News Detail

Swimming’s Gabriel Gonda to Swim at Georgetown

4/17/2023

Brophy senior Gabriel Gonda has committed to swim for and attend Georgetown University in the fall after a distinguished Brophy career.

“I am excited to swim for Georgetown and compete for a new team,” said Gonda. “I am looking forward to the transition from Brophy. I had a preview of the atmosphere when I visited in the fall, and I am excited to experience it all.”

Gonda, who plans to study business, will swim for Head Coach Jack Leavitt, who has led the Hoyas to back-to-back BIG EAST Championships.

“It is a blessing for me because this is a dream I have had for a long time,” said Gonda of swimming in college. “When I started my career in swimming, I was not sure how far it would take me. When I made my first sectional cut, swimming in college became more of a reality. It still feels unreal. I am excited and blessed.”

Gonda helped the team to a third-place finish in Division I at the AIA State Championships and earned All-Arizona accolades from the Arizona Republic. He was an All-Premier Region first-team honoree in the 100 backstroke and a second-team selection in the 100 butterfly.

“Gabe is currently a finalist for the Arizona Swimmer of the Year,” said Head Coach Daren Brubaker. “It is a testament to his impact on the Brophy swimming program and his dedication. He ranked in the top 3 at the state championship in all his events and was a true Swiss army knife. He was a leader for the team as a captain as well as a selfless participant. He always did whatever was best for the team.”

Gonda recorded a pair of top-three finishes at the AIA State Championships. He placed third in the 100 backstroke in a time of 51.03 and second in the 100 butterfly in 49.87. Gonda also led off the 200 medley relay with freshman Mark Heffern, junior Theodore Neilson, and senior Rodrigo Carvajal that touched fourth at the state meet. The 200 freestyle relay (Carvajal, F. Crawford, Oprandy, Gonda) also placed fourth. Both relays were All-Premier Region first-team choices.

“Seeing everyone grow and produce at such high levels of swimming made me proud to be part of this team,” said Gonda.

He was part of two pool records during his senior season. Gonda and Finnegan Crawford tied for the win in the 200-yard freestyle at the Brophy Invitational, breaking the Reese Aquatic Center pool record with a time of 1:41.07. He combined with Theodore Neilson, Crawford, and Caden Oprandy to set the pool record in the 200-yard medley relay at the AMDG Invitational.

While his specialty events are the 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley, he is open to expanding his program at Georgetown.

“I have started to deepen my bag and work on other strokes,” said Gonda. “It just depends on what the coach wants and the team needs.”

Gonda started his career swimming for the Phoenix Swim Club. His Brophy resume includes participation as a Big Brother, the Asian Pacific Islander Club, and the Red and White Club.

He was named a 2021-22 Scholastic All-American by USA Swimming. It is the second consecutive year he has earned the honor. To qualify, athletes must have maintained a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) and meet any of the competition criteria.

He will participate in the Brophy Signing Day Celebration on Wednesday, April 19 at 7:10 a.m. in the Robson Gymnasium.