ARL ATHLETE: RISING STAR FINN McHUGH

BY MATTHEW DORON ’23

Q: What brought you to the UAHS varsity wrestling team?

A: Well, really, there was this one open spot at 113 pounds, I figured it was a good idea just to stay there before I dropped down to a weight class with some more people in it.

Q: Did you wrestle at all before high school or is this your first start in the wrestling world?

A: No, I started wrestling in the seventh grade after I took a break from the younger youth group wrestling. So I’ve been wrestling for a while.

Q: What makes you keep coming back to wrestling? What’s your favorite aspect of it, why do you like it, why that sport instead of other sports?

A: I like it because it’s an individual sport to me and I always like supporting my team. It is a team sport in a different aspect too, but I like it because I can really just leave it all on the mat. I like the physicality of it, I like the mental aspect of it, it’s just tough and I really like it.

Q: How do you think the season will go from here? With sectionals and the rest of the season?

A: Well I definitely think it’ll get tougher. The practices will definitely improve. It’ll keep being a bit harder but I have to keep working for it.

Q: How is being a freshman on a varsity team?

A: I’d say it’s a pretty different experience. I hold myself to a better standard. I try to work harder. It’s tougher, you’ve got to work harder so you can keep up with those varsity-level guys, because you’re sometimes wrestling basically grown men.

Q: Do you think it’s been a positive experience so far?

A: Definitely. I love wrestling, winning or losing, so it’s always a positive experience for me.

Q: What are your goals moving forward? What do you think your future looks like at UAHS wrestling?

A: I don’t know, I just want to keep working hard in the offseason. This season, I want to be the first freshman to qualify in 35 years for the state tournament. So I definitely have to work hard for that and I just want to keep going up and place higher.

Q: What’s been your favorite memory from wrestling?

A: Winning the Lee Spitzer tournament… My brother, he also won it as a freshman too so I liked it because I got to live up to his legacy, he was one of the captains for the team… about six years ago.

Q: What’s something people might not know about you?

A: I really, really, really love — like I can’t stay away from it — food. I love food. Fruits are my favorite. I love fruits; specifically, I love strawberries.