Last DII champ Ladwig still on top

The last NCAA Division II national champion in South Dakota program history will be inducted to the Henry Heider Coyote Sports Hall of Fame this weekend.

It’s a little piece of history where Emma (Erickson) Ladwig stamped her name in the Coyote record books. Her two national titles – part of six All-America accolades from her freshman season – were just the start of her record-breaking career. She stayed with the Coyotes throughout the program’s transition to NCAA Division I, winning conference championships in the NCC, Great West Conference and the Summit League. She was one of the seven Coyotes to qualify for the program’s first NCAA West Preliminary, the preliminary round for the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Ladwig still holds onto the South Dakota program records in the indoor and outdoor 800 meters from 2010.

Growing up in nearby Gayville, South Dakota, Ladwig knew the success of the women’s track and field program at USD prior to the recruiting process. The team won four-straight NCC titles leading into her freshman year. Ladwig recalled coach Lucky Huber’s home visit and the nerves that came along with it.

“I didn’t have much confidence going into the recruiting process,” Ladwig reminisced. “I remember asking ‘What happens if I don’t meet up to your expectations?’ and Lucky kind of laughed it off.

“I fell in love with USD right away and Lucky certainly solidified it. He had a reputation of recruiting the Midwest and taking girls who were sprinters and making them into solid 400 and 800 runners in college.”

Those nerves continued for Ladwig coming in as a freshman, but she took advantage of the opportunity to be teammates with Hall of Famer Stephanie Gebhart and Ramsey Kavan – a pair of local standouts she had idolized growing up.

“Was I terrified to do workouts against Steph and Ramsey? Absolutely.” Ladwig laughed. “But I truly think that made me a stronger runner, both physically and mentally. Coaches would bounce me back and forth, doing a speed day with Steph or going over to Ramsey’s group for an endurance workout, and getting my butt kicked. It was good for me though, because once meet days came around, they felt easier than track practice. I had gotten so used to intense workouts with these really great athletes.”

That training paid off for Ladwig as the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships approached. She had accomplished her goal of making the Coyotes’ distance medley relay alongside Gebhart, Fitzsimmons and Rosalie Brueske. The quartet went on to finish runner-up at the national meet, however the standout performance of the weekend was Ladwig’s in the open 800.

“That last lap of the eight indoors, I didn’t know where anyone behind me was,” Ladwig reminisced. “I was just pumping my arms and thinking ‘please, please, please’ because I knew at any moment someone could come up behind me and I didn’t know if I had the best kick.

“After crossing the finish line, I remember being exhausted but also super excited. I had never imagined winning, but it was so cool. And to top it off it was in Mankato, which was close enough that my parents were able to be there too.”

Ladwig went on to make more history that season by defending her title in the 800 meters at the NCAA Division II Outdoor Championships in Walnut, California. She became the first freshman in program history to win two national titles in the same year.

South Dakota began the transition to NCAA Division I the next year. With it came a unique time for the Coyotes with more travel and the move to the widespread Great West Conference that covered a footprint from New Jersey to Utah and North Dakota to Texas.

“Growing up in small-town South Dakota, we didn’t really wander much past Howard Wood or the state track meet,” Ladwig said. “It was cool to travel the country and see these well-known track meets.

“The travel that came with moving to Division I was unique. I remember thinking ‘Can I keep up with school?’ at first. And then it became the norm. It was like okay, we’re flying to California this week or this week we’re going to the Kansas Relays or now we’re flying to Utah.”

During the transition, outdoor track and field was selected as South Dakota’s one sport to be “fast tracked” to Division I eligibility. This meant the track and field athletes were eligible for the 2011 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, two full years prior to the rest of the athletic department.

The early eligibility meant Ladwig was one of a select number of athletes to compete at both the NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I national meets. Ladwig was one of seven athletes to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary in the Coyotes’ first season of eligibility. She returned to the preliminary meet in 2012.

“The atmosphere made it an awesome experience,” said Ladwig. “I remember looking at the times after qualifying and they were just neck and neck. You’re looking at this list of 48 people that are all running 2:05 to 2:07 and it comes within hundredths of a second. It’s mentally tough because you have to go out there and PR just to advance.”

Ladwig’s indoor and outdoor personal bests, which remain South Dakota program records, came during the 2010 season. Her overall best time of 2:06.83 came during the indoor season at the Iowa State Classic, a time that would have ranked 26th on the NCAA Division I charts.

“When looking back, I have the most fond memories of times with my teammates,” said Ladwig. “I always loved running relays, whether it was winning the Drake Relays flag for Steph or getting to do a 4x800 with Natalie [Newman] at the Sioux City Relays.”

Ladwig had a hand in four of the Coyotes’ team conference titles during her career. She went 8-for-8 in 800-meter titles across three different conferences – North Central, Great West and Summit League – and completed her career with 20 conference titles in all.

In addition to her success on the track, Ladwig was a standout student and was a recipient of an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in 2012. She went on to earn her doctorate of physical therapy from USD and these days works as a physical therapist and clinic manager at Athletico Physical Therapy on Cherry Street in Vermillion. She stays connected to the team as Huber sends athletes interested in physical therapy to shadow her.

“I love USD,” Ladwig said. “I have great memories from my time at USD and the people that I met along the way. This event especially has brought up a lot of fun track memories for me and I hope to see a few more friends that come back to visit this weekend.”

Ladwig and her husband, Adam, have four boys, Will, Gale, Eli and Luke.