SACRAMENTO JANUARY 29, 2025 - Two California college student-athletes, <b>Will Bermudez</b>, a senior baseball player at UC Irvine, and Madie Fahey, a senior soccer player at Cal Lutheran University, have been selected as the January 2025 recipients of the CalHOPE Courage Award.
Presented monthly since February 2022, the CalHOPE Courage Award honors student-athletes at California colleges and universities who have overcome the stress, anxiety, and mental trauma associated with personal hardships and adversity. In addition to the recognition, a donation will be made on behalf of all honorees to support on-campus mental health services.
Here's a closer look at the inspiring personal stories of these student-athletes:
Will Bermudez, Baseball, UC Irvine
Will Bermudez's story is one of resilience, perseverance, and unyielding determination. A first-generation college student, now a senior at UC Irvine and a standout on the baseball team, Will's journey has been anything but conventional.
In May 2019, during a travel baseball game, the 17-year-old collided with a teammate while chasing a pop fly, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Although Will quickly regained mobility, the collision also resulted in a traumatic brain injury that caused him to lose five years of memory. For more than two weeks, Will thought he was a 12-year-old. A few months after his injury, he suffered his first epileptic seizure. Will was diagnosed with Myoclonic Juvenile Epilepsy, leading the Air Force Academy to rescind his scholarship.
The injury took a toll on Will's physical and mental health. In addition to extensive rehabilitation, Will leaned on his faith and the coping skills he developed in mental health counseling.
Determined to forge a path forward, he enrolled at UC Davis. Since baseball was not a good fit at the time, he focused on his academics and getting healthy. Wanting to play baseball again, in 2022, he transferred to Mount San Antonio College, where he excelled, batting .343. His play caught the attention of the coaches at UC Irvine, where he transferred in 2023 and quickly earned the starting position at second base. He batted .250 and was named a finalist for the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Rawlings Gold Glove Award. Last year, he improved at the plate, batting .301 and earning All-Big-West Second Team honors.
Will's experiences inspired his academic pursuits. Majoring in psychology with a minor in sociology, he aspires to become a psychiatrist, dedicated to helping people struggling with mental health challenges - just as he learned to manage his own.
"Everyone has different battles. Mine was epilepsy," said Will. "I want everyone to know that whatever they are going through will get better if they take it one day at a time and don?t let anything stop them from achieving their dreams."
Madie Fahey, Soccer, Cal Lutheran University
Madie Fahey, a senior at California Lutheran University, embodies the spirit of resilience and selflessness. Born in Carmichael, California, she excelled academically, earning Dean's List honors and being named a scholar-athlete in each of her collegiate years with a 3.7 GPA. Yet, her journey as a student-athlete has been defined by her courage in overcoming adversity.
In 2020, Madie was diagnosed with Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome, a rare condition causing cramping, tingling, and numbness in her legs from the knee down. The condition worsens during physical activity, dramatically impacting her ability to play collegiate soccer. The road to diagnosis was long, involving numerous consultations until specialists at UC Davis Medical Center identified the condition. Despite the pain and physical limitations, Madie demonstrated incredible determination, playing a career-high 19 games in 2023 and all 90 minutes at fullback in the National Championship game victory against Washington University.
This season, however, Madie had to end her playing career prematurely due to complications from her condition. Despite playing just half the season, she earned the prestigious Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Award of Distinction for exceptional academic and athletic achievements. Accepting this was a mental and emotional challenge, she credits Cal Lutheran's free mental health counseling services and her therapist for helping her navigate this transition. With the unwavering support of her coaches, teammates, and athletic trainers, she has remained a vital part of the team.
Off the field, Madie has made a profound impact on her community by organizing annual soccer camps for dozens of kids with special needs. Her dedication to these young athletes and her leadership in fostering inclusion reflect her compassionate spirit.
"I made it my goal to prove to myself and my team that I wouldn't quit and that I would push myself until I physically couldn't feel my legs anymore. Along the way, I learned that it's okay to ask for help," said Madie. "No one is ever truly alone, and leaning on your support system or seeking counseling isn't a sign of weakness. Instead, it's a courageous step toward healing, resilience, and rediscovering your strength. The scars I carry are not marks of defeat, but are badges of honor and proof that I faced adversity head-on and became stronger than ever before."
About the CalHOPE Courage Award
The monthly CalHOPE Courage Award is presented by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA), in association with The Associated Press; CalHOPE, a Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) crisis counseling and support resource; and the Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being.
"CalHOPE is honored to continue recognizing student-athletes statewide who have overcome challenges to perform their best as both scholars and athletes," said Autumn Boylan, Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Partnerships at DHCS, which oversees CalHOPE. "CalHOPE's purpose is to build community resilience and help people recover from disasters and public health emergencies through free outreach, crisis counseling, and support services. We hope that by sharing these stories of courage, all will be inspired."
Previous honorees this year have included: Ally Ratto (water polo, Delta College); Dublin Synnott (soccer, Saddleback College), Aaliyah Gayles (basketball, USC); Jailen Daniel-Dalton (basketball, San Francisco State; Mya Wang (lacrosse, University of California, Berkeley); and Justin Watterson, (track, Long Beach State).
At the end of the school year, two of the student-athletes will be selected as the CalHOPE Courage Award winners. The previous winners were: 2024 - Cameron Nelsen (volleyball, Antelope Valley College) and Myron "MJ" Amey (basketball, San Jose State); 2023 - Anysa and Amaya Gray (soccer, University of California, Berkeley) and Nigel Wilson (basketball, Pasadena City College); and 2022 - Julia Schwayder (lacrosse, Occidental College) and Breyon Jackson (basketball, San Francisco State).
Stories about all CalHOPE Courage Award honorees since 2022 are available at CalHOPECourageAward.org and via social media (X & Instagram) at @CalHOPE_Courage.
Sports information directors at all colleges and universities in California are encouraged to nominate deserving intercollegiate student-athletes at CalHOPECourageAward.org. The honorees are selected by a panel of writers, editors, The Associated Press, and the College Sports Communicators.
ABOUT CalHOPE
CalHOPE is a multi-level campaign run by DHCS to connect people with vital mental health and wellness resources and information to help them navigate during times of crisis. CalHOPE offers critical behavioral health crisis counseling programs and uses a public health approach that is focused on strength-based strategies for building resiliency and connecting people to the support they need. CalHOPE partners with the California Governor's Advisory Council on Physical Fitness and Mental Well-Being to promote the CalHOPE Courage Award. CalHOPE resources may be accessed by calling the program's warm line at (833) 317-HOPE (4673), accessing the live chat feature, or visiting www.calhope.org.
College Sports Communicators: The College Sports Communicators is a 3,600-plus member national organization, comprised of the athletic communications, media relations, digital, and creative professionals throughout all levels of collegiate athletics in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1957, the organization is the second oldest management association in intercollegiate athletics. The organization's signature program is the Academic All-America program, honoring thousands of outstanding scholar-athletes annually. To learn more, visit collegesportscommunicators.com.
The Associated Press (AP): The AP is the essential global news network, delivering fast, unbiased news from every corner of the world to all media platforms and formats. Founded in 1846, The AP is the most trusted source of independent news and information. On any given day, more than half the world's population sees news from The AP. For more information, visit www.ap.org.
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Media Contact: Doug Drotman (631-462-1198 or doug@drotman-pr.com)