Travis Taylor | Lariat Photo Editor
Sports Writer
What you see isn’t always what you get when it comes to senior midfielder Kat Ludlow.
On the field she sets the tone of the game with her physical play, but in her free time, one can find her baking or crafting.
“She is very quirky and is really weird,” senior defender Taylor Heatherly said. “She’s the total package. She loves to cook and bake, but then she loves interesting music and then she’s really crafty. She has a little bit of everything, but then all of a sudden, she loves science and she wants to be a physical therapist.”
Ludlow, who said she will only wear white cleats, began to play soccer at a young age with her best friend. As she continued playing, she has formed many friendships, which she cherishes. Baylor’s sense of community has been one of her favorite aspects of Baylor soccer.
“The family and the friendships,” Ludlow said. “These girls are my best friends and we all help each other grow so much. I have become such a better person because of these girls. The ones that are older than me, the ones that are younger than me, they have all formed me to be a much more spiritually grown person. There’s such a difference between my freshman year until now.”
Prior to Baylor, Ludlow didn’t contact many college coaches, but Baylor assistant coach Chuck Codd saw her play in Houston and recruited her after that. That day was a blessing for Ludlow, she said, because it enabled her to go through this journey. While Ludlow has many fond memories of the time spend at Baylor, there is one that makes the top of the list.
“Winning the Big 12 Championship was really cool,” Ludlow said. “We had such a good team that year. We were so united and to have that year is such an honor to those girls to get that award.”
With hopes of winning another Big 12 Championship, Ludlow has been putting her team first and helping the defense set the tone of the game. While Ludlow plays as a midfielder, she is still an integral part of the team defense as she locks down on opposing players.
“She leads by making the plays and sacrificing her body day in and day out,” co-head coach Marci Jobson said. “The girls see that, they know that, and they know that she will do whatever she can to try to keep that ball out of the net.”
Ludlow’s impact can also be felt on the offensive side, as she contributes to the committee scoring. Ludlow has scored three goals this season and tacked on an assist. Her play-making ability earns the respect of her teammates.”
“She works hard,” Heatherly said. “She’s gritty, she has passion. She has all the components that it takes to be a leader on the field and people can see it.”
Ludlow doesn’t just succeed on the field. Ludlow has made the Academic All-Big 12 first team in 2011 and 2012.
She has made multiple Dean’s Lists and has achieved Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll five times. She is also the first Baylor soccer player to be a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award, which awards notable achievements in the community, classroom, character and competition.
“She excels at whatever she does,” Heatherly said. “She’s an awesome baker, she’s awesome at crafting and she’s awesome at this. She is unique.”
