ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Lydia Ware seizes the moment, especially when she can be outdoors.

When the weather is nice, the Roberts Wesleyan University senior enjoys hiking in the woods. When it isn't, she makes the best of it.

"I love playing in the snow and jumping in puddles when it's raining," Ware said. "I love taking advantage of whatever weather is happening out here Rochester and making happiness out of it."

Ware, a senior from Troy, N.Y., fits the true definition of a student-athlete. The Biochemistry major has a 4.0 cumulative grade-point average entering her final semester of college and finished fifth at the National Christian College Athletic Association Indoor Track & Field Championships in February.

Ware, who was named Roberts Wesleyan University's Female Scholar Athlete of the Month for February, also received the East Coast Conference's Elite 20 Award in indoor track for the second consecutive year. The Elite 20 is awarded to the student-athlete with the highest GPA in their sport each season by the ECC.

Ward was a three-sport athlete at Averill Park High School, competing in soccer and indoor and outdoor track. She went out for track for the first time in eighth grade to stay in shape for soccer and has been sprinting ever since.

Ware, who won a NCCAA championship in the 400 meters in outdoor track last spring, spent the fall semester in Uganda taking classes in Global Health through the United Studies program and also participated in a 15-week internship where she helped to prepare food and teach people about gardening in culturally sensitive ways.

Ware took a few moments to discuss being a student-athlete at Roberts. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

What was it like spending four months in Uganda?

"It was great. I met a lot really cool people and I learned a lot more about God, and it was a really good experience to be somewhere new."

Did you miss track while you were away?

"I try to see everything that I do in my life as being a part of a whole and to be a more well-rounded person sometimes you just have to prioritize certain things. I still was training while I was there, but not as much as I would have been at home, and it actually worked out really well for me because I have not been injured at all this season, which is new for me because I usually get injured a lot.  I am really thankful because it worked out really well to be in a different training environment last semester."

What is your signature event in track?

"I have sort of fluctuated on that question a little bit. In high school, I thought that my favorite event was the 200, and I guess there is a little bit of a distinction between favorite event and signature event, so I think that right now I am primarily best trained in the 400 and that is also what I tend to be most successful in. I am also starting to enjoy it more now that I am training. When I was injured, it wasn't super fun. As one of the few sprinters on the team, I end up running all of the races. I run the 60, 200 and 400 indoor and the 100, 200, 400 outdoor, and I run all of them pretty consistently. I might be best at the 400, but I have opportunities to do all of them and it is sort of fun to have those options open."

Have you had a favorite moment as a student-athlete at Roberts?

"I am a really big fan of little things, I am not the type of person who has fondest memories of winning championships or winning races at nationals. I would say that in general, my favorite thing about track, the thing that brings me the most joy, is being able to be present for other people's success. I love watching other people get PRs (personal records) and have good days, and I think that track is just unique in that sort of way because we are all excited for each other and not focused on ourselves like you might see in some team sports. I think that my favorite memories of track will be building relationships and spending time with my friends and being happy for each other when we have good days."

What does winning the Elite 20 Award mean to you?

"I think that it is really special that track and the other sports are recognized for our work in the classroom. It is an interesting award because it doesn't really have any emphasis on the athletic side, so anyone can win the award by doing really well in school, but I think that it is really special to show the legacy that Roberts has. It's not me, there are a lot of people that have come out of Roberts that have won this award and I think that it just goes to show that the athletes on our team who are recruited and trained and developed through the track and field programs at Roberts really just have this good positive character to succeed, not only in track, but in the rest of their life."

As a senior, what advice do you have for current and future student-athletes?

"My biggest advice would be that it is so important to know what your values are and your priorities. You can make things in life work out around those values if you know what they are. ... If you can find your why it makes your what so much more beneficial to you and those around you."

Is there anything else that you would like to mention?

"I just want to put a great, big thank you out there for so many people in my life who have encouraged me in very specific ways throughout my life. Whether it was my team in high school, my team in college, my teachers in high school and college, my family, I am just so thankful that I have such a loving and supporting community and we all work together for God's glory. I am so grateful that they have been willing to bring God more and more into my life. To God be the glory for all of it."