Brendan McHughs Quest For Gold
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The National Swim Team covers some of Brendan's expenses but not all of them. The funds raised will be used to help fund competion and training expenses for the 2015 world championship and 2016 Olympic trials/games. Lets help Brendan pursue his dream of becoming an OLYMPIAN!!!
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Brendan Patrick McHugh is an American swimmer who specializes in breaststroke events. He is the current U.S. Open record holder in the 50 meters breaststroke. McHugh swam the 50 breaststroke in 27.10 seconds in a preliminary race at the U.S. National Championships in Irvine, Calif.
McHugh, 24, a resident of the Sicklerville section of Gloucester Township, proved his record performance was no fluke by returning to win the 50 breaststroke final in 27.24. "It's pretty cool to break the record, and it justifies all the swimming I've been doing since I graduated from Penn," McHugh said Saturday. "Breaking the record and winning the event feel equally good. I kept on swimming after college, and my times are better now."
McHugh swam for four years at the University of Pennsylvania before graduating as Captain of the swim team in 2012, and he only has gotten better at multiple events since then. He is entering his third year in law school at Washington & Lee University, in Virginia, this fall, where he is an editor on the law review and maintains a GPA within the top 10% of his class.
Brendan McHugh had taken a break from swimming, to pursue a law degree, but ended up getting back into the pool after volunteering to be an assistant coach at Washington and Lee, while he had a broken arm. The coach, Kami Gardner was skeptical that a law student would have the time, but agreed to give him a shot. Before long, McHugh was asking Gardner if he could get in the water with her athletes. And soon he was on the road to become one of the nation's best swimmers.
Somehow over the next 18 months - while he was making his way through his first two years of law school and serving as an intern for two summers at Philadelphia firms and coaching Division III athletes and lifting weights in the family garage with his younger brothers and sneaking in swims at pools in three states - McHugh developed into an athlete capable of setting a national record and capturing a national title.
McHugh was around 6-foot-3, 175 pounds as a senior at St. Augustine Prep. Now he's around 6-5, 220, with about 20 of those pounds the result of intense weight training over the last two years.
McHugh's gains in size and strength have been instrumental to his success. But those around him rave at McHugh's intelligence and focus and marvel at his ability to juggle the demands of law school while training to excel at the national level. His dedication and “laser-like focus” are also highlighted as key factors in McHugh’s recent success. His coach at the University of Pennsylvania commented that "He probably was the most driven, focused athlete I've ever coached, chasing a dream with an open heart, that's his specialty."
McHugh's family situation also has been a source of his success, as he has been driven both to honor his late father and to set an example for his four younger siblings. He was 15 when his father died of cancer. He said he felt an immediate responsibility to help his mother in raising his 4 siblings, who were 3, 4, 7, and 10 years younger.
"I had to grow up a lot earlier than other kids. I'm not sure how it directly impacted me," he said of the loss of his father. "I know I was a lot more conscious of things. I could be at a party and I was aware that I could screw up my future and there was nobody to bail me out."
McHugh earned a bachelor's degree from Penn with a dual major: classical studies, with a concentration in Latin, and science, technology and society, with a concentration in energy and environment. He was an academic all-American and the first Quakers swimmer in nearly 20 years to compete in the NCAA Division I championships.
McHugh prepared for the national championships while interning this summer with Drinker, Biddle & Reath, one of Philadelphia's largest and most prestigious law firms. His daily routine: two-hour workout at 6:30 a.m., full work day at the firm, then another two-hour training session at night, either in the pool or weight room. He did that six days a week, with Sundays off.
McHugh just graduated law school from Washington And Lee University. He will compete for the U.S. team at the world championships in Kazan, Russia, in July. "He's been training around his life - going to law school, interning in the summer," Sprang said. "Wait until he dedicates a full year to just training." McHugh finished his summer internship in late July. About a week later, he was on the top step of the podium as a national champion, with a national record to boot.
Because the 50-meter breaststroke isn't an Olympic sport, McHugh will focus on the 100- and 200-meter events. He believes his best races are ahead of him. "Every kid in the pool dreams of being an Olympic swimmer," McHugh said. "That's real for me now. I feel like I have a lot of potential that still is not tapped."
McHugh graduated Penn with school records in the 200 freestyle (1:37.31), 100 freestyle (44.86), 200 Individual Medley (1:47.04), 200 breaststroke (1:55.82), and 100 breaststroke (53.03). He also was part of the Penn 400 freestyle relay team, which set a school record of 2:59.13.
Other swimming honors include: Two-Tim Ivy League Champion; Two-Time Division 1 All-American Honorable Mention; Two-Time Academic All-American; Two-Time Ivy League Champion; Seven-Time All Ivy League; Three-Time Academic All Ivy League; Team Record Holder in 6 Individual Events and 4 Relays; 2011 & 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer’s Winter Sports Performer of the Year.
