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The University of Virginia’s wave of international women’s recruits grabbed another one on Wednesday. Croatian Olympian Jana Pavalic has committed to the five-time defending NCAA Champions with a scheduled arrival of fall 2026.
Pavalic, who turned 18 in May, has represented Croatia at several international meets, including recently the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. After missing qualification in Tokyo in 2021 by just .15 seconds at age 14, she swam the 50 free and 100 free at the Paris Games. There, she finished 25th (25.24) and 21st (55.77), respectively.
Both times are shy of her lifetime bests, which were both done last year but not at the Olympics. At the European Junior Championships, she swam 24.67 in the 50 free. That time was the top seed after the semi-finals but added time to finish 5th in finals.
At the Croatian Championships last July, she swam 55.55 in the 100 free.
She was the 2022 World Junior Champion in the 50 meter fly, the 2021 European Junior silver medalist in the 50 meter free, and the 2022 European Junior bronze medalist in the 50 fly.
Pavalic holds Croatian National Records in the 50 free, 100 free, and 50 fly individually; she’s also a very good short course swimmer, holding the same three records in short course meters.
Best Times in LCM, SCM, Yards Conversion
| LCM | SCM |
SCY (Conversion)
|
|
| 50 free | 24.67 | 23.94 | 21.50 |
| 100 free | 55.55 | 53.64 | 48.32 |
| 200 free | 2:06.86 | 2:02.00 | 1:49.90 |
| 50 back | 29.61 | 28.03 | 25.25 |
| 50 fly | 26.21 | 25.98 | 22.98 |
| 100 fly | 1:01.01 | 59.16 | 53.29 |
Her converted time in the 50 free would have placed her 5th at last year’s ACC Championship meet and at last year’s NCAA Championship meet, and her sprint versatility will give the Cavaliers big medley relay flexibility – something they’ve enjoyed during their dynastic five year run.
Virginia graduated three of the four legs of their record-setting 200 medley relay after last season (Gretchen Walsh, Alex Walsh, Maxine Parker).
While replacing a swimmer of the caliber of Gretchen Walsh (or her sister Alex Walsh, or Kate Douglass) with one athlete is a nearly-insurmountable task, the Cavaliers have been cobbling together a sprint rebuilding with a mixture of domestic and international swimmers.
That notably includes Italian Sara Curtis, the World Junior Record holder in the 50 backstroke, who has bests of 24.43 in the 50 free and 53.01 in the 100 free in long course meters. Curtis joins the Cavaliers for the 2025-2026 season, a year ahead of Pavalic.
In the fall of 2025, they also bring in Madi Mintenko, the #4 recruit domestically and a 47.47 100 yard freestyler. In 2026, Pavalic’s class, they bring in Australian sprinter Olivia Hine (26.5 butterfly, 26.2 freestyler in long course); European Junior champion Smilte Plytnykaite from Lithuania (25.4/54.7 freestyler in long course), South African Jessica Thompson (25.1/56.3 freestyler in long course), American Caden Martin (22.2/49.2 freestyler in yards), and American Molly Workman (22.3/48.8 freestyler in yards).
The rebuild of the sprint group for the Cavaliers, arguably the most dominant that college swimming has ever seen, will be a wide net approach, leveraging a deep pool of talent to find their next superstar(s).
They also get two more seasons of Claire Curzan and US World Championship team member Anna Moesch, the latter a rising sophomore, to deal with the graduations.
Others in the class of 2026 include Charlottesville local Sara Czirjak, Tennesseean Roos Rottink, and Virginian Alyssa Sagle.
Pavalic currently trains at Olimp Zabok under coach Ivica Androic. Her brother Petar currently swims at Drexel.
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It’s impressive that so many European department stores and sidewalk vendors are carrying Virginia gear
Jana has a brother Petar who is on the swim team at Drexel University.
And Curzan has two years of eligibility remaining.
The delta between UVa women and the rest of the NCAA elite programs has actually widened post Douglass, Walsh sisters, Madden, Nelson & several other high level NCAA meet scorers. Mind boggling excellence & depth across all the swimming events.
Almost beggars belief.
Other than her 50 she’s not very competitive at the elite level. Many of the other foreigners are not either. Seems like Todd is adopting the Ray Looze model of recruiting-bring in as many people as you possibly can and see who survives.