Trey Matthews is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Brophy for AZPreps365.com

When it comes to sports, everybody loves a good underdog story. A journey that centers around a protagonist who has overcome many obstacles in order to beat the odds. 

When looking at the Brophy Broncos swim team, there are actually two protagonists in this story. Two brothers named Finnegan and Markus Crawford have had quite the swimming journey so far. 

Starting off with humble beginnings, both of them didn’t begin swimming competitively until they were in middle school, which is considered to be a late start. Despite being late bloomers, their mother, Andrea Nighswander, knew that both of her sons were destined to become good swimmers. But she was also well aware of the fact that it was going to take patience.

“Finn always won everything at summer swim when he was little,” Nighswander said. “Markus shortly followed in his footsteps. But then we got to competitive swim and it was a whole new ball game…a lot of those kids had been swimming since they were 5 or 6 …They [Finnegan and Markus] just worked harder and kept going after it.”

Nighswander explained that setting minor goals for her sons was an effective way in order for them to show progression. Even if they did finish in lower positions. They sometimes had to practice with swimmers that were way younger than them, but it was the necessary approach in order for them to catch up with their peers. 

Markus is two grades below his brother so he still had more time to grow as a swimmer. Whereas, the time came for Finnegan to attend high school. He originally wanted to attend Brophy. Unfortunately, despite being an honors student, he wasn’t originally admitted into the school. So, he had to take a different course of action. 

He first attended Arizona School For The Arts, a school that didn’t have a swim team. So, he had to train privately with a personal instructor. He was able to enhance himself both in and outside of the classroom in order to improve his chances of getting into Brophy. 

When Finnegan transferred to Brophy, Markus followed suit. Both brothers described the change of scenery as “frightening” because they didn’t know anybody. It was especially tough for Markus, since he considers himself to be an introvert. 

Despite switching schools, swimming was still a passion of theirs. They both had worked extremely hard in order to catch themselves up with their competition. It got to a point where they were both putting up decent times and placing well amongst their competitors. This caught the eye of Brophy swim coach Daren Brubaker. He asked both of them to try out for the team. 

“What I saw were two young men extremely focused on a goal,” Brubaker said. “They have a strong work ethic. I’m a firm believer of whatever you put into this sport, is what you get out of it. A lot of it is adversity, too. They didn’t start out at 5 years old. They had to work at it and be in situations that are uncomfortable.”

The Crawford brothers have definitely made the most of their opportunities. Finnegan is currently a senior team captain and is tied with his teammate, Gabriel Angelo Gonda, for the pool record in the 200 freestyle event (1:41.07). In addition to that, he also earned the top position in the state for the fastest time in the 100 fly (:50.05). Recently, he was named Arizona Republic Player of the Week. 

Last year, Markus was able to make the high school state team as a first alternate. While competing, he was able to improve some of his times. Markus is young but still has high ambitions. 

“My short-term goal would be to make it back to finals in my 500 this season,” Markus said. “My long-term goal would probably be to beat his [Finnegan’s] new pool record in the 200 free when I’m a senior. Then attend a D-1 college that can challenge me both academically and physically.” 

Finnegan is ready to take the next step of his career once he graduates from Brophy next spring.

“Hopefully we put together a good state team this year,” Finnegan said. “I’m looking at going to college for swim and swimming through the extent of my college career. I’m just hoping to get into a good college that fits me both academically and athletically.” 

Brubaker and the Crawford brothers all have their eyes set on winning the state championship. Brophy has been dominant up to this point in the season and will look to maintain that consistency as the season continues. He has placed his trust in the Crawford brothers to be the overall leaders of his team.