LA JOLLA, Calif. –The University of California San Diego's swimming and diving team has continued to reach new heights this season as they prepare for their transition to Division I. Freshman Katja Pavicevic. Is just one of the swimmers that embodies the rise of the Triton's swimming and diving team.
 
Pavicevic showed promise as a swimmer at an early age. A Toronto native, Pavicevic finished all of the swimming level classes by the age of seven, while most children finish them at 12. Soon after, she joined the Toronto Swim Club and continued to excel in the pool.
 
In high school, Pavicevic had been in contact with several of the top swimming programs in the United States. This impressive list included Michigan, USC and three-time NCAA runner's up Cal. One thing that stood out to Pavicevic about UC San Diego and drew her to the Tritons was the team atmosphere. Pavicevic had grown up playing team sports and was naturally drawn to being part of a team environment again.
 
"The credit the majority of my success to my team." Pavicevic stated.
 
"The nature of the sport is individualistic." Stated Head Coach Marko Djordjevic. "When you come to college, it's all about the team. The reality, individuals perform better because of the hype of the team. The culture of our team is very family oriented. It's really important that you know that they will back you up. If you talk to any of our members or alumni, the number one goal is being a team."
 
The team and family environment is one of the defining aspects of UC San Diego swimming and diving. The Tritons have by far have the largest crowd every year at NCAA Championships. Each year a large contingent of alumni travel to show their support and fill up a big portion of the stands with Blue and Gold spirit. On the final night of competition for the Tritons, alumni host the current Tritons for dinner and honor the graduating senior class. 
 
"Katja is very social, always laughing and smiling," lauded Djordjevic about Pavicevic. "It's hard not to absorb someone like that in your culture."

Pavicevic made an instant connection to Djordjevic as both of them have Serbian roots.
 
About a month into the season, the Tritons hosted Cal in a long course meet. Pavicevic shined in the meet and won the 200-meter breaststroke, swimming faster than the second-place finisher from Cal by well over three seconds. Predictably, she credited her coaches and teammates for her incredible feat.
 
"Going into the meet, it was nerve racking since we hadn't done much long course training. I was nervous and talked to the coaches. Marko told me to think about my stroke count. I knew the girls beside me in the first event so it gave me some confidence."
 
When asked about her early season success, Pavicevic has a team first approach. Her individual goals are all tied to how it can help the team this season. While All-American status is just one goal for the end of the season, she also wants to be able to cheer her teammates on at NCAA's so they can do their best.
 
"I'm no different than anyone else on the team," she emphasized. "I work no harder than they do. It means a lot to me that everyone gets the success they deserve."

About UC San Diego Athletics
With 30 national team championships, nearly 150 individual titles and the top student-athlete graduation rate among Division II institutions in the United States, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program annually ranks as one of the most successful in the country.  The Tritons sponsor 23 intercollegiate sport programs that compete on the NCAA Division I and II levels and, in summer 2020, will transition into full Division I status as a member of the Big West Conference.  UC San Diego student-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent.  A total of 82 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 37 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships.  In competition, more than 1,300 UC San Diego student-athletes have earned All-America honors.

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