By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University men's swimmer Derek Ludwig (Sr., Moraga, CA/Campolindo HS) has been chosen as the J.H. Booth Award winner for 2019-20. The J.H. Booth Award is presented annually to the senior men's student-athlete who most excelled in all areas of their career at Willamette by exemplifying and demonstrating outstanding leadership, scholarship and athleticism.

Ludwig set the school record in the 100-yard butterfly at 50.87 during the championship finals at 2020 NWC Swimming Championships. He also holds the second, third, fifth and seventh fastest times in school history. During his career, he swam on school record relay teams at the NWC Championships in the 400-yard medley relay (3:31.35, 2017) and the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:02.05, 2020). He competed on a total of 12 relay teams during his four trips to the NWC meet.

This year, he was fifth in the 100-yard butterfly with his school record time and also placed fifth in the 200-yard butterfly in 1:54.48. He was named Second Team All-NWC in both events. During his career, he earned Second Team All-NWC honors a total of seven times. In addition, he reached the consolation finals five times.

He ranks fourth all-time at Willamette in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:56.87. He is seventh all-time in the 200-yard butterfly with his time at this year's NWC meet.

Ludwig served as a team captain as a junior and a senior. He was the Rookie of the Year in 2016-17 and received the Skip R. Kenitzer Leadership Award for the swimming team in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

At Willamette, Ludwig has majored in Psychology while completing a minor in Mathematics. He was inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma, a national student-athlete honorary society, in 2019. He worked in the WU Cadaver Lab in the fall of 2019 and helped out in the WU Cognition and Memory Lab for a full year.

As a member of Beta Theta Pi, he was the vice president for recruitment in 2018 and received the merit-based Stephen D. Bechtel Jr. Oxford Cup Scholarship. The Bechtel Scholarship honors Beta Theta Pi members with strong academic success, chapter leadership and campus and/or community involvement.

He was an Opening Days Leader at Willamette in 2017 and was active in the Steppin' Out pre-orientation outdoor program in 2018. He performed with the Headband a capella group and served as the chair of publicity and advertising from fall 2018 through fall 2019. 

Ludwig's off-campus community service was significant. He volunteered at the Salem Rotary Triathlon, the Thousand Soles Shoe drive and the Willamette Global Day of service. He also helped with the Habitat for Humanity Restore, the Shangri-La Easter Egg Hunt, and the Riverfront Park cleanup.

Other recent winners of the J.H. Booth Award were swimmer Alika Masei in 2017, baseball player Eric Del Prado in 2018, followed by cross country and track and field runner Keith Carlson and basketball player Jordan Jenkins, who shared the honor in 2019. Ludwig is the fourth swimmer to receive the award and the third swimmer since 2007.

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University women's swimmer Niki Kates (Sr., Truckee, CA/Forest Charter School) has been named the Jean Williams Award winner for 2019-20. The Jean Williams Award is presented annually to the senior women's student-athlete who most excelled in all areas of their career at Willamette by exemplifying and demonstrating outstanding leadership, scholarship and athleticism.

Kates is a Rhodes Scholar finalist. At Willamette, she is a double major in Refugee and Migration Studies as well as Psychology, who qualified for the College Honor Roll five times. Her academic interests led to her Senior Thesis research topic of Comparing Prison Reentry and Refugee Resettlement. 

She received the Shannon P. Hogue Civic Communication and Media Award in 2017 and 2018. The award honored her use of communication in her refugee advocacy work, including research and other forms of civic engagement. In 2019, she was inducted into the Chi Alpha Sigma national student-athlete honorary society. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. 

As a swimmer, she is the school record holder in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:09.26 at the 2020 NWC Swimming Championships. She also is ranked fourth, seventh and eighth in the 200 I.M. at Willamette. She is second all-time in the 200-yard backstroke (2:07.37), and also owns the fifth, sixth, ninth and 10th fastest times. Kates is sixth all-time at WU in the 100-yard backstroke at 59.17, and also holds seventh, eighth and 10th on the list. She swam on the third and fourth fastest 400-yard medley relay teams in school history.

She placed fourth at the 2020 NWC Championships with her school record time in the 200 I.M. She also was sixth in the 200-yard backstroke and eighth in the 100-yard backstroke, as she earned Second Team All-NWC honors three times this season. During her career, she received Second Team All-NWC recognition a total of 11 times, once for each time she reached the championships finals in an individual event. In addition, she competed on 11 relay teams at the NWC meet over the past four seasons. She served as a team captain in 2018-19 and 2019-20.

Kates was a Colloquium Associate at Willamette in the fall of 2019. She tutored first-year students in reading, writing, note taking and critical thinking skills. She also led classroom sessions and discussions.

She participated in the Take a Break program during the 2018 Spring Break, working with other students and faculty to help migrant agricultural workers in Fresno, California. She was an Opening Days Leader each of the past three years. She served as the Willamette Events Board (WEB) graphic design chair in 2017-18, leading efforts to brand campus events. She was the Community Service Learning media and outreach coordinator for 18 months.

