INDIANAPOLIS – Amanda Conger '20, a recent graduate of Saint Anselm College and a four-year member of the Hawks women's ice hockey team, has been selected by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) as a nominee for its Woman of the Year award.
RELEASE: NCAA schools announce nominees for 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year
VIDEO: Official Hockey Humanitarian Award Video Announcement
VIDEO: Conger featured on ESPN's SportsCenter
VIDEO: Swanton native announced 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award winner (WCAX-TV, Scott Fleishman)
VIDEO: Amanda Conger, In Her Own Words
VIDEO: Remarkable Women: Meet Amanda Conger (MyChamplainValley.com)
LINK: Conger's Gesture Sparks A True Speedway Success Story
LINK: Swanton's Amanda Conger wins 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award (Burlington Free Press, Alex Abrami)
LINK: Saint Anselm's Amanda Conger named 2020 Hockey Humanitarian Award winner (NCAA.com)
LINK: Conger receives Hockey Humanitarian Award (Saint Albans Messenger, Ruthie LaRoche)
LINK: Saint Anselm's Conger takes giving of self to new heights (Tim Costello, USCHO.com)
LINK: For Saint Anselm's Amanda Conger, her biggest assist comes off the ice (Gabriella Fundaro, The Ice Garden)
LINK: Amanda Conger Donates Kidney, Wins Hockey Humanitarian Award (Dan Scifo, USA Hockey)
LINK: Conger receives Guimont Service Leadership and Engagement Award
PDF: Saint Anselm's Amanda Conger named 25th recipient of Hockey Humanitarian Award
The program honors the academic achievements, athletics excellence, community service and leadership of outstanding female college student-athletes.
Conger donated one of her kidneys last summer to a stranger in need. Through an internship experience in her home state of Vermont, she met a local man who had been diagnosed with stage-five kidney disease. After learning of the public appeals for a donor, Conger went through the process of learning if she was a match and ultimately donated a kidney prior to her senior season of ice hockey.
Conger responded extraordinarily from an intense medical procedure, skating in a career-high 32 games during her 2019-20 senior campaign, scoring three goals with 10 assists for 13 points (3-10=13). Conger appeared in a program record 116 career games for the Hawks, passing Jackie Guy '18. She finished her collegiate career with 31 goals and 41 assists for 72 points (31-41=72).
Upon claiming the Hockey Humanitarian Award, Conger was presented with a check for $2,500 to donate to a cause of her choice. She selected Donate Life Vermont, an organization dedicated to raising awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation.
"Going through this process was remarkable and I always remind myself it was absolutely the right thing to do," remarked Conger. "It was never a question whether I could potentially be giving up one season of hockey or saving someone's life. If I could, I would make the same decision over and over again."
Earlier this year, she was selected as the 25th recipient of the prestigious Hockey Humanitarian Award. The honor is presented to a student-athlete annually who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community at large through leadership in volunteerism. She has also collected the College's prestigious Donna M. Guimont Service Leadership and Engagement Award.
As part of the College's Hawks Soar Higher awards ceremony, Conger received one of the Charles J. Quinn Sportsmanship Awards for her dedication to the Hilltop. The Charles J. Quinn Sportsmanship Award honors a male and female student-athlete who best exemplifies and demonstrates the values of sportsmanship on and off the playing surface.
Conger has been active in many areas across campus, including volunteering her time to organizations such as Team IMPACT and Girls with Power Tools. She has also worked with the College's Assault & Violence Education & Reporting Team (AVERT) and in the Harbor, an on-campus hub for prevention, education, and awareness of domestic and dating violence.
"I have always taken the Benedictine principles of distinguishing one's life with meaning, leadership, and achievement to heart every day as a student athlete, hockey team captain, and this year as an organ donor," said Conger. "I have never sought recognition for my donation but now embrace the opportunity to build a needed growing community for organ donation and support of kidney disease awareness."
Over 600 nominees will be considered by the Woman of the Year selection committee, made up of representatives from the NCAA membership. The group will select the top 30 honorees, 10 from each division, and then narrow the collection down to three from each NCAA division. The NCAA Committee on Women's Athletics then will choose the 2020 NCAA Woman of the Year, who will be named this fall.
