Brophy Prep swimming again to state dominance at invitational

Phoenix Brophy Prep swimming is again after COVID derailed its dynasty.

After capturing back-to-back state championships the final two years, Brophy let or not it’s recognized that this may be as dominant a workforce as any in its wealthy historical past.

The Broncos gained the twentieth Brophy-Xavier Swimming and Diving Invitational on a scorching Saturday, Sept. 12, with 576 factors, beating the subsequent three groups mixed by greater than 400 factors.

Senior Patrick Dunn gained the 500-yard freestyle in 4 minutes, 40.42 seconds. He gained the five hundred state title as a sophomore. Dunn positioned second within the 200 free, which teammate Nolan Guidry gained in 1:43. Guidry additionally gained the 100 free in 46.97 seconds.

Brophy gained all three relays, opening with a meet file within the 200 medley in 1:35.90.

“They performed really well,” stated first-year Brophy head coach Bob Tolar. “Fast swims, especially for early in the season. They knew it was a state qualifier. I was really impressed. They took care of each other on a really hot day. They were able to stay hydrated and get it done.”

Dunn has led the rejuvenated Broncos, whose lengthy swimming dynasty ended throughout COVID-19 in 2020, when the Broncos needed to bow out of the state meet after swimmers contracted the coronavirus. That ended their streak of 32 state swimming and diving championships.

Tolar is the third coach in three years at Brophy, following Daren Brubaker and Pat O’Neill, who retired after main the Broncos to the state title final yr, wherein they set a state file with 582 factors in Division I.

Brubaker led Brophy to a state title in his final season in 2024, its first since 2019. O’Neill returned final yr to this system the place he helped construct the dynasty. It was Brophy’s forty fourth state championship and thirteenth beneath O’Neill.

Now it is Tolar’s flip. He served as an assistant at Brophy for the previous two seasons.

“It came (as) a surprise to us (the invitational score), but we’ve prepared really hard,” Dunn stated. “Doing well at the meet was an expectation. But by how much we won was a surprise.”

Tolar thinks the workforce’s swimmers can produce much more this yr. “I’ve been around these guys,” Tolar stated. “We’ve got talent at every level.”

Brophy has a number of swimmers who may seize particular person state titles this fall. Guidry, who’s 6-foot-5, seems like he was “born to swim,” Tolar stated.

“It’s definitely a legacy team,” Tolar stated. “I think the boys walk into it with that on their shoulders. I try to message them that they’re not entitled to the state championship. They have to go out and earn it. I was really happy to see them step up and compete at our invitational.”

Dunn stated restoring the dynasty is huge at Brophy, however sustaining the tradition is even greater.

“I think there is that want to be what we were,” Dunn stated. “But I think we’re trying to keep the culture inside the team, and trying to be supportive. Be really happy and courteous to each other. Have a really strong team culture (rather) than focused on that state title. That’s not the only thing that’s important to us. It’s important to have that balance.”

Ben Kar competed within the 100 free and 100 again and was the second leg on Brophy’s profitable 400 free relay workforce.

“Our aspirations are to win state again,” Kar stated. “I think we can do it. We have the team depth all across the board. I don’t think we lost anything from last year.”

Richard Obert has been overlaying highschool sports activities for the reason that Eighties for The Arizona Republic. Catch the very best highschool sports activities protection within the state. Sign up for Azcentral Preps Now. And remember to subscribe to our daily sports newsletters so you do not miss a factor. To recommend human-interest story concepts and different information, attain Obert at richard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, previously Twitter:@azc_obert