COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Penn State senior and reigning U.S. National Champion in the women's 400-meter individual medley Ally McHugh (Philadelphia, Pa.) was named to the 2018-19 USA Swimming Women's National Team for a second consecutive season, USA Swimming announced.
Accordingly, Penn State head coach Tim Murphy was among 83 coaches named National Team Coaches.
McHugh earned her place on the team by virtue of her strong performances at the USA Swimming Phillips 66 Nationals in July, and she also claimed three top-10 finishes at the Pan Pacific Championships in August. Her times in the 400m IM, 800m free and 1500m free all rank in the top 10 in the world this year.
McHugh is one of 54 women on the team, all of which ranked amongst the top six swimmers in at least one individual Olympic event. She is also one of 15 out of the 111 total members on the team to qualify in three or more events.
At Nationals, McHugh's personal-best time of 4:34.80 in the 400m IM earned her gold and was the fourth-fastest time in the world in the event for the year. It also made her Penn State's first women's swimming U.S. National Champion. In the 1500m freestyle, McHugh shaved off more than 13 seconds from her previous best to win the silver medal in 16 minutes, 2.56 seconds, a time which ranks as the 10th fastest in the world for the year.
At PanPacs, McHugh recorded three top-10 finishes with qualifying times in both the 400m IM and freestyle. McHugh was able to cut her personal-best in the 400m free by three seconds, finishing the race in 4:08.72.
McHugh has seen dramatic improvement in long course events since arriving in Happy Valley.
400m IM
Before Penn State: 4:52.05
At Penn State (2017): 4:40.23 (6th USA/30th World)
At Penn State (2018): 4:34.80 (1st USA/4th World)
Difference (Before PSU to 2018): 17.25 seconds
Difference (2017-2018): 5.43 seconds
400m Free
Before Penn State: 4:28.19
At Penn State (2017): 4:11.74 (17th USA/69th World)
At Penn State (2018): 4:08.72 (9th USA/30th World)
Difference (Before PSU to 2018): 19.47 seconds
Difference (2017-2018): 3.02 seconds
800m Free
Before Penn State: 9:24.12
At Penn State (2017): 8:35.01 (12th USA/46th World)
At Penn State (2018): 8:24.22 (4th USA/9th World)
Difference (Before PSU to 2018): 59.90 seconds
Difference (2017-2018): 10.79 seconds
1500m Free
Before Penn State: 18:25.83
At Penn State (2017): 16:16.20 (6th USA/15th World)
At Penn State (2018): 16:02.56 (4th USA/10th World)
Difference (Before PSU to 2018): 2:23.37
Difference (2017-2018): 13.64 seconds
McHugh's 2017-18 season for Penn State before the summer was highlighted by her standout performances at both the Big Ten and NCAA Championships. Shattering her own Penn State record of 15:59.03 in the 1650-yard freestyle, McHugh claimed her first Big Ten title and also set a new meet record with a swim of 15:43.34. She also won silver in the 400 IM. McHugh improved in the mile at the NCAA Championships, breaking her own record again with a historic swim of 15:36.27 to place second. The swim made her Penn State's highest-finishing swimmer all-time at the NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships and the program's third NCAA medalist.
McHugh is the first Penn Stater to swim on the U.S. National Team since Shane Ryan did so on the men's side in 2013-14, and the first Penn State woman since Kaitlin O'Brien represented the United States at the 2007 Japan International Grand Prix. Previous Nittany Lion women with U.S. national team experience beyond the World University Games were Claire Hawley (2006) and Margy Keefe (2005) on the U.S. Open Water Teams, and two-time Olympic bronze medalist (1992 & 96) diver Mary Ellen Clark.
Benefits offered to USA Swimming National Team members include reimbursement for travel to USA Swimming arena Pro Swim Series meets and training camp opportunities. Select athletes are eligible for monthly assistance and elite athlete health insurance. A full list of opportunities available to members of the National Team is available online at usaswimming.org.
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State swimming and diving teams during the season. Follow the team on Twitter at @PennStateSWIM and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstateswimminganddiving.
Ally McHugh