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 group of honorees for the Fall, 2025 season from New Canaan, Ridgefield, St. Joseph, and Westhill:
Emily Pastushan – New Canaan
Emily is a senior captain of the girls’ swimming and diving team and has been on the High Honor Roll every semester while taking numerous AP and honors classes.
She is a member of the National Honor Society and has received the College Board’s School Recognition Award and AP Scholar with Distinction.
Emily has been recognized as a Connecticut Scholar-Athlete, and she earned both All-FCIAC Second Team and CIAC All-State selections during her junior year.
She swam very well in her own individual events and as a member of two relay teams while contributing many points to help lead New Canaan to a runner-up finish at the 2024 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class L Girls Swimming and Diving Championships.
Emily placed fifth in both the 500-yard freestyle (5:14.65) and 100 backstroke (59.53) at that Class L state championship meet and was a member of the 200 medley relay team which placed third (1:49.78) and the eighth-place 200 freestyle relay team (1:43.09).
She is a proud member of Ram Council and frequently volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club giving free swimming lessons.
Michael Hiraman – New Canaan
Mikey has been a three-year varsity player for a football program which has won the Class L state championship for all three years of his career.
Last year Mikey was selected to the 2024 FCIAC Football All-East Division Team.
He was elected co-captain as a senior for the 2025 New Canaan Rams who were ranked No. 1 in the preseason state media poll and had maintained that top ranking every week after they improved to 6-0 with their 14-7 victory over No. 2-ranked Greenwich on Oct. 24, 2025.
Academically, Mikey maintains a 101 GPA, he has earned the Seal of Biliteracy in Spanish, the National Merit Scholar Letter of Commendation, and he’s a member of the National Honor Society.
Mikey also co-founded the Christian Community Fellowship at New Canaan High School, he serves on the board of the Service League of Boys, works as a local volunteer EMT, and is a Teen Leader in the St. Aloysius Youth Ministry.
Mikey plans to play football for Amherst College.
Madeline McCartan – Ridgefield
Maddie has a weighted GPA of 4.86 while taking primarily AP and honors classes.
She has been on high honor roll every quarter of her high school career and is a member of the National Honor Society.
Maddie has been a part of the Ridgefield field hockey team for four years and is a captain in her senior year. During junior season last year, she was named a National Field Hockey Coaches Association High School Scholar of Distinction and was part of the NFHCA National Squad.
Beyond field hockey, she earned two varsity letters in basketball and has run outdoor track all three years.
Maddie is very involved in the athletic community of Ridgefield as a co-coach of the sixth-grade travel field hockey team in the fall and a house basketball team in the winter.
She also volunteers for Ridgefield Meals on Wheels and Ridgefield Visiting Nurses Association.
Liam Kristan – Ridgefield
This senior has played on the Ridgefield High School varsity boys’ lacrosse and boys’ soccer teams since his sophomore year.
In the classroom Liam has maintained high honors every quarter in high school and achieved a 4.4 weighted GPA consisting mostly of AP and honors level classes.
Liam was recently inducted into the National Honor Society.
This year he was selected as captain for the boys’ soccer team. This past spring season Liam contributed to the Ridgefield Tigers winning the championship at the FCIAC Boys Lacrosse Tournament for the first time in 16 years.
Off the field, for four years he has been a member of Lions Heart, which is a national non-profit volunteer program.
Additionally, Liam volunteers at Holland League which is a soccer program designed to meet the needs of children aged 5-18 years with physical and/or intellectual disabilities.
Liam has committed to playing Division III lacrosse as a student-athlete at Skidmore College.
Julia Nunes – St. Joseph
Julia is a senior at St. Joseph High School who has achieved a 4.0 GPA while taking a full schedule of AP and honors courses.
She is a member of the National Honor Society as well as the English and Spanish Honor Societies. She was honored with the University of Saint Joseph Book Award for her academic excellence.
Julia is the only captain of the girls’ varsity soccer team. She helped lead St. Joseph to back-to-back state and FCIAC championships during her freshman and sophomore years.
She was selected to the 2024 All-FCIAC Girls Soccer First Team one year after she made the All-FCIAC Second Team as a sophomore, and last year as a junior she also earned All-State kudos
Julia also co-led a community fundraiser called Goals for Goals, a crossbar challenge event that raised thousands of dollars for Operation Hope, supporting local families in need.
She is committed to continuing her academic and athletic career playing Division I soccer at the University of Richmond.
Michael Jones – St. Joseph
This senior has excelled in the classroom and out on the links as one of the best golfers in the state throughout his career as a student-athlete.
Michael has a 100.93 GPA while taking all honors and AP classes throughout his career at St. Joseph High School.
He is a member of the National English Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, and National Math Honor Society.
Michael has been a starter for St. Joseph’s boys’ golf team all four years and this year he was bestowed the honor of being the team’s captain.
He was selected to the All-FCIAC Boys Golf First Team after both the 2023 and ’24 fall seasons and he has made the All-State First Team after his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
Michael has committed to Wesleyan University to play golf and continue his academic career.
Angela Russell – Westhill
Angela has maintained a 4.7 GPA throughout her high school career while taking rigorous courses.
She was a recipient of the prestigious 2024 Mickey Lione Jr. Fund Youth Excellence Award Scholarship which is awarded to one sophomore girl and one sophomore boy from Westhill High School and Stamford High School every year.
This versatile athlete was selected to the 2024 All-FCIAC Girls Volleyball Third Team after she was previously All-FCIAC Honorable Mention. In the spring season she made the 2023 All-FCIAC Softball Second Team and has been an Honorable Mention.
Angela has been a dedicated captain in both sports. She was awarded the Ruden Report Player of the Week in September of this year.
Having a love of languages, Angela is the president of the Italian Honor Society at Westhill, and she has received the Seal of Biliteracy in Japanese. She has also been an active member of Westhill’s Agriscience Program for four years, serving as an officer during her junior year.
Angela volunteers for her community during her offseason tutoring at Beyond Limits Academics, an organization dedicated to equal access to educational resources.
She hopes to play club sports in college and plans on majoring in Environmental Engineering and minoring in Italian.
Nate Elsner – Westhill
Nate is a senior at the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering in Stamford who competes for the boys’ cross country and the boys track and field teams at Westhill High School in Stamford.
This National Honor Society member takes a rigorous course load of AP and honors classes.
As an athlete, Nate has excelled in his specialty of pole vaulting. He achieved his personal record when he cleared 14 feet to become a state pole vault champion at the 2025 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class LL Boys’ Outdoor Track and Field Championships this past June 2. Nine days earlier Nate vaulted his way onto the 2025 All-FCIAC Boys Outdoor Track and Field Team when he cleared 13 feet at the conference championship meet to place second.
He is actively involved in school initiatives, including physics club and Model UN club, and community service contributing meaningful time to helping others.
Nate plans to attend college to study aerospace engineering, where he hopes to combine his interests in science, technology, and athletics.