Boys Swimmer of the Year: Gabriel Espinosa

School: Phoenix Brophy Prep.

Year: Senior.

College choice: Virginia.

Season recap: After state runner-up finishes his junior year in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles,Espinosa turned it on this year to take both events at the Division I championships at Mesa Skyline Aquatic Center. His times in the 50 (20.67 seconds) and the 100 (45.04) were the top times in those events this high school season. In the 50 free, he was off the school record of 20.30 set by Gary Hall Jr. He set a pool record in the 100.

Espinosa’s comments: “I trained really hard over the summer and during the season. My goal was to drop my times. I thought I could have gone faster in the 50 free, but I felt really good about my 100 free time. I mean, I’m not going to look back. There is no reason to feel bad. I still did well.”

Coach Pat O’Neill’s comments: “He is fiercely competitive, so he re-doubled his efforts and focused on all aspects for his race so he would not take second this year. He is very intense when it comes to practgice, is very receptive to instruction, has a great feel for the water and can incorporate corrections on his technique very easily. He was one of our team leaders that modeled hard work at practice.”

— Richard Obert