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 group of honorees for the Fall, 2025 season, from Bridgeport Central, Greenwich, Staples and Wilton:
Kayce Ochoa – Bridgeport Central
This senior has achieved a 4.0 GPA and has been a member of the track and field program for three years and the girls’ cross country team for two years.
Kayce has excelled in both indoor and outdoor track and field, as well as cross country, where she has competed in the FCIAC and state championship meets for two years.
This year, Kayce and the Bridgeport Central girls’ cross country team won the Bridgeport city championship.
She is an active member of the National Honor Society and has consistently pursued AP and honors courses throughout her high school career.
Kayce has volunteered for American Red Cross blood drives and Strides Against Cancer fundraiser events.
Kelsey Ochoa – Bridgeport Central
Kelsey is a dedicated student athlete with a strong academic performance, obtaining a 3.8 GPA while balancing several extracurricular activities.
Her commitment to sports is shown through her three years of running for both the indoor and outdoor track and field teams, and two years for cross country.
She contributed to her team’s success by helping the Hilltoppers place first as a team at the Bridgeport city championship meet and she has also run in the FCIAC Girls Cross Country Championships.
Academically, Kelsey has challenged herself by taking honors and AP courses throughout high school and she is a member of the National Honor Society, showing her overall commitment and persistence to both academics and athletics.
Eliana Daplyn – Greenwich
Eliana has earned a weighted 5.0 GPA while taking a rigorous schedule of AP and honors classes.
She is a member of the National, Math, and Social Studies honor societies and has been named a Nike All-American, All-New England, and All-State runner.
Eliana is a senior captain of the cross country, indoor, and outdoor track and field teams, and has helped lead her teams to multiple FCIAC, state, and New England championships, including titles in the 4×800-meter relays.
This past fall Eliana placed very high in both meets to help lead the Cardinals to second place in the FCIAC and Class LL state championship meets. She ran herself onto the 2025 All-FCIAC Girls Cross Country First Team when she placed eighth in conference championship meet. Ten days later Eliana became an all-state runner when she placed seventh at the Class LL meet.
Eliana leads Bible studies through the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and volunteers annually with the Appalachia Service Project, repairing homes and building relationships in rural communities.
She plans to run in college and study economics.
Ben Hayes – Greenwich
Benjamin has been accepted into the National Honor Society and is a High Honor Roll student with a weighted GPA of 4.7 out of 4.
He is a three-season captain of the Greenwich cross country team as well as the indoor and outdoor track and field teams. This fall he helped lead the Cardinals to FCIAC and state championships.
Benjamin helped Greenwich win the FCIAC title for the first time since 1976 when he placed 11th at the 2025 FCIAC Boys Cross Country Championships. In doing so, Benjamin made the All-FCIAC Boys Cross Country First Team as the top 15 runners earned that distinction.
The senior captain then contributed to Greenwich winning the Class LL state title when he placed eighth at the Class LL state championship meet and earned All-State kudos. Benjamin has also been an All-FCIAC and All-State runner in track.
He is a volunteer tutor at his school for Science and Math, and is a part of his school’s Science, Math, Social Studies, and English honor societies. Benjamin is also a national merit commended scholar.
Sarah Bogdan – Staples
Sarah is a three-season distance runner for the Staples cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams who has achieved a 3.7 GPA while taking a rigorous load of AP and honors courses.
She is a senior captain for both the cross country and track programs after having been a junior track captain.
Sarah was runner-up at the 2025 FCIAC Cross Country Championships to earn her selection onto the All-FCIAC Girls Cross First Team for the second straight year and she is also an All-State runner. As a sophomore she made the All-FCIAC Girls Cross Country Second Team.
She has earned All-State selections in both cross country and track during her junior and senior seasons, and last spring she made All-New England in outdoor track.
Sarah enjoys volunteering through being a member of SLOGs (Service League of Girls), as well as participation in Person to Person.
Brendan Allen – Staples
This senior with a weighted GPA of 3.6 has been a member of the Staples boys’ varsity soccer team for three years following his freshman season.
Brendan scored a goal in the championship game of the 2025 FCIAC Boys Soccer Tournament when the Wreckers defeated Greenwich, 3-2, to win the school’s first FCIAC championship in 15 years and increase its conference record to 28 overall FCIAC titles.
Four days earlier Brendan scored the game’s only goal in the 27th minute of a 1-0 victory over Stamford in the FCIAC tournament semifinals.
In addition to his commitment to Staples soccer and an ECNL team, Brendan is an active member of the Service League of Boys (SLOBs), the Italian Club, and he volunteers with his Greens Farms Congregational church.
He has committed to the University of Scranton, where he’ll be a student-athlete playing soccer for the Royals next year.
Emma Roos – Wilton
This senior has achieved an unweighted GPA of 4.0 while taking a full schedule of AP, UCONN, and Honors level classes. She is a member of the Spanish Honor Society and has earned her Seal of Biliteracy.
Emma was a recipient of the Princeton Book Award, the College Board’s School Recognition Award, and was named an AP Scholar with Distinction.
She has been a varsity field hockey player for the past three years. Emma also has been part of the varsity softball team for four years and will be serving as a captain during her senior year.
During her off season, she coaches younger players in both field hockey and softball.
Emma is involved with her school and volunteers for her community. She is president and co-founder of Wilton Loves, a group that promotes kindness and respect throughout the community. She is also a Student Ambassador for Filling in the Blanks, an organization that provides people in need with meals. Additionally, Emma is also vice president of the school’s Key Club.
Emma hopes to play club sports in college and plans on majoring in Business and Biology.
Curtis Jackson – Wilton
This senior is a High Honor Roll student who has achieved a 3.95 GPA while taking a variety of AP, Dual Enrollment, and honors courses.
Curtis has been accepted to both the National Honor Society and Spanish Honor Society.
He is a captain for the football and boys’ basketball teams for the Warriors.
Last year Curtis was picked to the 2024 All-FCIAC East Division Football Team. Two years ago, he was a sophomore starter and key contributor who helped the Warriors advance to the 2023 CIAC Class MM Football Tournament championship game and they finished the season with a 10-3 overall record.
Curtis is actively engaged in the community, acting as a manager for the flag football program in Wilton. In high school, he serves as president of Fitness for Freedom, a veteran outreach initiative, and volunteers with SafeRides Wilton.