SYDNEY, N.S. — Cape Breton Capers forward Kiyara Letlow received the annual James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award, the Atlantic University Sport recently announced.
Letlow, a member of Cape Breton University’s women’s basketball team, becomes the third student-athlete from the university to win the award, joining women’s soccer players Ciera Disipio in 2020 and Karolyne Blain in 2015.
The James Bayer Memorial Scholarship Award was established in 1985 and is awarded annually to an outstanding student-athlete in the AUS for excellence in academics, athletics, leadership, sportsmanship, and citizenship.
Bayer taught education and physical education at both high school and university levels. He also served as supervisor and consultant for the Nova Scotia Department of Culture, Recreation and Fitness. During his time at Acadia University, he served as dean of recreation and physical education and as director of athletics from 1978-85. As an administrator in the AUAA and the CIAU, he was a key player in the establishment of intercollegiate athletic policy.
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Success on and off the court
As for Letlow, a third-year player from Toronto, she found success on the court, in the classroom and in the community.
The three-time AUS first-team all-star (2022, 2023, 2024), two-time U Sports second-team all-Canadian (2022, 2023) and U Sports rookie of the year (2022) led the nation in rebounds per game in 2023-24, averaging 14 in every game. She also finished fourth in the AUS, and seventh in the country, in points per game (19.5).
In the classroom, Letlow has been a U Sports academic all-Canadian and dean’s list student in her first two years at CBU while pursuing a BA with honours in psychology.
“Once in a while, you encounter a student-athlete that impresses you with their motivation, their dedication, their leadership, their discipline and what they are able to accomplish both in the classroom and on their field of play. In my time here, Kiyara is such a student-athlete,” said John Ryan, director of CBU athletics, in a press release.
“In addition to her academic and athletic performance, Kiyara has a wonderful personality. Mature, dependable, responsible, pleasant and courteous are but a few of the adjectives I could use to describe Kiyara.”
Off the court and outside of the classroom, Letlow has been just as impactful in her home province of Ontario.
In Toronto, Letlow has worked with The Period Purse Initiative – run out of her church with the goal to provide women hygiene products for 1-3 months – packing and distributing kits to members of the community.
Meanwhile, she was also involved early on in the creation of the Stone Soup Network – a non-profit organization in her old neighbourhood that offers free goods and services to those in need. Part of her role included delivering food boxes and connecting people to resources the Stone Soup Network and her church had to offer.
Four years ago, in 2020, Letlow leaned on her experiences growing up as a bi-racial kid and put herself front and centre, speaking at a community-led march opposing Black injustice following the murder of George Floyd.
'Contribute in any way possible'
Back in Cape Breton, Letlow has volunteered her time to assist with various basketball camps as well as taking part in World Down Syndrome Day where members of the community with Down syndrome were invited to take part in an array of activities and games.
“While I continue to navigate my roles as a student-athlete and as a member of the community, my dedication to promoting inclusivity, empathy and positive change remains unwavering as I actively seek out ways to become involved in the community and contribute in any way possible,” said Letlow, in the release.
Each year, AUS member schools nominate one student-athlete for this prestigious award. As this year's recipient, Letlow receives a $1,000 scholarship.
Also nominated were Acadia’s Ella Collins, Dalhousie’s Noah Mascoll-Gomes, Moncton’s Nathaël Roy, Saint Mary’s Clara Gascoigne, Mount Allison’s Tallon Stephenson, Memorial’s Zoë Rowe, St. Francis Xaiver’s Katherine Culligan, St. Thomas’s Aislynn Byers, New Brunswick’s Cole MacKay and Prince Edward Island’s Kamari Scott. Each of the nominees receive a $500 scholarship award.
The selection committee for the award featured Phil Currie, president and CEO of the AUS, Marg Bayer, wife of the late James Bayer, and Dr. Denis Prud’homme, rector and vice-chancellor of l’Université de Moncton and chair of the AUS board of directors.
Jeremy Fraser is the sports reporter for the Cape Breton Post. Follow him on X (Twitter) @CBPost_Jeremy.
