Courtesy: Gopher Sports
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota swimming and diving program’s team captains for the 2021-22 season have been officially chosen, as announced by head coach Kelly Kremer Thursday afternoon.
The five-swimmer crew taking the reins for the upcoming season are a well-decorated group. The men’s side features 2020-21 team captain Tom Donker and two-time NCAA Champion Max McHugh, while the women’s camp will be led by trio of seniors Olivia Bloomer, Emma Linscott and Kelli McCarthy.
“I am really excited about the student-athletes we have on this team, and the quality of people they have elected as our team captains really exemplifies this,” said Kremer on Thursday’s announcement. “We’re entering a year where we will be raising the bar significantly, and having great team captains to lead us will be critical if we are going to find the successes we are aiming for in 2021-22.”
Donker, the only returning captain of the bunch, will be entering his redshirt-senior season in 2021-22 after recording the best Big Ten Conference Championship meet of his career in 2021. The Zutphen, Netherlands native qualified for two individual finals sessions in the 100 butterfly and 200 backstroke, registering NCAA ‘B’ cut times in both events and a personal best individual Big Ten finish of 13th (100 fly) in the process. Already having one All-American nod on his resume, Donker will have his sights set on reaching even farther in what may be his final season donning the Maroon and Gold.
In terms of breaststroke speed, McHugh proved himself the fastest in the nation on multiple occasions in 2021, culminating in him claiming Minnesota’s first men’s NCAA swimming titles since 1964 at the 2021 NCAA Championships in both of the individual breast events. On top of the two national titles, the Sturgeon Bay, Wis. product also gained the title of 2021 Big Ten Men’s Swimmer of the Year, reset his own 100 and 200 breaststroke Minnesota school records and recorded the fifth, sixth, 12th, 14th and 17th fastest 100 breaststroke times in SCY history. With his senior season now on the horizon and list of accolades significantly longer, McHugh will be looking to improve on what has been arguably one of the most successful seasons in Minnesota history.
Bloomer, a Madison, Wis. native, secured four top-two spots over the two regular-season meets the Gophers competed in during 2020-21, including three trips to the top of the podium. For the second straight season, Bloomer managed to score for the Maroon and Gold in multiple events at the 2021 Big Ten Championships, with her best finish coming as a member of the sixth-place finishing 200 freestyle relay team. The 2020 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree is widely regarded amongst her peers as one of the hardest workers on the team, a trait she will bring with her to her newly assigned and well-deserved role as team captain.
Among the top butterfly specialists of either gender in the program, Linscott will bring her own set of intangibles to her 2021-22 role as team captain, including a plethora of mental toughness, drive and academic aptitude to name a few. Like Bloomer, the Mission Hills, Kan. native is coming off her best Big Ten Championship performance of her career, having helped three Gopher relay teams to sixth place finishes as well as securing a finals appearance in the 100 fly for the first time in her career. The 2020 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree managed to set personal best times in three events at the meet as well, giving just a glimpse of her potential for the upcoming season.
Alongside the pair of Linscott and Bloomer on the women’s side is fellow-senior and Edina, Minn. native Kelli McCarthy. The two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree will be entering her senior campaign after recording the best Big Ten Championships of her career in 2020 by clinching her first ever ‘A’ final appearance in the 400 IM. An eighth place finish and NCAA ‘B’ cut in the event capped the event for the mid-distance star, which she will look to repeat and improve upon in the upcoming year. Amongst her athletic prowess, McCarthy was awarded with a number of team honors following the conclusion of the 2020-21 season, including “Hardest Worker”, “Most Improved” and “Outstanding Student-Athlete”, all of which she will carry with her to her role as a Gopher team captain in the upcoming season.