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Brendan Patrick McHugh is an American swimmer who specializes in breaststroke events. He is the current U.S. Open record holder in the 50 meters breaststroke. McHugh swam the 50 breaststroke in 27.10 seconds in a preliminary race at the U.S. National Championships in Irvine, Calif.
McHugh, 24, a resident of the Sicklerville section of Gloucester Township, proved his record performance was no fluke by returning to win the 50 breaststroke final in 27.24. "It's pretty cool to break the record, and it justifies all the swimming I've been doing since I graduated from Penn," McHugh said Saturday. "Breaking the record and winning the event feel equally good. I kept on swimming after college, and my times are better now."
McHugh swam for four years at the University of Pennsylvania before graduating as Captain of the swim team in 2012, and he only has gotten better at multiple events since then. He is entering his third year in law school at Washington & Lee University, in Virginia, this fall, where he is an editor on the law review and maintains a GPA within the top 10% of his class.
Brendan McHugh had taken a break from swimming, to pursue a law degree, but ended up getting back into the pool after volunteering to be an assistant coach at Washington and Lee, while he had a broken arm. The coach, Kami Gardner was skeptical that a law student would have the time, but agreed to give him a shot. Before long, McHugh was asking Gardner if he could get in the water with her athletes. And soon he was on the road to become one of the nation's best swimmers.
Somehow over the next 18 months - while he was making his way through his first two years of law school and serving as an intern for two summers at Philadelphia firms and coaching Division III athletes and lifting weights in the family garage with his younger brothers and sneaking in swims at pools in three states - McHugh developed into an athlete capable of setting a national record and capturing a national title.
McHugh was around 6-foot-3, 175 pounds as a senior at St. Augustine Prep. Now he's around 6-5, 220, with about 20 of those pounds the result of intense weight training over the last two years.
McHugh's gains in size and strength have been instrumental to his success. But those around him rave at McHugh's intelligence and focus and marvel at his ability to juggle the demands of law school while training to excel at the national level. His dedication and “laser-like focus” are also highlighted as key factors in McHugh’s recent success. His coach at the University of Pennsylvania commented that "He probably was the most driven, focused athlete I've ever coached, chasing a dream with an open heart, that's his specialty."
McHugh's family situation also has been a source of his success, as he has been driven both to honor his late father and to set an example for his four younger siblings. He was 15 when his father died of cancer. He said he felt an immediate responsibility to help his mother in raising his 4 siblings, who were 3, 4, 7, and 10 years younger.
"I had to grow up a lot earlier than other kids. I'm not sure how it directly impacted me," he said of the loss of his father. "I know I was a lot more conscious of things. I could be at a party and I was aware that I could screw up my future and there was nobody to bail me out."
McHugh earned a bachelor's degree from Penn with a dual major: classical studies, with a concentration in Latin, and science, technology and society, with a concentration in energy and environment. He was an academic all-American and the first Quakers swimmer in nearly 20 years to compete in the NCAA Division I championships.
McHugh prepared for the national championships while interning this summer with Drinker, Biddle & Reath, one of Philadelphia's largest and most prestigious law firms. His daily routine: two-hour workout at 6:30 a.m., full work day at the firm, then another two-hour training session at night, either in the pool or weight room. He did that six days a week, with Sundays off.
McHugh just graduated law school from Washington And Lee University. He will compete for the U.S. team at the world championships in Kazan, Russia, in July. "He's been training around his life - going to law school, interning in the summer," Sprang said. "Wait until he dedicates a full year to just training." McHugh finished his summer internship in late July. About a week later, he was on the top step of the podium as a national champion, with a national record to boot.
Because the 50-meter breaststroke isn't an Olympic sport, McHugh will focus on the 100- and 200-meter events. He believes his best races are ahead of him. "Every kid in the pool dreams of being an Olympic swimmer," McHugh said. "That's real for me now. I feel like I have a lot of potential that still is not tapped."
McHugh graduated Penn with school records in the 200 freestyle (1:37.31), 100 freestyle (44.86), 200 Individual Medley (1:47.04), 200 breaststroke (1:55.82), and 100 breaststroke (53.03). He also was part of the Penn 400 freestyle relay team, which set a school record of 2:59.13.
Other swimming honors include: Two-Tim Ivy League Champion; Two-Time Division 1 All-American Honorable Mention; Two-Time Academic All-American; Two-Time Ivy League Champion; Seven-Time All Ivy League; Three-Time Academic All Ivy League; Team Record Holder in 6 Individual Events and 4 Relays; 2011 & 2012 Philadelphia Inquirer’s Winter Sports Performer of the Year.
Organizer and beneficiary
Megan West- Morgan
Organizer
Sewell, NJ
Brendan McHugh
Beneficiary
