Returning first team All-Ivy Brendan McHugh certainly doesn’t lack dedication.
According to coach Mike Schnur, he is always one of the first swimmers in the pool and never misses practice.
So when the 6-foot-5 sophomore was nowhere to be found at the start of a scheduled Saturday morning practice, Schnur knew that something had happened.
As it turns out, the cell phone that McHugh uses as an alarm clock died while he was asleep, causing McHugh to wake up 15 minutes too late.
“All I could think was ‘oh shit I got to run to practice.’ I got up in my pajamas — and I never wear pajamas — put on a white sock, a black sock and grabbed a pair of shoes and ran out the door and when I got to practice everybody was already out of the pool,” McHugh recounted.
Barring more alarm clock malfunctions, when the men’s swimming team kicks off its season you can expect to see a lot of McHugh.
In his freshman season, the New Jersey native broke three school records in the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke as well as the 200-meter individual medley.
McHugh gained notice around the conference with a strong showing at the Ivy League Championships. His first-place finish in the 100 breaststroke earned him first team All-Ivy honors and he finished second and third in the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM, respectively.
But the then-rookie was not satisfied — especially finishing second to Princeton rival Jon Christiansen in the 200 breastroke.
“I have the results of the meet taped to my locker,” McHugh said. “Sometimes, when nobody else is around I look at it for inspiration. It reminds me what I’m working for.”
This season, the physically imposing McHugh has started a more intense lifting regiment which he hopes will power him to faster times.
Yet he will also be focused on improving mentally.
“Its not just about showing up everyday,” he said. “At this level you can’t rely on talent. It’s about swimming right, swimming smart.”
His most pressing goal is to qualify for the NCAA Championships in his three strongest events — the 100- and 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter individual medley — after coming up just short last season.
McHugh is also committed to adding the 400-meter IM and 200-meter freestyle to his list of shattered records.
In form, the sophomore bears certain similarities to all-purpose Olympian Michael Phelps.
They have a similar physique (Phelps is 6-foot-4) and rely on their iPods to focus prior to a race, though Phelps’ pre-race tracklist includes Lil‘ Wayne, Jay-Z and Young Jeezy while McHugh favors rock artists such as Rage against the Machine and Trapt (nothing “too seductive,” he says).
But don’t be too quick to compare the two swimmers.
“I actually hate Phelps,” McHugh said.
