A four-year starter for the women’s soccer team, Jennifer Ludemann '13 ended her career setting the school record for minutes played with 7,042. As a freshman, she helped the Seahawks win their first Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) title. A two-time team captain, she earned CAA All-Tournament Team as a senior. After five years on the UNCW women’s soccer staff, the talented defender is now giving back to the Wilmington community with the March 1 launch of her running club.
The Wilmington Run Club will meet every Friday at 6:30 a.m. at local coffee shops, starting with UNCW alumni-owned business Social Coffee in March. It is a free group that will run 2-to-5-mile routes. All paces and ages are welcome! The coffee shops will offer discounts and rewards for our runners.
She reflects on her Seahawk experience in this latest Hawk's Eye View.
Jennifer Ludemann with members of the UNCW Women's Soccer Team and adopted teammate Baylee Adkins. Photo Credit: Lydia McIntosh
It feels like just the other day, I was walking around campus for the first time as a high school recruit, trying to decide where I wanted to spend my college years playing soccer. UNC Wilmington checked all the boxes! It is a beautiful campus that was not too far from my family and had a great soccer program with strong leadership.
My years wearing the Seahawk jersey and getting my education turned out to be even better than I expected. We made history as a group and I was fortunate to play an important role for the team on and off the field.
I have a lot of Seahawk pride from my college career. Academically, I really enjoyed my studies. I loved my major classes and found new interests along the way. Every professor I had supported my athletic aspirations while helping me perform at a high level in the classroom. Because of all the support I had, I was able to graduate summa cum laude.
The people in my life during college could have let me be satisfied with all of this, but thankfully, they pushed me and allowed me to dream really big dreams.
I finished my final exam as a senior, and the next day, I was on a flight to Finland to pursue my professional soccer career! I never thought something like this was possible, but my time in college gave me the confidence and the courage to go after what I loved doing.
As the story goes on, I find myself back on campus five years later, but this time as a coach, not a student-athlete. What an honor it was to lead and support players walking down the same path I had. It was my chance to give back all I received from my coaching staff years before.
Those five seasons working with the team were special and I would not trade them for anything. I found my passion for encouraging and supporting student-athletes while they navigated their own college years on and off the field.
UNC Wilmington taught me community is really what it is all about! Surround yourself with positive people who push you and pick you up. If you do, you will go further and achieve more than you could have imagined.
This idea has led me to start a new community here in Wilmington. On March 1, I will be leading the Wilmington Run Club. We are partnering with local coffee shops around town, many of which are owned by UNCW alumni. We are not trying to break any records or win any races, but we want to build a community of like-minded people who want to show up for each other, have fun and meet new people!