Olympic Hopeful Katja Pavicevic Commits to UCSD Swim Team

Photo courtesy of Katja Pavicevic.

Canadian Junior National Swim and Dive team member Katja Pavicevic recently committed to UC San Diego’s NCAA Division II Swim and Dive team.

Pavicevic joined the Canadian Junior National team in 2017 and has competed in major international swimming championships, notably the Junior World and Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. For college swimming, she is ranked as the fourth best athletic recruit out of Ontario, Canada and is among the top 100 best international recruits for 2019.

According to Pavicevic, she is “looking forward to becoming a valuable contributor to the Tritons’ upcoming and talented team, and further developing [her] swimming at the highest level.”

Pavicevic signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) in December 2018, and will start in Fall Quarter 2019 as a first-year student. Along with Pavicevic, the Tritons Class of 2023 includes fellow recruits Gina Galloway, Juli Arzave, Katie Capelli, and Sophie Francis.

At the 2018 NCAA Championships, the UCSD women’s team finished in seventh. Comparing Pavicevic’s event times with the final times, Pavicevic would have finished in the A and B finals bracket.

According to UCSD Swim and Dive head coach David Marsh, “[Katja] is one of the top breaststroke prospects for Canada…[she is] thrilled at the chance to see the quality of academic[s] she’d experience here.”

Previously, Marsh was the U.S. Women’s Swim and Dive team head coach at the 2016 Rio Olympics and led to the team to win a total of 16 medals. He was named head coach of the UCSD Swim and Dive team in 2017.

As a member of the Canadian Junior National team, Pavicevic is aiming toward qualifying for the Canadian Olympic Team in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“If she has a good summer and a good year next year, I believe she will be in the running for such an honor [qualifying for the Olympic Team],” said Marsh.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact the UCSD Athletic Director at ewedwards@ucsd.edu.

Orianna Borrelli is an Assistant News Editor for The Triton. You can follow her on Twitter at @orianna_b.