Max McHugh

Photo by: Bruce Kluckhohn

Max McHugh Big Ten Championship 100 Breast

Photo by: Dave Wegiel

Photo by: Bjorn Franke

Class:
Fifth Year
Position:
Breaststroke/Freestyle
Hometown:
Sturgeon Bay, Wis.
High School:
Sevastopol HS

PRONUNCIATION

Career Notes

4x NCAA Champion (one of five Gophers across all sports with at least four individual NCAA titles)
- 100 breast // 2021, 2022, 2023
  - just the seventh male in NCAA history to win three straight 100 breast titles and the eighth to win three titles overall in the event
- 200 breast // 2021
9x All-American
7x Big Ten Champion (most individual B1G swim titles in school history)
- 100 breast // 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
- 200 breast // 2021, 2022, 2023
Holds school record in 100 breast (49.90) and 200 breast (1:48.76)
Also school record holder in 200 medley relay (1:23.43)
Holds Big Ten Championship Meet record in 100 breast (50.19, 2021) and 200 breast (1:49.45, 2022)

Career Honors & Awards

Unanimous 2021 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year
- First ever to receive a unanimous decision for the award since the Big Ten began recording voting tallies in 2003
2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year
4x First Team All-Big Ten (2020-23)
7x Big Ten Swimmer of the Week
7x Big Ten Freshman of the Week
2x First Team CSCAA Scholar All-American (2020, 2023)
2023 Academic All-Big Ten honoree
3x Team MVP (2021-23)
Named Hardest Worker at 2022 team banquet
Winner of Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (GPA of 3.50+) at 2023 team banquet

2022-23 Fifth-Year Senior Season: Team captain ... First-Team All-Big Ten ... Academic All-Big Ten honoree ... named Most Valuable and winner of Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (GPA of 3.50+) at team banquet ... NCAAs: won his third straight 100 breast title (50.00) and took third in the 200 breast (1:49.91); also part of the 200 medley relay that took 19th (1:23.43) ... Big Tens: swept the 100 breast (50.80) and 200 breast (1:50.20) titles for the third year in a row; also part of the 400 medley relay that came in fourth (3:07.01) and the 200 medley relay that was sixth (1:24.21) ... First Chance Meet: earned first in the 100 breast (51.56) ... Northwestern/Purdue Tri-Dual: took first in the 100 breast (52.07) and 200 breast (1:54.96); also part of the winning 200 medley relay (1:24.75) and the 200 free relay that took fifth (1:21.48) ... Minnesota Invite: tied for first in the 100 breast and came in second in the 200 breast (1:52.77); also part of the 200 medley relay that came in fourth (1:25.19), the 400 medley relay that was seventh (3:08.88), the 200 free relay that was 15th (1:20.61) and the 400 free relay that was 17th (2:58.74) ... Wisconsin Dual: claimed first in the 100 breast (53.43) and 200 breast (1:57.51); also part of the 200 medley relay that claimed second (1:27.79) and the 400 free relay that was third (3:02.74) ... St. Thomas/South Dakota State Tri-Dual: took first in the 200 breast (1:57.40) and fourth in the 50 free (21.19); also part of the 200 medley relay that took first (1:28.38) and the 400 free relay that competed in an exhibition (3:02.43) ... SMU Dual: finished first in the 100 breast (53.07) and 200 breast (1:56.84); also part of the 200 medley relay (1:28.17) and 400 medley relay (3:14.11) that both finished first, and the 200 free relay (1:23.29) and 400 free relay (3:03.58) that both were third

2021-22 Senior Season: Team captain · named Most Valuable and Hardest Worker at team banquet • became the third Gopher ever to repeat as national champion when he won the 100 breast in a school record time of 49.90, the second fastest in history, at the NCAA Championships; also came in as runner-up in the 200 breast in a school record time of 1:48.76 • Big Ten champion in both the 100 breast (50.67) and 200 breast (1:49.45) at the Big Ten Championships • swept the 100 (50.58) and 200 breast (1:52.57) and placed eighth in the 50 free (20.52) in a tri-dual against Northwestern and Purdue; also led the 200 medley relay (1:24.98) to victory, a 200 free relay to third (1:19.75) and a 400 free relay to fourth (2:58.97) • won the 100 breast (52.28) and 200 breast (1:56.23) in a tri-dual versus Wisconsin and Michigan; also helped a 200 medley relay (1:27.35) to first place and a 400 free relay (2:58.51) to second place • at the Minnesota Invite, finished second in the 100 breast finals (51.07) and third in the 200 breast finals (1:51.27), posting 'A' cuts in both events en route to winning Big Ten Swimmer of the Week honors; also took 46th in the 50 free prelims (20.63) and helped the 200 medley relay to an eighth-place finish (1:25.56), 400 medley relay to 10th (3:10.14), 400 free relay to 12th (2:57.83) and 200 free relay to 14th (1:20.30) · won the 100 breast (52.73, 'B' cut), 200 breast (1:56.14, 'B' cut), and 200 medley relay (1:27.27) and took second in the 400 free relay (3:01.46) versus Wisconsin · finished first in the 200 free relay (1:22.17), 200 medley relay (1:28.83) and was second in the 50 free (20.98) against St. Thomas · won the 100 breast (53.34, 'B' cut), 200 breast (1:57.05, 'B' cut), and 400 medley relay (3:15.24), and took second in the 400 free relay (3:04.52) at Purdue.