She has been the co-president of the Restorative Justice Coalition since May of 2018 and was a founder and president of the Swahili Club in May of 2019. She has been a member of the Jewish Student Union for all four years at Willamette.

Her off-campus community service participation has been exceptional. She was a student resource specialist with the Transformative Justice Initiative (TJI) dealing with prison education and reform. She helped local refugee high school students through Global Partners for Student Success and also was involved with Salem for Refugees as a community outreach member and mentor team member. As part of that work she helped to develop a Refugee Clothing Drive on campus.

In addition, she helped Special Olympics Oregon as a swimming teacher. She contributed to the Liberal Arts Research Collaborative regarding prison reentry last summer. She has taught English as a volunteer since February, 2018, and has been involved with restorative justice at the Oregon State Penitentiary since September, 2018. In the summer of 2018, she worked with the Borgen Project as a political affairs intern, working to increase human rights and access to resources in the developing world.

Kates was awarded a Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs. As a result, she will be working in San Francisco starting in the fall.

Recent winners of the Jean Williams Award include cross country and track and field runner Olivia Mancl in 2017, soccer player Emmy Manset along with cross country and track and field runner Hannah Swanson in 2018, and swimmer Kiley Lin in 2019. Kates is the second swimmer to receive the award.

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Dr. Lucas Ettinger, assistant professor of exercise and health science, has been chosen as the 2019-20 Julie Abendroth, Ed.D., Professor of the Year by the Willamette University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). The award is presented each year in memory of Professor Julie Abendroth, whose dedication to Willamette student-athletes went beyond the classroom. She was a mentor and a friend of Willamette student-athletes.

Ettinger and previous recipients of the award have demonstrated devotion to the pursuit of excellence by student-athletes at Willamette in both academics and athletics. Ettinger was nominated by SAAC member Gene Perle-Jones from the men's tennis team.

"He is a great professor because he has energy, he clearly loves what he does, and wants to share that passion with his students," Perle-Jones said. "He is understanding, keeps class interesting with activities and jokes, and wants his students to succeed. For me as a student, sometimes class and learning felt like a chore, but I can honestly say I never felt that way in the classes he taught, and he made me want to learn. When learning is fun people will work harder because they want to succeed. Most of all he's just a great person with a kind happy soul. The best teacher I've ever had."

Other members of the Willamette SAAC agreed with Perle-Jones that Ettinger is a great professor and that he makes classes fun and interesting. They mentioned that he is truly invested in student-athletes. In the past, he has posted on Athletic Department social media when student-athletes were honored and he applauded their accomplishments in class.

There was agreement in the SAAC that Ettinger has exceptional energy, is engaging, and is able to include humor in his classes. He also was recognized for his passion regarding exercise and health science.

Ettinger has been at Willamette since 2014. He has published five peer-reviewed original articles and has conducted clinical research into neuromuscular disorders.

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Nick Lawson, who played football at Willamette University from 2008 through 2011, has been selected as the Alumnus of the Year by the Athletics Department. Lawson, who graduated from Willamette in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Studio Art and added an MBA degree from the Atkinson Graduate School of Management in 2014, has been active in the Professional Development Night with Willamette Athletics for several years.

The Alumnus of the Year Award is presented to an individual who demonstrates a lifelong connection and commitment to Bearcat Athletics, its coaches, and its student-athletes.

Lawson is the owner of Sqwad Sports, which provides apps that allow smartphones to be an extension of the game. He began the app for the Seattle Storm in women's basketball, and before long it was used throughout the WNBA. Now, it is used by many teams and leagues.

"Nick Lawson as CEO of Sqwad Sports has become a nationally recognized expert in the fields of digital sports sponsorship, in-arena activations, and social media marketing," Willamette Head Men's Basketball Coach Kip Ioane said. "Despite boasting a client list that includes the NBA's Chicago Bulls, the NFL's Cleveland Browns, and the WNBA's Seattle Storm, Nick has consistently found time to come to Salem and meet with me to brainstorm and plan ways that #BearcatHoop can be more effective in recruiting both student-athletes and business partners in the age of digital focus. He is always available in person, via phone or text, and has no problem sharing ideas and insight for our program and our department to develop new ideas. He has participated in our Professional Development Night for all student-athletes in the department, and has graciously shared his time with many Bearcat athletes in follow-ups to that appearance."

"I have been so grateful to have Nick's support and participation in our Professional Development Night," Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Leslie Shevlin said. "He has been so willing to support our student-athletes with their professional development by answering questions about his industry, experience, and really anything about transitioning from being a student-athlete to a professional in the workplace. Nick is so willing to give his time to Willamette University Athletics and we are very grateful."

