TACOMA, Wash. - Throughout the rest of the semester, GoLutes.com will profile the Pacific Lutheran University senior student-athletes involved in spring sports that had their seasons cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Today's installment features PLU women's track & field student-athlete Andraya Conger.

"It has taught me a lot about myself and how to adapt when things don't go my way."

 

Hometown: Pasco, Wash.

College PRs: 60-meters: 8.31 100-meters: 12.84 200-meters: 26.70

Andraya Conger didn't imagine her senior track season ending months early, but her experience as an athlete prepared her to roll with the punches. Her coaches taught her that bad races can be used for growth, a lesson Conger will carry with her after graduation.

In her time as a Lute athlete, Conger became a leader on her team as a member of both the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Lutes Lead program, where she participated in conversations with other student-athletes on campus and worked to make the Lutes athletic program stronger.

Conger is grateful for the years she spent with her teammates, who taught her, "the importance of staying positive and how much it can affect your performance." She loved traveling to sunny San Diego for a training trip during spring break where the team competed under the blue sky and bonded over tourist adventures.

"My teammates taught me how to relax and enjoy the sport and the people I'm with," Conger said. 

Conger's career on the oval included earning All-Conference honors in the 4x100-meter relay, helping the Lutes turn in runner-up finishes at both the 2018 and 2019 Northwest Conference Championships while placing seventh in the 100-meters as a first-year at the 2017 NWC Championships.

Outside of athletics, Conger was a part of the PLU Love Your Melon Crew and enjoyed taking trips through Outdoor Rec, particularly the tubing trip in J-Term, which became a tradition with her friends. 

Conger will be graduating with degrees in Business Marketing and Management, and plans to land a job working in marketing or event coordinating. As she looks at life post-graduation, she knows her time as a Lute athlete has prepared her to be a successful leader.