Junior swimmer Durde Matic beat a record set by 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps in the 100 butterfly at Lejuene Hall Pool at Navy earlier this month.
“Durde is off to a good start for us, and his results are reflective of his consistency and balance in training,” Head Coach Brian Thomas said. “He executes everything we give him really well, so I’m not shocked that he’s in a good spot. The pool record at Navy was a fun swim but nothing really more than that. We’ve moved on to get ready for what’s next.”
Matic swam in the men’s 100 butterfly where he met a time of 46.14 topping the 46.63 records set by Phelps in 2011 and set the fastest time in the pool by over 1.8 seconds, according to an Athletics Department release.
Matic, a native of Serbia, had beat the A-10 conference record the previous weekend where he set the event in a time of 45.72. He received the A-10 Performer of the Week honor for the second consecutive and the third time of the fall.
Before joining GW, Matic joined the East Carolina Pirates during the 2020 spring semester where he helped the team in their effort to acquire the 2020 ACC title. He claimed bronze in the 100 fly with a time of 47.52, finished in ninth-placed in the 50 free with a time of 20.33 and claimed sixth place in the 100 back with a time of 48.83.
The swimmer has also met success at the international front as a member of the Serbian Swimming Federation. In March 2021 he posted the Olympic B cut swim in the 100 fly event at the Serbian Open.
He won the 50 fly, 100 fly and 200 back in the 2020 Serbian National Championships and competed in the 2018 FINA Swimming World Cup in Budapest.
The Colonials will take a small break from the fall season as they prepare to enter the spring season in the incoming semester.