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.