CARROLL’S FARDEN CLAIMS DAVEY O’BRIEN HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 18, 2025) – The Davey O’Brien Foundation announced at its annual luncheon at The Fort Worth Club that Maile Farden, a senior at Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, Texas, is the recipient of the 40th Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship Award.
The $30,000 scholarship, partially underwritten by Higginbotham and Simmons Bank, is presented each year to an exceptional senior student-athlete in North Texas. Recipients of the High School Scholarship Award are chosen based on scholastic achievements, community service, character, leadership and varsity sports participation. As part of the selection process, the committee interviewed all six finalists last week.
At Carroll, Farden is a four-year varsity starter and two-year captain on the water polo team. She has been named UIL District 3-6A Player of the Year, Defensive MVP and Newcomer of the Year during her time. In addition, she has earned First-Team All-State and Second-Team All-State honors and is a three-time All-Region honoree.
Farden helped the Dragons to three straight regional titles (2022, 2023, 2024), a UIL State Championships runner-up finish (2023) and third-place showings in both 2022 and 2024. Her play merited National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) Girls Water Polo Third-Team All-America honors in 2024-25.
Farden is also a four-time Academic All-American with Outstanding Honors from USA Water Polo. She represented Team USA in Serbia on the 2025 Youth Regional All-Stars Futures International Training Trip. She also earned First Team All-America accolades at her first Junior Olympics. Additionally, Farden is a two-time recipient of the prestigious Nick Johnson Inspiration Award from USA Water Polo for exemplifying integrity, sportsmanship and leadership.
In the classroom, she is an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Honor Society member. Farden also earned National Merit for Indigenous People honors. In the community, she has volunteered with Church at the Cross, City of Grapevine, City of Southlake, Beautiful Feet Ministries and Thunder Water Polo Club.
“We are thrilled to present Maile with the 2025 Davey O’Brien High School Scholarship,” David O’Brien Jr., Chairman of the High School Scholarship Selection Committee, said. “She is the epitome of a student-athlete with a servant’s heart, and we are honored to welcome her to the Davey O’Brien Foundation family.”
Each of the five other finalists honored at the luncheon -- Coleman Cravens (Arlington High School), Jonas Dalton (J.J. Pearce High School), Mariella Davies (Wakeland High School), Nia Harrison (Greenhill School) and Matthew Holloway (Hebron High School) -- receives a $2,500 scholarship. The finalists were selected out of nearly 100 applicants, one per school, from across North Texas.
The High School Scholarship, first awarded in 1986, applies to the college or university of the winner’s choice. Recipients over the past two decades have attended schools such as Columbia University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Northwestern University, Pomona College, Princeton University, Rice University, Stanford University, Texas A&M University, Texas Christian University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of California-Los Angeles, Vanderbilt University and the University of Virginia.
Since its founding, the Davey O’Brien Foundation has distributed over $1.4 million in scholarships and university grants to help high school and college athletes transform leadership on the field to leadership in life. Farden will be formally honored alongside the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award winner and the Davey O’Brien Legends Award recipient at the 49th Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026.
–www.DaveyOBrienAward.com–