Finding the Fast Lane

At the time of his first recruiting call with Head Coach Brian Thomas in late May of 2020, Djurdje Matic had just finished a school year in which he'd had semesters interrupted at universities on two different continents.

The swimmer was back home in Belgrade, Serbia, dealing with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and trying to figure out his next move in the days after news broke that his East Carolina program would be discontinued.

Amid an incredibly chaotic period, Matic was lifted by Thomas' clear vision for the road ahead.

"From the first time I talked to Brian, I just felt comfortable," Matic said. "He seemed like he had a good plan for the team. He knows how he wants to train each of us to help us reach our goals."

Nearly two years later, Matic has blossomed as a member of the Buff and Blue, finding a home in Foggy Bottom while establishing himself among the nation's best in the 100-yard butterfly.

In a memorable season, the redshirt sophomore has smashed multiple Atlantic 10 records, taken down a mark held by Olympic legend Michael Phelps and won seven golds at the conference meet as part of a dominant team victory.

He punched his ticket to the NCAA Championship with back-to-back personal-best performances under pressure at Georgia's last chance meet, and this week, he'll aim for more history with his debut at the national meet. He'll swim Thursday through Saturday in the 50 free, 100 fly and 200 fly, respectively, at Georgia Tech's McAuley Aquatic Center.

"Especially in swimming, when you can find consistency and stability, that's everything," Thomas said. "Our training is all about consistency and putting in work that you know as you're doing it you may not see the result within the next day, the next week, the next training cycle.

"Djurdje's someone who executes a plan really, really well. The way we train has kind of gelled with what he does well and been a really good fit."

Matic has navigated a winding road to get here.

A graduate of Gimnazija Sveti Sava's Class of 2018, he explored options to continue his education and swimming career in the U.S. before opting to take a gap year back home in Serbia's capital city.

By the fall of 2019, Matic had his plan. He headed for City University of Hong Kong eager for a new experience while chasing his goals in and out of the pool.

It didn't work out. The collegiate team there practiced just two days per week, leaving him to seek pool time at a local club. That meant spending an hour each way on public transit to get in his twice daily workouts.

After just two months there, the university sent everyone home amid a series of heavy public protests in the city.

Within weeks, Matic had a new plan. The swimmer would come to the U.S. after all, joining East Carolina for the spring semester.

Matic's collegiate career got off to a dream start: He helped the Pirates to capture the AAC title in February 2020, claiming a bronze medal in the 100 fly and also finishing in the top nine of the 100 back and 50 free.

Less than a month later, the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly halted his first American adventure. He was back in Belgrade still trying to figure out a return to the pool to resume his training after an unexpected three-month break when ECU announced that it would eliminate its program.

"There's no doubting it was a hard year," Matic said, simply.

That's when Matic and Thomas connected for the first time.

Thomas' detailed plan and a virtual visit to Foggy Bottom quickly sealed Matic's decision to join the Buff and Blue.

"I liked everything about it," Matic said. "It felt like it was a place where I could be successful."

Amid the continued uncertainty of the pandemic, it made sense for Matic to stay home last school year and continue to take online classes through ECU while training with his SC Vracar club team.

An Olympic B-cut swim in the 100 LCM fly (:53.45) at the Serbian Open last March showcased his continued progress and provided momentum that's only grown over the past year.

When Matic arrived on campus, Thomas knew he could be close to the NCAA cutline in his signature event, but the swimmer's steady improvement to make the field has been impressive in a race in which the invited time is four-tenths of a second faster than ever before.

Matic credits the program's training program, and his Buff and Blue teammates alongside him, as much as anything for pushing him to new heights.

"It's a lot easier to train when you have 20 people next to you going through the same things," Matic said. "I don't think I would be able to finish half of the practices if I were alone in the pool."

Thomas points to Matic's attention to detail as the difference. Throughout the year, they've analyzed his stroke counts and breathing pattern to optimize his races.

He's a gifted underwater kicker, so they've done extensive restricted breathing work to further build his lung capacity and take advantage of his strength there.

"When you break it down piece by piece, those little things really add up," Thomas said.

Along the way, Matic has flourished outside of the pool.

After taking the first few weeks to get acclimated, his bright personality began to shine through on deck, Thomas said. The swimmer has enjoyed exploring a new city that reminds him of Belgrade, visiting monuments and museums with his teammates.

"D.C. is so full of energy," said Matic, who is pursuing a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. "I really like it here. There's always something to do."

Every step of the way, Matic has impressed in his debut season in Buff and Blue.

He earned A-10 Performer of the Week honors three times this season, including after his shining showing at Princeton in which he smashed All-American Andrea Bolognesi's A-10 record in the 100 fly by more than a second.

A week later, he drew even more attention when he dropped Phelps' record at Navy's Lejeune Hall.

"It felt really good at that point to see the results of all the practices and know that all the pain that we went through was worth it," Matic said. "It gave me even more motivation to continue to give everything I have in every practice."

Matic's winter break was interrupted by illness, but he bounced back strong to get up to speed for the A-10 Championships. There, he broke the conference records in the 50 free and 200 fly but was just off his midseason time in his gold-medal swim in the 100 fly.

That meant he'd likely need to go faster at the last-chance meet to continue his season at the national meet.

"I just had to go all out," Matic said. "It was do or die. I decided to try it and see what was going to happen."

With teammates Marek Osina and Marlee Rickert as well as a slew of other NCAA hopefuls cheering him on poolside, Matic lowered his seed time in the 100 fly twice on Feb. 26, dropping two tenths of a second down to 45.52.

"I was just really proud of him," Thomas said. "Not many swimmers go to those meets and get faster. To be able to drop two-tenths when you're already pretty darn fast was good."

Still, Matic had to wait out another week of results around the country. Thomas meticulously tracked every competitor in a color-coded spreadsheet until it was certain.

On March 9, he received his official invite, becoming the program's first representative in four years at one of the world's most exclusive meets.

"It's going to be a really good learning experience for him," said Thomas, whose group is among just 11 non-Power 5 programs sending a swimmer to Atlanta. "These meets are so much fun because they're such a great test. I'm excited to see how he responds."

Matic will aim to qualify for finals and earn All-American status with his best shot coming on Friday in the 100 fly. His seed time is just 26-hundredths of a second outside of the top 16 in a tightly-packed field.

He's confident that he can go even faster this week, boosted by the continued support of the new friends that have helped him unlock his full potential this season after so many stops and starts early in college career.

"It means a lot knowing that you have people that stand behind you and cheer for you," Matic said. "Even though they're not going to be there, I know everyone's going to be watching really excited for me."

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