Serbian-American water polo player
Jovana Sekulic (born November 7, 2002) is a Serbian-American water polo player. She was selected as part of the United States team at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Biography
Sekulic was born on November 7, 2002, in Belgrade, Serbia.[1][2] Her family moved to the United States in c. 2014, settling in Media, Pennsylvania.[2][3] She played water polo in Serbia, a country in which that sport was very popular, and struggled to find a club when she moved to the U.S., later joining that country's Maverick Water Polo club.[4] Early on in the U.S., she often played against boys due to her advanced skill level, and still was successful.[4] She attended Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, where she competed in water polo, track and swimming,[5] and was a member of its Vocal Ensemble.[3] In water polo, she was selected twice to the All-Eastern first-team, was a two-time Eastern most valuable player and led her team to three Eastern championships.[5]
Sekulic was a member of the U.S. women's youth national water polo team in high school.[5] She graduated from Episcopal in 2022 and enrolled at Princeton University, where she continued her career.[5] In the 2022 season at Princeton, she played 27 games and scored 74 goals, being named the Collegiate Water Polo Association Rookie of the Year, third-team All-American, first-team All-Conference and first-team CWPA All-Tournament.[6] The following season, she played 28 games and recorded a team-leading 76 goals, being named second-team All-American, first-team CWPA All-Tournament, first-team NCAA first-team All-Tournament, first-team All-Conference and the CWPA Player of the Year.[6]
Sekulic was selected for the U.S. national team which competed at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.[4] She scored two goals at the World Aquatics Championships and also competed at the 2023 World Aquatics World Cup, scoring twice.[7] She redshirted at Princeton in 2024 to focus on international competitions.[2] She scored four goals for the U.S. at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships and later was chosen for the U.S. squad at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[2][7]
References