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

Before high school, Rodrigo Carvajal decided to forgo his plans of becoming a soccer player and try out for Brophy College Preparatory’s elite swim team.

Initially making the roster as a walk-on, Carvajal would later end up becoming one of the team captains. Brophy’s swim program at one point won 32 consecutive state titles (1988-2020), and Carvajal wanted to be a part of its stacked legacy.

When it comes to taking risks and stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, it can sometimes be a nerve-wracking experience. Carvajal certainly encountered those feelings first-hand when he decided to give swimming a chance. Being a first-generation American citizen whose family originally hails from Mexico, Carvajal had quite the upbringing prior to Brophy. 

He first attended middle school at Loyola Academy, a school for low-income students but is also Brophy’s feeder program. Kendra Krause, the Director of Loyola, had nothing but positive things to say in regard to her interactions with Carvajal. 

“I have known him since he was 11,” Krause said. “He was a sweet kid from the very beginning. Super high achieving, very smart, and really great parents.” 

Krause explained that Carvajal’s family only had one car. Sometimes his father had to take public transportation in order for him to meet up with his son at school. Despite all of the adversity, Carvajal always maintained his high-spirited nature. However, his life would change for the better during an eighth-grade field trip to Washington, D.C. Not only was Krause one of the supervisors of the trip, but she was also the first person to discover that Carvajal had a unique gift.

“There was an indoor swimming pool [at the hotel],” Krause said. “I remember watching kids play around in the pool. But Rodrigo was doing laps back and forth and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh you can actually swim.’” 

Originally, Carvajal was still participating in soccer, so swimming wasn’t on his radar at the time. But he wanted to try a sport that could help him utilize his tall frame. Despite not having much swimming experience, he felt obligated to give the sport a chance because he wanted to be a part of something special. 

He made it evident that his one of goals going into his freshman year was to one day become a leader. 

“I knew that the swim team had like a 30-year long streak of winning state championships,” Carvajal said. “I really wanted to be a part of something great at Brophy. I wanted to make my own community and be a leader.” 

Before Carvajal began his upperclassman tenure, he had to try to catch himself up with the rest of his competitors. Many of Carvajal’s peers began swimming around the age of five, whereas his career didn’t officially begin until he reached high school.

“Basically it was just swim, swim, swim, I had nothing else on my mind,” he said. “Summers were just the times that I put in the most work. I would practice every day. Days that I didn’t have practice I was in the weight room. I started club swimming my sophomore year. That’s what helped propel me forward.” 

Despite being a late bloomer, Carvajal was able to build up his achievements throughout his swimming career at Brophy. He was able to make the age group state at the age of 14 in his first season. His event was the 50 freestyle and he made it by 0.01 seconds. 

He was able to elevate his game even more in that category by dropping his times by two seconds in just a few years. He was able to make states his junior year. Coach Daren Brubaker got emotional when talking about Carvajal and the rest of the team.

He decided to take a chance on a student who didn’t have much swim experience. Witnessing Carvajal blossom into the swimmer and person that he is now has been a tremendous feeling and accomplishment for Brubaker. 

“His work ethic is contagious,” Brubaker said. “It’s a maturity thing as well. He was observant at first. He saw what the other captains were doing right and doing wrong too. He took that and put it into his own system to become a captain [himself]. Their peers vote for them [the captains]. I don’t have any say in this. So, that’s a testament to his character.” 

The comradery and leadership between Carvajal and Brubaker certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. Brophy Sports Information Director Steve Shaff praised Brubaker for always finding a way to get the best out of his student-athletes. 

“Coach Daren Brubaker has a great passion for the sport of swimming,” Shaff said. “That’s evident in his daily interactions with his student athletes and their strive to represent Brophy in the best way…Rodrigo is one of our shining stars on our team that’s looking forward to having a state meet to finish out the season.” 

Brophy finished third in the AIA Division I Championship on Nov 5 at the Skyline Aquatic Center. Carvajal contributed once again in a big way. He was able to help get Brophy off to a good start during their relay events. As a result, Brophy placed fourth in the 200-yard relay and sixth in the 200-yard free relay. 

Once Carvajal graduates from Brophy next spring, he plans to continue his swimming career at the college level. He mentioned that he’s currently looking at some small liberal arts colleges in the New York area and hopes to make a decision in the near future. Swimming has now become a vital part of his life. 

“I’ll definitely keep swimming,” Carvajal said. “Swimming’s going to be a part of me for the rest of my life… I used to not like trying lots of different foods. But when I did I realized that there’s a lot more to enjoy. I feel like that’s something people can take into account about everything. You just need to try a lot of different things, and then see what sticks with you.”