McHugh, Sachtjen, Bloomer & Butler Named Minnesota Team Captains For 2022-23

MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota swimming and diving teams have chosen their captains for the 2022-23 season, head coach Kelly Kremer announced Tuesday.

The men’s side will be led by three-time NCAA champion Max McHugh and fellow school record holder Desmon Sachtjen, while the women’s squad has tabbed Olivia Bloomer for the second straight year, as well as three-time CSCAA Second Team Scholar All-American Rachel Butler.

Back for his fifth year of competition and second season as team captain, McHugh is looking to add to his legacy as one of the best swimmers in program history. The Sturgeon Bay, Wis., native is coming off a 2021-22 season where he claimed his third career NCAA title by posting the second fastest time in history as he captured the 100 breast (49.90). In the process, he became just the ninth Gopher in Minnesota history, across all sports, to win at least three individual titles.

He followed that up by finishing runner-up in the 200 breast (1:48.76) at NCAAs, breaking conference and school records in both events. In addition, McHugh swept the breaststroke titles at the Big Ten Championships for the second year in a row. In all, he won 13 individual races and six relays.

A senior from Lodi, Wis., Sachtjen is looking to build off a successful junior campaign, the highlight of which was setting the school record in the 200 back (1:42.10) in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships. In addition, his prelim time in the 100 back (46.71) puts him second all-time at Minnesota. He also received team accolades at the end-of-season team banquet as he was named winner of the Hardest Worker Award, Most Improved Award, Iron Fish Award (going above and beyond in performance training), Jerry McCaul Award (enthusiasm and dedication to the sport) and Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (GPA of 3.50+).

A 2022 CSCAA Second Team Scholar All-American and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2021-22), Sachtjen also tied for the top time last year on the team in the 200 IM (1:46.46) and was leadoff for the fastest 400 medley relay (3:10.14). He posted two individual race wins last year and was part of three relay victories.

Bloomer, a Madison, Wis. native, enters her second season as a team captain and her fifth campaign with the Golden Gophers. Last year, she was part of the Minnesota contingent at the NCAA Championships as she competed in the 200 free relay and 400 free relay. Individually, her season was highlighted by an 18th-place finish in the 50 free and 26th-place finish in the 100 free at the Big Ten Championships. In addition, she swam second in the 200 free relay at Big Tens that set a school record at 1:27.92.

Bloomer was named a 2022 CSCAA First Team Scholar All-American and was honored at the team banquet as a winner of the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (GPA of 3.50+). Bloomer, who won two individual races and a relay race last year, enters 2022-23 ranked sixth all-time at Minnesota in the 50 free (22.26) and 15th in the 100 free (49.52).

Butler is coming off a junior season where she placed 17th in the 400 IM finals, 22nd in the 200 back finals and 23rd in the 200 IM finals at the Big Ten Championships. Hailing from Cottonwood Heights, Utah, Butler was tabbed a winner of the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award (GPA of 3.50+) at last year’s team banquet and is a three-time CSCAA Second Team Scholar All-American and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree in her career. She secured victories in a pair of dual meets last season individually.

She currently ranks 13th all-time at Minnesota in the 200 IM (1:59.84) and 400 IM (4:15.07) and 14th in the 200 back (1:57.87).

The 2022-23 season unofficially kicks off Sept. 30 when Minnesota hosts its alumni meet and intrasquad scrimmage, while the season gets underway for real on Oct. 15 when the team travels to Nebraska as the women face the Huskers and South Dakota, while the men will take on the Coyotes.