Toni Dragoja Will Transfer to Alabama This Fall, His 3rd Collegiate Stop (For Good Reason)

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Toni Dragoja, a Croatian native, recently announced his decision to transfer to the University of Alabama beginning this fall (2024). After spending his freshman year at St Francis College Brooklyn in New York, a D1 program in the Northeast Conference (NEC), Dragoja transferred to George Washington University for his sophomore year, which leaves him with 2 years of remaining eligibility.

Dragoja is a Croatian National Team Member, and represented the nation at both the 2021 and 2022 European Junior Championships. His highest placing was at the 2022 championships, where he placed 23rd in the 100 back with a 57.27 and 27th in both the 50 free (23.54) and 50 back (26.59).

Best time progression:

During his freshman campaign at St Francis College, Dragoja was a 2x NEC Champion in the 50 (20.42) and 200 free (1:36.77). He additionally placed 4th in the 100 back (49.35) and 9th in the 200 back (1:53.61). At the same NEC championships, Dragoja also led off St Francis’ 400 medley relay in a 49.18, 800 free relay in a 1:36.72, and 400 free relay in 44.42, all of which were personal bests. Following Dragoja’s freshman season, however, St. Francis eliminated its entire Division 1 athletic program, which was made up of 19 athletic teams. 

After transferring to GWU the next year, Dragoja went on to make huge strides to further improve his personal bests across his 3 primary events. At the Atlantic 10 Championships, Dragoja was a 2-time champion, taking 1st place in both the 100 (42.71) and 200 free (1:33.25) while placing 4th in the 50 free (19.70). 

GWU ultimately won the Atlantic 10 Championship for the 5th time in 6 years, sweeping both men’s and women’s conference titles. Despite the program’s successes, at the end of this past season, head coach Brian Thomas announced his departure from the program. Furthermore, in February, the university announced plans to build a basketball facility over their Smith Center natatorium before declaring in late April that the plans would not go through for the foreseeable future due to issues concerning renovation plans. 

Dragoja has the potential to make an immediate impact for Alabama this coming season—he would have ranked 3rd, 4th, and 3rd in the 50/100/200 frees, respectively, on the team’s roster this past year. At the 2024 Men’s NCAA championships, Alabama placed 19th overall, while at SECs, the team finished 7th out of 10 teams. To qualify for a second swim at SECs, it took a 42.92 in the 100 free and a 1:35.40 in the 200. 

This fall, the Crimson Tide will welcome class of 2024 recruits Jeremy Rosen, Noah Saylor, Leyton Roe, Jarret Payne, Adam Varga, Sebastian Wenger, Cole Witmer, and Jake Kennedy. In addition to Dragoja, Alabama looks to add transfer Lance Johnson, a breaststroker who spent his freshman year at the University of Kentucky. He holds best times of 53.95/1:56.69 in the 100/200 breast. 

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