the National Honor Society, Vice President of the Science National Honor Society, co-founder of Staples’s chapter of the National English Honor Society, and part of the leadership board for the STEM Journal Club.
He conducts science research at Staples and Yale University, co-authoring publications in Pediatric Dermatology and the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. He is also a Regeneron Science Talent Search scholar for his research into Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
Nolan volunteers at Norwalk Hospital’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab, serves as a counselor at Camp Discovery for children with severe medical conditions, and coaches Special Olympics swimming.
Last summer Nolan organized a fundraising open-water swim at Lake Quassapaug, raising $3,000 for the Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types, and he placed first in the 5-mile category in his men’s 16-19 division.
Arushi Patel – Wilton
Arushi achieved a 3.97 unweighted GPA Honors and AP classes, earning High Honor Roll and AP Scholar with Distinction.
She is a member of the National, Spanish (secretary), and Tri-M Music (vice president) honor societies.
Arushi has been a distance runner for Wilton’s girls’ indoor and outdoor track and field teams for six seasons, and this season she lowered indoor mile time by more than 45 seconds.
She is vice president and Woodwind Captain of Wilton’s Marching Band, which won the state championship this past season and she volunteers at a monthly recycling drive to raise around $1K monthly for program support.
As president of Wilton’s HOSA chapter, Arushi has organized service projects with St. Vincent’s Breast Center. She also volunteers as a piano teacher for Roots of Music, Wilton’s student-led free summer camp, and has donated handcrafted needlework to multiple charitable organizations.
Sam Jacobson – Wilton
Sam is a High Honor Roll student who has achieved a 3.9 GPA while taking a variety of honors and dual enrollment courses. He is a member of the Spanish Honor Society and has earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
A four-year varsity member of the boys’ swimming and diving team, Sam is serving as captain this season. He has qualified for State Opens each year and earned All-FCIAC Second Team honors as a junior.
Sam has medaled in multiple relays and the 100 Breaststroke at both FCIAC and the state championship meets. This winter, he helped lead the Warriors to an 8–1 record, the program’s best finish since 2003.
He has been involved in Key Club since his freshman year and currently serves on the executive board. Sam is also a member of the Service League of Boys, volunteers through his church, and founded the Sharks and Minnows Annual Swim Event at the Wilton YMCA.
Sam plans to attend Brigham Young University in the fall of 2028 after serving a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.