Swimming to success

Vili Sivec breaks swimming records while working toward business degree

By California State University, Bakersfield

May 28^th, 2024

Croatia native Vili Sivec already had over a decade of swimming experience when he came to California State University, Bakersfield in 2022 on an athletics scholarship, but he soon found himself thrown into the deep end in more ways than one.

Sivec, a business major and member of the men’s swim and dive team, remembers how overwhelmed he felt when he came to campus for the first time after spending all his life in his hometown of Zabok, Croatia.

“I had absolutely zero idea how it was going to be. I was really shocked how different it was. It’s a totally different culture. A lot of new things to get used to,” he said. “It was really hard in the beginning, those first two or three months. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. I don’t think I’ll ever experience that big of a change again.”

Not only did Sivec have to become acclimated to living in a new country, he found that even the way men’s swimming works is a lot different in America than in Croatia.

“Back home, it’s a lot more individualized. Here, it’s more about being part of a team, a group. That was something I had to get used to,” he said. “Everything we do we all do it as a group. To a certain extent, we’re like a family.”

Sivec threw himself into training, which he said was significantly harder than what he had experienced in high school. That hard work has paid off, as Sivec has broken numerous records and earned several awards.

He broke three records at the 2024 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships: the 200-meter freestyle as well as the 100 and 200 butterfly competitions. Sivec became just the second male athlete to hold three individual MPSF records.

He also went on to become the MPSF champion in the 100 and 200 fly this year.

In recognition of his achievements, the MPSF announced in April that Sivec was its Male Swimmer of the Year. The federation had previously awarded Sivec its 2023 Freshman of the Year award after winning a gold medal in the 200 freestyle and silver medal in the 200 butterfly at last year’s conference meet.

In addition to breaking several CSUB records in the freestyle and butterfly categories, Sivec also broke a national record when he became the fastest Croatian to ever swim the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:58.09 at Princeton’s Big Al Invitational in December.

“The biggest goal I had in mind when I started swimming was to break a national record. I wanted to be the fastest of the fastest,” Sivec said. “Breaking the record was an amazing feeling. I’m really proud I can call myself the fastest ever in Croatia. Swimming for Croatia is always an honor. I’m really happy to have a chance to represent my country to the best of my ability.”

Sivec said he’s grateful for the success he’s had on the swim team, but he’s trying to avoid letting it go to his head.

“When you see that you’ve reached your personal best result, of course you’re happy because you have that feeling that all the hard work paid off,” he said. “It’s definitely a cool feeling to have. But, to be honest, I don’t think about it that much. If anything, it’s more pressure to have. There’s a lot of responsibility, a lot of expectations behind that.”

Men’s Swimming Head Coach Chris Hansen believes Sivec needs to take ownership of his success and skill level. While he said Sivec has already accomplished much since coming to CSUB, he believes there’s more success to come.

“He’s breaking records every time he swims. That’s not normal. There’s almost always a crash, but he’s been able to avoid that so far,” Hansen said. “I think he can break a lot more (records) — he’s not done. He’s just coming into his own.”

'Happy to be here'

Hansen had already visited Croatia a few times when he first saw Sivec swim while he was attending high school at Antun Gustav Matos Gymnasium. He initially wasn’t impressed.

“He wasn’t that great of a swimmer yet,” Hansen said.

It wasn’t until the summer before Sivec’s senior year that Hansen had direct contact with him. Sivec reached out expressing an interest in coming to CSUB after hearing positive things from some friends who were attending the university. He also had a cousin who went to CSUB when he was a child.

“When I was looking more into U.S. colleges, one of the first colleges that came to my mind was CSUB,” Sivec said. “Everyone I talked to said that it was a good school and that I should talk to the coaches.”

After several zoom calls and emails, Hansen and one of the other Croatian swimmers on the team at the time — Kris Rogic — flew to Croatia to see Sivec and another student who was being considered for recruitment.

“Most of the Croatian coaches told me to go with the other one, but there was something about Vili,” Hansen said. “It was his eyes. You could tell it was big for him. He just had this passion in his face. After doing this for so long, you can tell who really wants to come to America for the whole college experience.”

