From left, Canton’s Nicholas Leadbetter, Newtown’s Marc Maurath, Avon’s Aki Bhabad, Lyman Memorial’s James Hiltz and Berlin’s Nicholas Ebrahimi. (Photo courtesy Tom Maurath)
Scholar athletes from across Connecticut, including five from high school wrestling teams, were recognized at the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC)’s 42nd annual Scholar Athlete awards banquet on Sunday at the Aqua Turf in Southington.
The Scholar Athlete program recognizes two high school seniors from each member school whose academic and athletic careers have been exemplary, whose personal standards and achievements are models to others and who possess high levels of integrity, self discipline and courage.
The honorees are selected by the respective schools and submitted to the CIAC. There were 347 students who were recognized on Sunday.
Canton’s Nicholas Leadbetter, Newtown’s Marc Maurath, Avon’s Aki Bhabad, Lyman Memorial’s James Hiltz and Berlin’s Nicholas Ebrahimi were the six Scholar Athletes who wrestle that were honored by their respective schools.
Nikki (Weiss) Conte, an Immaculate High School (Danbury) and University of Notre Dame graduate, was the keynote speaker. Conte was a four-time Class S state champion as the soccer goalkeeper for Immaculate. She was an All-American selection as a senior.
At Notre Dame, her teams reached the NCAA Final Four in all four of her years. As the starting goalkeeper, Conte played a crucial role in Notre Dame’s national championship season in 2010. In both 2009 and 2010, she was recognized on the Big East All-Academic Team.
Alex Inyatkin, a Windsor High senior and member of the Windsor cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track teams, will be formally honored as the 2025 Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Award recipient.
Alex becomes the 16th recipient of the distinguished yearly award. The Michael H. Savage Spirit of Sport Award seeks to recognize individuals who exemplify the ideals of the positive spirit of sport that represent the core mission of education-based athletics.
Diagnosed at six months old with Tuberous sclerosis, Alex was experiencing up to 80 seizures a day. To alleviate the seizures, he would undergo two brain surgeries at 18 months old. Alex has defied the odds to play high school sports.
In the fall of 2024 Alex’s running had progressed to the point where he was a top seven runner for the Windsor’s boys cross country team and he competed with the varsity all season, including at the Class L state championship meet.
In addition to his athletic pursuits, Alex has gained notoriety for his musical talent. Described as a “musical savant”, Alex was invited by The Garden of Dreams Foundation to sing at both Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden. In December of 2024 Alex sang the National Anthem at MSG before a New York Rangers NHL game.
A complete list of this year’s CAS-CIAC Scholar-Athletes can be viewed here, in addition to a yearly list of all-time honorees.
