Croatia’s best diver heads to top US school to start college career

Croatia’s top diver is starting a new chapter in his athletic career as he heads to the United States for college.

Zadar native Matej Nevešćanin accepted an offer from the University of Texas in Austin two years ago and now he is making the move. Is he ready for the challenge?

“I had two years to prepare myself both mentally and physically, so I think I am 100% ready for it. I will do my best to progress even further in America because I will have all the prerequisites to do so. Also, there is college, so I will need to combine that too, find my rhythm over the course of a month or two,” says Matej.

Is this one of the world's best universities for aquatics?

“Yes, they have a lot of NCAA titles. They also won the title last year, so it's a great team and getting on a team like that with such strong athletes is certainly not easy. It's not something I've had here and I'll have to work really hard to prove myself among those guys and girls and I'll do my best to show that I can compete with them.”

Matej has an excellent foundation for success as he is a junior European champion and world silver medalist. He has a cache of other medals from major competitions - from junior and cadet championships – and has successfully transitioned into senior competition.