Bronco Athletics: The 2022-23 Year in Review

7/28/2023

The Brophy College Preparatory Athletic Program had an outstanding year that included a national championship, three state titles, and three state runner-up finishes, as well as many individual accomplishments.

The fall season was highlighted by the first of three state championships. The golf team, led by the Arizona Republic and Premier Region Coach of the Year Jon Shores, swept the AIA Division I competition, bringing home the team trophy and individual titles. The Broncos set a scoring record led by individual champion Tyler Spielman ’24 and runner-up Charlie Palmer ’23, who will play golf at Princeton next year.

The swimming and diving team placed third at the Division I meet behind collegiate signees Gabriel Gonda (Georgetown) and Finnigan Crawford (Boston College). The cross country team was eighth overall with Zach Loiselle (Loyola Marymount) the top finisher. Football reached the playoffs after a strong finish in regular season play.

Winter sports were no less exciting. The basketball team, coached by Matt Hooten, played in the first-ever AIA Open Division playoff bracket as the No. 6 seed before making a run in the 6A conference finals, ultimately losing 63-61 to Highland in double OT at Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Longtime coach Marc Kelly returned to the soccer pitch and led the Broncos to a 6A semifinal appearance. Senior David Sweetman, who reached the championship final in his weight class, led the wrestling team. The archery program, led by Lisa Fischer, shot its way to a third straight NASP state championship.

Lacrosse won its second straight title to highlight the spring sports season. Both the rugby and tennis programs lost in the state championship finals to cap great seasons. Hadley Kukla ’23 and Andre Johnson ’24 paired up to win the Division I boys tennis doubles title. Coach Eric Chalmers ’10 was named the Division I Boys Tennis Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

Volleyball was a state semifinalist and posted a 37-9 record behind the play of Premier Region Offensive Player of the Year Connor Oldani ’24. The team won the Las Vegas Easter Invitational during the season.

Senior Brennen McHenry, who will compete for the University of Texas, is a finalist for the Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year. He won two state titles (Division I and Open long jump titles). McHenry medaled in three events overall at the first-ever AIA Open Championship, finishing fifth in the high jump and sixth as the anchor in the 4x100-meter relay. Track and field placed seventh overall at the state championships.

In baseball, Premier Region Defensive Player of the Year catcher Lucas Franz ’23 helped the baseball team make a playoff run.

The ESports Brophy Zephyr Overwatch2 team completed the season with the top honor, taking the national title in the PlayVS Cup for the second consecutive time. They also won the PlayVS Mountain Region title as all five ESports programs represented the school in the postseason. Last fall, USA TODAY named Brophy the top ESports program in the country.

Overall, 31 student-athletes earned All-State honors and 72 were All-Region selections, and 261 athletes garnered SportsAZ360 All-Academic accolades.

The basketball and volleyball teams earned the prestigious AIA Sportsmanship Awards given out by the AIA for each sport.

2022-23 Brophy College Preparatory Collegiate Commitments

Twenty seniors signed up to play collegiate sports.

Jack Budnick, Baseball, Paradise Valley Community College
J.T. Craig, Baseball, United States Military Academy West Point
Finnegan Crawford, Swimming, Boston College
James DeCremer, Baseball, Oregon State University
Adler De La Rosa, Baseball, Bethany Lutheran College
Layton Duncan, Football, Colorado State University-Pueblo
Connor Fitzgerald, Basketball, Pomona College
Luis Gastelum, Football, Adams State
Gabe Gonda, Swimming, Georgetown University
Matt Habovstak, Soccer, Loyola Marymount University
Ian Hagan, Soccer, United States Coast Guard Academy
Conner Ivy, Basketball, Embry-Riddle University (Prescott)
Trevor Karber, Golf, University of San Diego
Zach Loiselle, Cross Country/Track and Field, Loyola Marymount University
Arman Madi, Basketball, Northern Arizona University
Brennen McHenry, Track and Field, University of Texas
Charlie Palmer, Golf, Princeton University
David Sweetman, Football, Bethany College
Nuri Todd, Baseball, Long Beach State University
Stevan Trbovic, Crew, Santa Clara University

Fall Sports

Archery: NASP State Champion

Cross Country: Eighth in AIA Division 1, Third in Southwest Section

Crew: N/A

Football: AIA 6A Conference First Round (3-8)

Golf: AIA Division I State Champion

Hockey: AHSHA Division I Playin (4-15-2)

Mountain Biking: ACA South Conference Championship

Swimming: Third in AIA Division I

Tennis: N/A

Winter Sports

Basketball: AIA Open Quarterfinals, AIA 6A Conference Runner-up (24-9)

Soccer: AIA 6A Conference Semifinalists (17-2-2)

Wrestling: 19th at AIA Division I

Spring Sports

Baseball: AIA 6A Playoffs Round of 16 (13-16)

ESports: League of Legends Initium: AIA State Semifinalists; Overwatch Imber: PlayVS Mountain Region Quarterfinals; Overwatch Zephr: PlayVS National Finals (National Champion), PlayVS Mountain Region Champions; Rocket League Iota: AIA State Runner-Up; Valorant Protus: PlayVS Mountain Region Quarterfinalists

Lacrosse: Arizona Lacrosse League State Champion (17-6)

Rugby: Arizona State Rugby Runner-Up

Tennis: AIA Division I Runner-Up (21-3)

Track and Field: Seventh in AIA Open (21 points), 10th in AIA Division I (25 points)

Volleyball: AIA 6A Conference Semifinalists (37-9)

Athletics By The Numbers