An NCAA committee that oversees the Walter Byers Graduate Scholarship selected two former student-athletes as recipients of the 2021 awards.
Asia Seidt, who earned her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology while competing in swimming at Kentucky, and Ivo Cerda, who earned his undergraduate degree in cellular and molecular biology while playing soccer at Michigan, are this year’s recipients.
Seidt, the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, is currently working on a doctorate in physical therapy at Kentucky. Cerda finished a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Michigan last month and has been accepted to medical schools at Johns Hopkins, Washington University in St. Louis, Georgetown, Dartmouth and Thomas Jefferson University.
Established in 1988, the Walter Byers Scholarship program each year awards $24,000 scholarships to one male and one female recipient. The scholarships can be renewed for a second year. Recipients chosen by the NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship Committee are recognized as combining the best elements of mind and body to achieve national distinction for their achievements and to be future leaders in their chosen field of career service.
Asia Seidt
During her collegiate swimming career at Kentucky, Seidt was a standout in the pool, earning eight first-team All-America honors from 2017 to 2019 in backstroke, individual medley and freestyle relays events.
She won Southeastern Conference individual titles in the 200-yard backstroke from 2017-19 and the 100-yard backstroke in 2018. Seidt also qualified for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Trials, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke, 100- and 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter individual medley.
Academically, Seidt compiled a 4.00 grade-point average at Kentucky and was named first-team Scholar All-American by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association (2017-20) and named the SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2020.
Seidt’s goal is to one day own a physical therapy outpatient clinic that serves athletes.
“This route lets me combine two of my biggest passions, physical therapy and sports,” Seidt wrote in her application essay. “Swimming has set me up for this position because I was able to learn and practice the characteristics of a successful leader by being a team captain and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative. Being a part of collegiate athletics, I have firsthand experience that life does not always go as planned, so I may have to adjust to any obstacles that get in the way.”
Ivo Cerda
On the soccer field, Cerda was a leader for Michigan, where he served as team captain in 2017 and 2018.
From his midfielder position, he finished his career at Michigan with nine goals and five assists and was named to the Big Ten Conference All-Tournament team in 2017. One of the biggest highlights in the 2018 season came when he scored the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Wolverines to a victory over Western Michigan.
In the classroom, Cerda excelled by compiling a 3.84 GPA and was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team three times and to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America first team in 2017.
Cerda grew up in Chuquicamata, a small mining town in Chile, before air pollution levels became life-threatening and his family moved to Santiago. He said the mental health of one of his sisters rapidly deteriorated due to the family’s financial struggles, and his parents’ relationship worsened. His mom worked night shifts cleaning buildings so she could afford mental health therapy for his sister.
“It was by supporting her in that struggle to find meaning that I found my purpose,” Cerda wrote in his application essay. “I promised her I would devote my life to serve others struggling with health, whether physical or mental. As a physician, I want to help translate advancements in science and engineering into better preventative methods, diagnostic tools and treatments for mental health disorders.”
