University of Minnesota Athletics
Players Mentioned
Fourth B1G Freshman of the Week Honors for McHugh
11/21/2018 11:51:00 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving
The Big Ten has recognized Max McHugh as the Freshman of the Week for the fourth time in just eight weeks, the conference announced Wednesday.
McHugh earns the award after swimming an "A" cut time of 51.73 in the 100-yard breaststroke at the Hawkeye Invite in Iowa City, Iowa, automatically qualifying him for a shot in the NCAA Championships this coming March.
McHugh's time of 51.73 set a meet record, besting the time of Notre Dame's Zack Stephens from 2014. He is one of only two swimmers in the nation to swim an "A" cut time in the 100 breast, the other being Ian Finnerty of Indiana.
While competing in the Hawkeye Invite, McHugh also contributed a split of 19.85 in the 200-yard freestyle relay and a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke (1:56.02) to help the Minnesota men take second overall at the meet..
McHugh received his first Freshman of the Week award on Oct.17 after taking first place in two breaststroke events while at Wisconsin. The week of Oct. 24 he claimed four event wins at Florida State to take home the Big Ten honors. He won the award last week after the Big Ten/ACC Challenge where he clocked the then-fastest time in the nation for the 200 breast and swam on a star-studded 200-medley relay team that came in first with a time of 1:24.26.
McHugh and the Gophers return to the Jean K. Freeman Aquatic Center on Nov. 29 - Dec. 1 as they play host to Iowa and South Dakota State for this year's Minnesota Invite.