Photo: St. Bonaventure Athletics
BY NATHAN DONNELLY, SPORTS WRITER
The St. Bonaventure swimming and diving team is composed of six international students from five different countries on the men’s team, and six international students from six different countries on the women’s team.
One thing they have in common is their shared experience having traveled across the globe to St. Bonaventure, New York to pursue Division I swimming and diving.
Noa Marija Sertic, a freshman swimmer from Zagreb, Croatia, has called her experience at St. Bonaventure nothing short of phenomenal.
“What I liked most was the approach of the coaches and the entire school team towards myself as a student-athlete,” said Sertic. “From the beginning of my communication with coaches, professors, school officials and the rest of the team, all the way to all the opportunities offered to me on campus.”
Boray Goren, a sophomore from Tekirdağ, Turkey reflects on his decision to come to Bonaventure.
“I decided to study abroad for college, and I wanted to continue swimming in college,” said Goren. “St. Bonaventure had the best offer for me to continue my academic and athletic career.”
Goren’s experience at Bonaventure included other unexpected pros outside of swimming opportunities.
“I like the SBU bowls at the Hickey,” said Goren. “And I like the pesto chicken at Freshens.”
Goren is more than satisfied with his Bonaventure experience, especially the variety of meal options.
“My favorite thing to eat on campus is a salad I came up with a couple of weeks ago that I make every day at our salad and veggies station in the Hickey Dining Hall,” said Sertic. “Apart from that, vegan mac and cheese is incredible, also the ice cream station as I have a sweet tooth. “
Graduate student Dylan Cachia, from Marsascala, Malta, had eyes on the Swan Business School.
“Initially, I spoke to coach Mike [Schmiechowski] and coach Matt [Lowe], and I liked their plans with the team and practices,” said Cachia. “Having a respected business school and a swim team that could allow me to continue and improve both my academics and athletics was something that made me decide to choose St. Bonaventure.”
Attending St. Bonaventure led Sertic to experiences that she would not have normally had.
“My most enjoyable experience here as a freshman was the candlelight ceremony during freshman days and freshman orientation week,” said Sertic. “But overall going away on meets, meeting new people every day, just being a part of this small, but extremely big, loving community is an experience for itself.”
Sertic speaks of the support she received from the Bonaventure community, despite her transition.
“Both coaches and teammates were very welcoming, allowing me to have a smooth and easy transition,” said Cachia.
According to Goren, coming to Bonaventure provided an opportunity to connect with others who shared similar experiences.
“My friend Mark is also from Turkey and a student at St. Bonaventure,” said Goren. “Also, my seniors were very nice and were like big brothers to me.”
Regardless of the international players’ experiences at Bonaventure, the team is focused on their final meet of the season.
The team looks ahead to the A-10 Championships on Feb. 21-24 at the Hampton Virginia AquaComplex in Hampton, Virginia. All events will be streamed live on ESPN+.