Hansen never expected that Sivec would grow to be such a prolific swimmer, especially in the span of only a couple years.

“I expected him to be good and get better, but not so quickly and not to the level he has,” he said.

Although Hansen admitted that Sivec struggled a bit at the beginning with homesickness and getting used to living in the U.S., he said the student-athlete was committed to training.

“He’s easy to train because he comes in every day and he’s just happy to be here. He wants to soak in every experience we give him,” Hansen said. “It’s amazing when you have someone who comes in every day who wants to train hard, has a great attitude and has goals.”

Sivec acknowledged that he received a lot of needed support from fellow students on the swim team during those first few months after coming to CSUB, especially since he said he couldn’t rely on his family to understand what he was going through.

“My family have absolutely no idea how it is here. To a certain extent, they cannot really help me. They can give me support, but they can’t really tell me what to do or how to do it because they’ve never been here,” he said. “I really had to rely on my coach and the other team members. All of these results are happening because of them. If I didn’t have that support, I’m not sure if I would be as good as I am now.”

Living in the student dorms for the first year also helped him get acclimated to the campus, Sivec said. He recommends that all freshmen live in the dorms for at least their first year.

“When I look back at it, the dorms were really fun,” he said. “A lot of the freshman class was there. We could hang out and talk to each other. It was really convenient for us to experience that first year together. It was a really good way to get to know the campus.”

Sivec said he was amazed by the level of support he received at the university, both on the academic side and the athletics side, and believes it’s been a major factor in his achievements.

“The support here has been incredible. That’s the thing I first noticed, how people are willing to help you,” he said. “It made me feel welcomed. It’s something I’ve admired from the first day I came here as a freshman.”

‘I really feel like I’ve grown massively’

While swimming takes up much of his time, Sivec has remained devoted to ensuring he is successful not only in the pool but in the classroom. He decided to major in business with a concentration in finance because he hopes to run his own business someday, possibly in marketing.

“I feel like everybody says I’m a good salesperson. I’ve always had that natural skill, so I think it would be cool to try,” he said about opening a business. “Hopefully I’ll learn enough to have some background to achieve my goals in the future.”

Sivec said he’s especially enjoyed talking with his professors and getting to know them.

“They’re all really open, and they’re always happy to hear about your achievements,” he said.

Sivec said Marcel Garcia, athletic academic advisor and academic coordinator, helped make sure he stayed on the right path to graduation. Garcia has been impressed by Sivec both as a student and as an athlete.

“Vili has accomplished a remarkable feat by emerging as one of our most accomplished and decorated student-athletes while preserving who he genuinely is as a kind, bright, hardworking, and selfless person,” he said. “His strength of character and abilities have led him to many accomplishments as an elite swimmer but have also contributed to his academic success.”

Over the past two years, Garcia said he’s seen Sivec put long hours into his education, always striving to be the best he can in the classroom. Sivec’s grade-point average has gone up each semester that he’s been at the university, according to Garcia.

“Vili exemplifies the kind of student-athlete CSUB strives to support, develop and champion,” he said. “He is committed and devoted to his vision of excelling for himself, his team, our university and our community.”

Sivec said he’s grateful for the experience he’s had at CSUB so far and is looking forward to what the future brings.

“I really feel like I’ve grown massively. I wouldn’t have grown that quickly if I had stayed back home,” he said. “I’m glad that my American experience happened here. It’s made me who I am, the person that I am today.”

Sivec hopes to be able to qualify to represent Croatia in the Summer Olympics in Paris. He is preparing to compete in a qualifying meet in Serbia next month. But even if he doesn’t end up qualifying, he is happy with what he’s been able to achieve thus far.

“There’s always records that can be broken, records I want to break, but it’s step-by-step — that’s how you get there,” he said. “I really do believe if you try your best, it’s going to happen — whatever goal you have in mind is going to happen. Since I came here, I’ve taken everything slowly, step-by-step, and I think will continue doing just that.”