The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), in association with Hartford HealthCare, Connecticut’s most comprehensive healthcare network, have selected Bryana Cielo, a senior swimmer at Sacred Heart University, and Kurt Rawlings, a senior football player for Yale University, as recipients of the Hartford HealthCare Connecticut Courage Award. In recognition, $1,500 will be donated to their schools’ general scholarship funds in their names to help future students achieve their dreams.
Bryana Cielo of Sacred Heart University and Kurt Rawlings of Yale University Named April’s Hartford HealthCare Connecticut Courage Award Winners
Bryana Cielo
Cielo, a senior from Montville, N.J., earned all-conference honors at Montville High School and a scholarship to swim for Sacred Heart. During the 2016-17 season, she was an NEC Academic Honor Roll member as well as a member of the Pioneers 200-medley relay school-record-setting team. Unfortunately, following two grand-mal seizures and a diagnosis of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy during the summer heading into her junior year, she was forced to end her 13-year swimming career due to the stress that training would put on her body and the risk of drowning. Despite having to sit on the sidelines for her junior and senior seasons, she served as a valuable member of the team by motivating and inspiring her teammates. In January 2020, after one year of being seizure-free, her doctors and coaches permitted her to swim one final race—the 50m freestyle at the NEC Championships. As if pulled from the pages of a Hollywood script, she swam the best time of her life and finished sixth in her heat. She chronicled her journey in a blog at https://swimswam.com/author/bryana/.
Kurt Rawlings
Rawlings began his career as the quarterback for Yale in grand fashion, winning an Ivy League title in his sophomore season and passing for 2,320 yards and 19 touchdowns. Unfortunately, the Bel Air, Md., native saw his junior season end after just six games when he fractured his leg during the Bulldogs 23-10 win over the University of Pennsylvania. The timing of the injury could not have been worse, as it came shortly after his mother Kathy was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer. She underwent 24 rounds of chemotherapy, 21 rounds of radiation, surgery and experimental drugs every three weeks. In July she received a diagnosis that the cancer was in remission. As Rawlings prepared for the 2019 season, not only did he need to come back from an injury, but he also had to overcome 2018 Ivy Rookie of the Year Griffin O’Connor at QB for Yale. By the time the season started, Rawlings had regained his starting job, using the same perseverance as his mother in reaching new heights. He completed his career by setting every career passing and total yardage record at Yale and was recognized as the Ivy Player of the Year. He led the Bulldogs to a 9-1 record and the 2019 Ivy league Championship with a thrilling 50-43 double-overtime win over Harvard by passing for 417 yards and three touchdowns and rushing for 62 yards and another score in his final collegiate game.
“Hartford HealthCare is excited to recognize these two remarkable young student-athletes, who despite setbacks, have overcome challenges to continue to perform their best as both scholars and athletes,” says Jeffrey A. Flaks, president and chief executive officer of Hartford HealthCare. “Our organization’s purpose is to help people live their healthiest lives, and both Bryana and Kurt’s courageous stories of recovery and perseverance are an inspiration to all.”
Previous winners this year have included: Taylor Herd, a senior guard on the Quinnipiac University women’s basketball team; Chris Liggio, a senior running back for the University of New Haven football team; Samara Johnson, a member of the Eastern Connecticut State University cross-country and track & field teams; Ace McAlister, a member of the Trinity College cross-country and track & field teams; Sam Kramer, a senior point guard for the Fairfield University women’s basketball team; Eli Thomas, a senior football player for the University of Connecticut; Katelyn Mann, a senior swimmer at Central Connecticut State University; and Jacob Anderson, a sophomore lacrosse player at Mitchell College.
Hartford HealthCare Connecticut Courage Award
Each month during the 2019-20 academic year one male and one female student-athletes from all levels of college sports will be recognized as Hartford HealthCare Connecticut Courage Award Honorees. We will share their stories here and via the media to help inspire athletes at all levels.
At the end of the season, one male and one female student-athlete will be recognized with the Hartford HealthCare Connecticut Courage Award. In addition to the national recognition, Hartford HealthCare Connecticut will donate $15,000 to college and university general scholarship funds in the names of the finalists.