Frisco Independent School District (FISD) has announced that 146 of its seniors have been named National Merit Semifinalists for 2026, marking the highest number in Texas for the second consecutive year. Of these students, 16 are involved in athletics, representing sports such as soccer, swimming, tennis, cross country, track and field, and golf.
The National Merit Semifinalist designation is based on scores from the 2024 PSAT/NMSQT test, which was taken by over 1.3 million high school juniors nationwide. Fewer than one percent of those who took the test achieved semifinalist status.
Deputy Superintendent Dr. Todd Fouche commented on the achievements of these students: “The drive for excellence in our National Merit Semifinalists extends beyond academics, and it shows in all the activities they participate in and their engagement in our schools. From athletics to the arts, their achievements indicate the strength of character that defines them.”
FISD attributes part of this success to its student opportunity model, which emphasizes smaller schools and a broad range of extracurricular options. This approach aims to provide more students with opportunities to participate outside the classroom.
“In Frisco ISD, the student opportunity model allows a greater percentage of students to benefit from participation in extracurricular activities,” said FISD Chief Leadership Officer Cory McClendon. “There will always be a strong academic curriculum at Frisco ISD’s core, but we believe that extracurricular activities are integral to a student’s complete educational experience.”
Former Centennial High School quarterback Udgam Goyal reflected on his own experience as both an athlete and scholar: he noted that athletics taught him how to handle adversity and lead with humility during his time at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The full list of FISD athletes who are National Merit Semifinalists includes:
Neha Bhalla (Emerson golf), Aswin Gokul (Reedy tennis), Maxton McCaulley (Independence tennis), Adithi Nemalikanti (Reedy tennis), Akshat Deshpande (Emerson swimming), Yash Joshi (Lone Star swimming), Sriram Mupparapu (Liberty swimming), Mathias Wong (Liberty swimming), Abhay Murthy (Liberty soccer), Akshay Murthy (Liberty soccer), Nischal Prasanna (Centennial soccer), Alp Sahin (Liberty soccer), Hemish Shah (Liberty soccer), Dami Dolapo (Centennial track and field), Laya Mallina (Liberty track and field) and Linda Zhang (Reedy cross country).
Further information about Frisco ISD Athletics can be found on their official website.
