July 1, 2017
INDIANAPOLIS -- Penn State rising junior Ally McHugh (Philadelphia, Pa.) concluded a sensational showing at the Phillips 66 U.S. National Swimming Championships, winning her heat of the 1500-meter freestyle in 16:16.20 to place fourth overall Saturday afternoon in the IU Natatorium. The time ranks 12th in the world.
It was only the second time she had swam the mile in her career.
McHugh finished in the Top 12 in all four of the events she competed in at the National Championships for the week and surpassed all four of her personal bests entering the meet. She is the first Penn State women's swimmer since Kaitlin O'Brien in 2007 to put up a pair of top-eight finishes. O'Brien finished seventh in the 200 breaststroke and sixth in the 400 IM, while also placing 20th in the 200 IM.
"Ally put a great week together, and we're really pleased and happy for her, to say the least," said Penn State head coach Tim Murphy. "It's a bit of a quantum leap for her. She's taken a major step towards being a major player at this level, not just in this country, but in the world rankings now. She's doing the work and it's paying off."
McHugh capped her impressive week in the 1500m free Saturday, as she claimed the lead in her heat with 400 meters remaining and was dominant until the finish, touching nearly 13 seconds ahead of her next competitor.
In the 400m IM Thursday, McHugh became the first Nittany Lion woman to reach the finals at U.S. Nationals since Amy Modglin in 2010, placing fourth in 4:40.25 for the best finish by a Penn State women's swimmer since at least 2000. The time also ranks 29th in the world.
McHugh opened the week by placing 10th in the 800m freestyle on Tuesday. McHugh shaved 11 seconds off her prelim time, winning her heat in 8:35.01 seconds to also rank 41st in the world. McHugh's back 400 meters were the third fastest amongst all competitors (4:14.97), only getting bested by the top two finishers: Katie Ledecky (4:08.29) and Leah Smith (4:13.50). She touched third in the B-final of the 400m freestyle Friday in 4:11.74 to place 11th overall.
"She's basically taken what she did at Big Tens and NCAAs and taken just a huge, huge step. You don't come to this kind of meet and just slip into consols or slip into finals. Every stroke is well earned when you are swimming against the best, and it's reflective of the work she's put in up to this point in time. It's a lot of fun watching her get out of the pool with a smile and getting up on the award stand."
During the 2016-17 collegiate season, McHugh set Penn State records in the mile and 400 IM, reaching the consolation finals in both at the NCAA Championships with her record mile swim earning her a 10th-place finish. She also won silver in the 400 IM at the Big Ten Championships.
McHugh's performances may earn her a place at the World University Games, where former Penn State men's swimmer Shane Ryan has already qualified for with Ireland. Final U.S. selections will be announced next week. The games take place August 19-30 in Taipei, Taiwan.
"Ally has become a real leader for us in the pool," added Murphy. "Her results speak for themselves. She's really kind of laying the path down for the work ethic and culture we want in the program. We've had a lot of fun here in Indianapolis and now I think she's looking forward to going out and getting some pizza and ice cream!"