2020-21 Junior Season: Unanimously named the 2021 Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, becoming the first ever to receive a unanimous decision for the award since the Big Ten began recording voting tallies in 2003 · at the 2021 NCAA Championships, became an NCAA Champion in both the 100 breast (50.18) and 200 breast (1:49.02), effectively capturing Minnesota’s first men’s swimming title since 1964 and first men’s NCAA title since 1996 · secured two Big Ten titles at the 2021 Big Ten Championships, outpacing the field and touching first in the 100 breast (50.19) and the 200 breast (1:50.93) · swept the individual breast events against Iowa, finishing first in the 100 breast (50.55) and the 200 breast (1:53.17) · touched first in the 100 breast (50.63) and the 200 breast (1:53.78) during the Wisconsin/Purdue tri-dual · First Team All-Big Ten · named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week after both of the Gophers regular season meets · added two All-American nods to up his career total to five · set Minnesota team records in both the 100 breast (50.18) and 200 breast (1:49.02) · set the Big Ten Championships meet record in the 100 breast (50.19) · tallied the top-six fastest 100 breast times in the nation for the 2020-21 season · recorded the fifth (50.18), sixth (50.19), tied for 12th (50.55), 14th (50.59) and 17th (50.63) fastest 100 breast times, as well as the eighth (1:49.02) fastest 200 breast time in NCAA history throughout the year* · registered the fastest 50 breast relay split (22.40) and the sixth fastest 100 breast relay split (50.09) in NCAA history at the 2021 Big Ten Championships* · named “Team MVP” by team at the end-of-season team award banquet.

*As of the conclusion of the 2020-21 NCAA season

2019-20 Sophomore Season: Swam nation’s top time of the 2019-20 season in the 100 breast (50.67) and third-fastest time in the country in the 200 breast (1:51.80) earning CSCAA All-American in both events · All-Big Ten First Team in the 100 breast · claimed the Big Ten Championship in the 100 breast (50.67) with an NCAA ‘A’ cut time while setting a new pool record at Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center · earned a podium finish in the 200 breast at the Big Ten Championships, taking third place with an NCAA ‘A’ cut time of 1:51.80 · finished first in the 100 breast (53.79) and second in the 200 breast (2:01.94) against Purdue and Northwestern · notched three first place finishes in the 200 Medley Relay (1:29.07), 100 breast (52.93) and 200 breast (1:56.84) during the USC dual · touched first in both the 100 breast (52.60) and the 200 breast (1:55.56) versus Hawaii · earned his third Big Ten Swimmer of the Week (Dec. 11) award of the season for his performance at the Minnesota Invite · finished first in the 100 breast (50.74) and second in the 200 breast (1:51.62), while notching NCAA “A” Cuts in both events at the Minnesota Invite · received the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week (Nov. 13) award for the second consecutive dual meet following his performance against Wisconsin · won both the 100 breast (52.59) and 200 breast (1:56.41) versus the Badgers while registering the nation’s fastest time of the season in the 100 breast and third-fastest time in the 200 breast · named Big Ten Swimmer of the Week (Oct. 30) for his performance against Iowa · took first place in both the 100 breast (53.60) and 200 breast (1:58.02) versus Iowa, while helping the 200 medley relay team to a first place finish as well (1:28.87) · First Team CSCAA Scholar All-American.

2018-19 Freshman Season: Earned All-America honors in the 100 breast and 200 breast, and Honorable Mention All-America honors in the 400 medley relay. • at the NCAA Championships, was part of the 400 medley relay that placed 10th (3:04.70), finished third in the 100 breast (50.52), second in the 200 breast (1:49.41) • at the Big Ten Championships, helped the 200 Medley relay (1:24.62) to a fifth-place finish and the 400 Medley (3:05.46) to a third-place finish, finished second in the 100 breast (51.08) and second in the 200 breast (1:52.40) • Placed first at the 100 breast (53.57), fourth in the 200 IM (1:53.04) and first in the 200 breast (1:54.72) • Finished first in the 100 breast (54.04) at the Hawaii Dual • At the Minnesota Invite, took first in both the 100 breast (52.14) and the 200 breast (1:56.19) • At the Iowa Invitational, finished first in the 100 breast (51.73) and second in the 200 breast (1:56.02) • Finished first in the 100 breast (54.12), the 200 breast (1:58.34), and the 200 IM (1:52.57) at the Florida State Dual • Took first in both the 100 breast (54.44) and the 200 breast (1:57.91)

High School/Club: Wisconsin 2018 High School Male Swimmer of the Year and Play of the Year award winner • Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 2 2018 State Champion in 50 free (20.34) and 100 breast (51.62), setting a National Public High School Record.in the 100 breast • Second in 100-meter breast (1:02.73) and sixth in 200-meter at 2017 Minneapolis Speedo Champions Series. • First place finishes in the 100-yard breast (53.38) and 200 breast (1:56.35) at 2017 YMCA Short Course National Championships. • Four-first place finishes at the 2017 Wisconsin YMCA State Championships in the 50-yard free (20.80), 100 free (45.49), 100 breast (52.46) and 200 breast (1:59.48).

Personal: Son of Mike and Mary Claire McHugh • brother, Conner McHugh, was a Gopher swimmer and NCAA All-American • Psychology major.