Fort Walton Beach Swimmer Colby Orcutt Named National HS Heisman Finalist

Caroline (Colby) Orcutt, a senior at Fort Walton Beach High School in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, has been named one of 12 national finalists for the Heisman High School Scholarship program.

• Read a full recounting of her accomplishments here.

A versatile athlete, Orcutt has 15 varsity letters between Fort Walton Beach High School and Booker T. Washington High School, where she began her high school career. She also volunteered as a swim coach.

Her older brother Daniel, who is a current swimmer at the University of Kentucky, was the 2016 male Heigh School Heisman national winner, and her sister Tori Orcutt was a finalist last season and is currently a freshman swimmer at Kentucky.

Colby recently placed 9th in the 50 free in 25.90 at the FHSAA 3A Region 1 Championships, which is a best time for her.

While a varsity member of the swim team at Fort Walton Beach high, that is far from her only athletic achievement.

Orcutt is a 2-time USA Pentathlon All-American and 2-Time USA Pentathlon Youth National Team member. She won a bronze medal at the 2018 U17 Pan American Championships in Pentathlon and competed at the 2019 Pentathlon Youth World Championships.

She is also a 2-time captain of the soccer team at Fort Walton Beach High School, an Oklahoma State Champion in soccer, and a member of the Florida State Team as part of the Soccer Olympic Development Program.

As a runner, she is a captain of both the cross-country and track & field teams, an Oklahoma High School Class 5A State Track & Field Championship Silver Medalist, Florida Class 3A All-State Team Member, and an All-County and All-District team member.

Outside of the pool, Colby Orcutt is ranked 3rd in her high school class academically, and counts the presidency of the Mu Alpha Theta Math Honor Society, a 2020 Carson Scholar, and a USA Pentathlon Academic All-American among many academic achievements.

She is also a Girl Scout Gold Award Recipient and has volunteer and leadership positions with a number of clubs and programs.

Eligibility for the Heisman High School Scholarship programbegins with maintaining a weighted GPA of 3.0 (B average) or better. Applicants also need to be proven leaders and role models within their school and community. And applicants must participate or have participated in grades 9, 10, or 11 in at least one of the 48 school sponsored sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games or the National Federation of State High School Associations.

A winner from each state receives a $750 scholarship, national finalists receive a $1,250 scholarship, and one senior male and one senior female nationally are chosen for a $5,250 scholarship.

In total the program awards $47,500 in scholarships annually.

National winners will be announced on December 1st at Noon Eastern Time.