Readers’ pick: James Bishop IV

After leaving Belgrade, Serbia, at 19 to pursue his collegiate education in the U.S., redshirt senior Djurdje Matic has cannonballed into the swimming record books for the Revolutionaries and Atlantic 10.

Matic represented Serbia in the World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar, in mid-February, and several weeks later broke records in two events in the A-10 Championships, helping the Revs secure its fourth-straight conference victory. Matic is set to race in the European Aquatics Championships starting June 10 in his home country, while attempting to secure qualifying times to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“It was a very fun experience, swimming at a big meet like that,” Matic said in an interview after his A-10 wins in March. “I was very happy that I was able to swim some of my best times in the morning swims at such a big meet. And it just helped me to show and see how racing is on a big stage and then coming to A-10s, I was a bit more relaxed.”

Growing up in Serbia, Matic said he enjoyed woodworking and crafting out of metal. He said upon moving to the U.S., he converted his handy creation skills into baking.

“I started making things like pie, bread and other usually sweet things,” Matic said in a text.

Matic swam for Eastern Carolina University during his first year in the U.S., winning an American Athletic Conference title with the team, before the school cut the program and he was forced to transfer to GW.

While representing Serbia in February at the World Aquatics Championship, Matic earned 22nd place in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.81 seconds.

Matic has made his mark on the Revolutionaries’ Swimming and Diving program, securing gold medals for the 100-yard butterfly in each of his three performances at the A-10 Championships on Feb. 23.

Matic broke the A-10 and program record for the 100-yard freestyle with a 43.01 preliminary round performance before earning gold with a 42.71 performance, a personal record.

Matic earned 14th place in the 100-yard butterfly at the 2024 NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Indiana, two weeks ago, securing his All-American title in his last race for the Revolutionaries.

But even with those accomplishments in tow, Matic said the “most memorable” moments for him came during races he swam with the rest of the GW team. He said the A-10 4×100-meter relay this past February stood out for how the team came together to win and sweep the championship relay events.

“I wasn’t sure how I would swim because my 100 free individual race before that wasn’t the best,” Matic said over text. “But at the end, with the whole team supporting us, we managed to win that last relay and become the only team to win all five relays for both men and women.”