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Andrea Hugmeyer, director of the Gender Resource and Advocacy Center at Willamette University, has been chosen to receive the 2019-20 Sue J. Rauch Distinguished Service to Athletics Award. The award is presented in memory of Sue Rauch, whose continuous support and commitment while working at Willamette served a vital role in the success of the Athletics Department, its coaches and it's student-athletes. The recipient is honored for following Rauch's example of exceptional service.

According to Leslie Shevlin, associate athletics director and senior woman administrator at Willamette, Hugmeyer was nominated for the award because of the amount of time she provided to Bearcat Athletics.

"Andrea has gone above and beyond to meet our student-athletes where they are at, literally and figuratively," Shevlin said. "She has had discussions on healthy relationships, and on teammate bystander intervention, and has given our student-athletes ways to communicate with each other on difficult topics. Andrea is a true selfless leader and I am so grateful to have her as a colleague at Willamette."

Coaches were happy to talk about Hugemeyer's selfless contributions to the lives of Willamette student-athletes.

"Andrea went above and beyond and truly made a difference for our team this year," said Marissa Paiseau, assistant coach of cross country and track and field. "She created documents, led discussions, and encouraged each voice to be heard. I was truly impressed by her professionalism, work ethic and kindness. Andrea helped our team get to a place that we would not have been able to reach without her guidance, and we are all so grateful for that."

"She came and introduced herself to our teams at the beginning of the year," Willamette Head Swimming Coach Brent Summers recalled. "To me this is important because I want my student-athletes to know about all resources on campus and the GRAC is a very important resource. I also wanted the teams to meet Andrea because of the programming I had in mind for our teams. As a program that has a men's and women's team that practice together each day, I want to make sure we are providing educational programming that is relevant to them. Andrea and I had discussed and planned to have educational programming this spring before the campus moved online. This was going to be the first in a continuing series of educational programming events that would happen each semester (one in the fall and one in the spring). I'm looking forward to the fall semester, when we can begin the programming."

Hugmeyer's work impacts the Willamette community in special ways. Likewise, the Athletics Department benefits from her efforts.

"She plays a vital role here on campus," Pariseau commented. "Not only has she proven herself to be a crucial resource, she has also created a safe space and caring team for those who are seeking equity and inclusivity, as well as survivors of sexual violence. I have even seen Andrea after hours at basketball games or speaking events, personally trying to raise awareness for other social issues. I know that her efforts have been vital to fostering a safe and inclusive environment here at Willamette, which will lead to sending healthier and more aware Bearcats out into the world."

"I think Andrea's efforts have helped raise awareness to very serious issues our students face during their time at Willamette and as young adults in general," Summers said. "Her efforts to create more events and education on topics of sexual harassment/assault, relationships, LGBTQ+, inclusivity, etc. have resulted in more exposure to these topics and more opportunities for betterment of ourselves and our teams. I believe the willingness of coaches to work with Andrea shows that we value her work."

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Men's swimmer Colin Hakeman (Sr., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) and women's cross country and track and field runner Jamie Smith (Sr., Seattle, WA/Ballard HS) have earned the Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards at Willamette University for the 2019-20 academic year. The Senior Scholar-Athlete Awards go to the men's and women's student-athletes who excel through the physical and time-management rigors of academics and athletics. The recipients are the student-athletes who have achieved the highest cumulative grade point average through the fall semester.

The Academic Teams of the Year also have been announced. The Academic Team award is presented to the men's and women's teams who collectively excel in the classroom and earn the highest cumulative team GPA through the fall semester. The women's cross country team has a team cumulative GPA of 3.63 and the Men's Tennis team has a cumulative GPA of 3.43.

As a Bearcat swimmer, Hakeman was named Second Team All-Northwest Conference in the 400-yard individual medley and the 1,650-yard freestyle at both the 2018 and 2019 NWC Championships. He placed fourth in the 400 I.M. both seasons, was sixth in the 1,650 freestyle in 2019 and was seventh in the 1,650 in 2018.

He achieved a career-best time of 4:13.75 in the 400 I.M. His top time in the 1,650 freestyle was 16:55.07. He registered his fastest time in the 500-yard freestyle at 4:49.41 twice, during competition at the NWC meet in 2018 and 2019.

Hakeman is a double major in Economics and English with a minor in History. He is from Bellingham, Washington. His academic success contributed to the Willamette men's swimming team earning CSCAA Scholar All-America honors several times.

Smith placed 35th at the 2018 NWC Cross Country Championships to help Willamette win the women's team title. Her career-best times in cross country were 19:30.3 for 5 kilometers and 22:53.5 for 6 kilometers.

In track and field, her top time in the 5,000-meter run was 22:53.5. This spring, she placed sixth in the 5,000 at the 2020 Willamette Opener.

Smith is a Biology major from Seattle, Washington. She helped the Willamette women's cross country and track and field teams earn All-Academic team recognition multiple times.