Coyote Sports Hall of Fame
Elizabeth (Hoffman) Nicholas ('12) was a three-time Summit League event champion and four-time All-Summit League swimmer. At the end of the 2024-25 season, she sits top-5 in three events (100 Free, 200 Free, 500 Free) and sits top-10 in a total of five events.
She was a two-time Summit League champion in the 200 Free (2010, 2011) and won the 50 Free in 2011. At the time of graduation, she held the program record in four events (100-, 200-, 500-, and 1,000-Freestyle), while also graduating with the DakotaDome pool record in the 200-Free (2:05.74, since broken).
Excelling in the pool, but also the classroom, Hoffman was awarded the prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2012.Following her time at South Dakota, she went onto medical school at USD's Sanford School of Medicine. She completed her residency in Family and Community Medicine at the University of New Mexico.
Nicholas and her husband, Robert, who is also an USD graduate, have four children: Jane, Oliver, Nora, and Thomas. They reside in Yankton, and both serve as physicians at the Yankton Medical Clinic.
