Another Serbian student-athlete has been crowned with a national title in America! Following basketball national team player Anđela Dugalić, Serbian water polo player Jelena Šarac has also won the NCAA title with her team, USC (University of Southern California).
At the Final Four tournament held in La Jolla, California, Jelena’s USC defeated the Hawaii team in the semifinals with a score of 11:5.
LOUDEST: Jelena Šarac with the team after winning the NCAA title
In the final, after a great struggle, they defeated the California team (California Golden Bears) with a score of 10:9.
During the championship 2025/26 season, Jelena, who is also a senior national team player for Serbia, was a major pillar of the team as a “redshirt” junior.
During the regular season, she scored a total of 3 goals, but she played a major role in defense, where she guarded the best opposing players.
This was the eighth national title for the USC women’s water polo program.
Jelena Šarac is originally from Novi Sad, where she graduated from the Jovan Jovanović Zmaj Gymnasium.
Like basketball player Anđela Dugalić, she is a member of the Serbian-American Student-Athletes Association (SASAA), which was founded last year in Chicago and aims to empower and connect student-athletes of Serbian origin who compete at American colleges or plan to go there.
Author: Antonije Kovačević Photo: Privatna arhiva, John McGillen, Nicole Hourigan