Q&A: Gophers swimmer Max McHugh on winning 3rd consecutive 100 breast national title

Swimming in his home pool on the eve of the completion of his collegiate career, Minnesota fifth-year senior Max McHugh accomplished his three-peat in the 100 breast last weekend at the 2023 NCAA Division I Championships.

KSTP Sports spoke with McHugh about the amazing accomplishment.

***Click the video box above to watch our conversation with McHugh***

McHugh was the top seed after swimming 50.26 in Friday morning’s prelims. He came back in the finals against a loaded field that featured four other swimmers that also went under 51.00.

Despite the worthy adversaries, the Sturgeon Bay, Wis., native led wire-to-wire. He went out in 23.37, .02 ahead of his competitors. McHugh then covered the final 50 yards in 26.63 seconds, while only one other swimmer was under 27.00 over the same stretch and that was still .32 behind McHugh.

McHugh touched the wall at exactly 50.00, the third fastest time of his career, trailing only his two sub-50 performances at last year’s NCAA Championships. The time was also .60 ahead of the field.

With the win, McHugh becomes the seventh male in NCAA history to win three straight 100 breast titles, the first since Arizona’s Kevin Cordes won four straight from 2012-15. McHugh is also the eighth swimmer to win at least three 100 breast titles in his career.

Coupling his three-peat with his 2021 title in the 200 breast, McHugh now has four individual NCAA titles. That makes him the fifth Gopher across all sports to reach that number.

McHugh finished in third last weekend in the 200 breast.