Max McHugh Blast 49.95 100 Breast in Prelims to Become 2nd Man Under 50 Seconds

2022 NCAA DIVISION I MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

• March 23-26, 2022
• McAuley Aquatic Center, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia (Eastern Daylight Time)
• Prelims 10AM /Finals 6PM
• Short Course Yards (25 yards)
• Live Results
• Official Psych Sheets
• Virtual Championship Program
• SwimSwam Pick Em’s Contest
• Qualified relay teams
• Live stream link

Friday Prelim Heat Sheets

100 BREAST

• NCAA Record: Ian Finnerty (IU): 49.69
• NCAA Meet Record: Ian Finnerty (IU): 49.69
• American Record: Ian Finnerty (IU): 49.69
• US Open Record: Ian Finnerty (IU): 49.69
• Pool Record: Evgenii Somov (LOU): 51.13

Top 8 finishers:

1. Max McHugh (MINN- Senior): 49.95
2. Liam Bell (CAL- Junior): 50.66
3. Caspar Corbeau (TEX- Junior): 50.77
4. Reece Whitley (CAL- Senior): 50.87
5. Derek Maas (BAMA- Junior): 51.15
6. Dillon Hillis (FLOR- Senior): 51.27
7. Trent Pellini (USC- 5Y): 51.33
8. Jarel Dillard (TENN- Senior): 51.40

Minnesota senior Max McHugh wasted no time flexing his muscles in prelims of the 100 breast this morning. The defending NCAA champion in the event, McHugh ripped a new personal best and Georgia Tech pool record of 49.95. He was out incredibly fast, splitting 23.50 on the first 50, and was able to hold that speed really well, coming home in 26.45, just 2.95 seconds slower than his first 50.

McHugh is now the 2nd man ever to break 50 seconds in the SCY 100 breast. The other is NCAA and American Record holder Ian Finnerty, who broke the barrier on two separate occasions. Finnerty set the NCAA record in finals of the 2018 NCAAs with a 49.69, then swam a 49.85 in finals of the 2019 NCAAs. McHugh’s performance this morning marks just the 3rd time someone has been under 50 in the event, and it’s the first time someone has done so in prelims.

Not to be completely overshadowed, Cal junior Liam Bell had a massive swim this morning, finishing 2nd overall with 50.66. With the performance, Bell took 0.73 seconds off his previous best of 51.39, which he swam back in 2020. Moreover, Bell has vaulted all the way to #6 all-time in the event. Texas’ Caspar Corbeau, who swam a personal best of 50.77 this morning, has inched up into a tie for 8th in the all-time rankings.

Here is the updated all-time top 10 in the SCY 100 breast: