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AUGUST 2017 ◆ 17 BY MIKE SCANDURA V IRGINIA'S DIRECTOR OF TRACK and field Bryan Fetzer was suc- cinct when discussing the impor- tance of Filip Mihaljevic to the program. "Wow," he exclaimed when asked about his star thrower. Virginia's Male Athlete of the Year, Mi- haljevic was the ACC Men's Outdoor Field Performer of the Year and led the Cavaliers to a program-best third-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships. In the process, he captured the shot put and discus national titles, finished his career with 10 ACC first-place finishes (indoor and outdoor), and was the third student-athlete in ACC history to win four discus titles and the ninth to annex four titles in any single ACC outdoor event. Mihaljevic was confident in his ability, but even he could not have envisioned how much success he would have in Charlot- tesville. "I was one of the top European throwers in high school, but I was just a kid — a very talented kid but just a kid," he said. "I knew I had a lot of room for improvement because I was very weak and I had been doing track only for one and a half years. "I also knew there had to be a lot of work and dedication for improvement. But I definitely knew I possibly could be a na- tional champion one day." What Mihaljevic arguably couldn't have foreseen was that he would earn eight All- America honors and qualify four times for the All-ACC Academic team with a double major in German and environmental sci- ence. "To be quite honest, I didn't know much about the conference meet before I en- rolled at UVA," Mihaljevic said. "Even at my first outdoor conference championship, I didn't understand the importance of it. But I never limited myself and always tried to be the best I could be. "After my first year I wanted to leave UVA with 10 or more ACC titles. Every year I tried to be the best I could be, but the competition got better and pushed me to work harder. I succeeded in my goal of winning 10 individual titles, but we never won as a team, which always will be a dream that didn't come true." Mihaljevic's ability to push himself and his dedication to his studies made him a perfect fit for Virginia. "He's all in," Fetzer said. "When I say that, I mean in every aspect of being great. He takes his academics and training seri- ously. He's one of a few people if you tell him you need to do this to get to the next level he does it. I've seen him develop as a leader. Considering how much he's grown and matured, including his responsibilities with being great, not everyone can handle that. "He can. He's going to have a tremen- dous professional career." Ironically, Mihaljevic might have been in line for a professional career in a sport other than track and field if he were so inclined. "He played soccer as a kid," Fetzer said. "In my 21 years [as a coach] he's the most gifted kid I've had. He's run a 4.56 in the 40. He can play basketball. If he ever got a tryout at an NFL combine, he could test in the top five percent of every offensive and defensive category. He would destroy those players. Track and field athletes are ath- letes. Our sport is all about the exceptional athlete. Filip is one of the best athletes in the NCAA. He'll continue to grow and get better." Mihaljevic's work ethic also led to him excelling in the classroom. "This was the toughest part of my UVA career, at least my final year," he said of his academic work. "The fact that you have to do as much as regular students with four to five hours less in your schedule speaks to itself. I always tried to stay on schedule and do work every do so I didn't come into a situation where I had to stay up all night and lose sleep. "However, there were some hard mo- ments where I had to study until 2 or 3 a.m. and would only get five hours of sleep while training really hard and trying to be the best thrower in the country. But now when I look back at it, I know it was worth it because I was successful in my sport and I was a good student." "He's truly a great student in the class- room," Fetzer added. "He studies and un- derstands and is very coachable. He's prob- ably made the biggest strides as an athlete in his 'coachability.' "As coaches say often, he's a once-in-a- lifetime athlete. Most coaches don't get a second Filip. That's not just as an athlete, but also as a human being." The fact Mihaljevic wound up at Vir- ginia was due in part to the efforts of the program's throw coach, Martin Maric. "Martin really thought Filip had the tools initially to be great," Fetzer said. "When we were recruiting Filip, Martin said he's a special one and could go down as one of the best ever. That was a bold statement to say about a 19-year-old." Bold but accurate. ◆ MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR FILIPMIHALJEVIC BEST OF THE REST Thai-Son Kwiatkowski, tennis — This fourth-year captured the 2017 NCAA singles championship after helping Virginia to its third consecutive NCAA team championship. He was named to the NCAA Men's All- Tournament team at No. 2 doubles with classmate Alexander Ritschard. He also became only the second men's tennis player in league history to win back-to-back ACC Scholar Athlete of the Year awards. Jimmy Stranger, golf — An All-ACC selection, he won the 2017 ACC individual championship and placed 11th at the NCAA Championships. He paced the Cavaliers with a 70.82 stroke average and notched six top- 10 finishes in 11 events. George DiCamillo, wrestling — The redshirt fourth-year was named the ACC Wrestler of the Year after finishing the 2017 season with a 25-5 record and All-America honors. He advanced to the 141-pound finals after beginning the NCAA Championships as a No. 6 seed. — Mike Scandura Mihaljevic, the ACC Outdoor Field Per- former of the Year, won national titles in the shot put and discus while helping Virginia to a program-best third-place finish at the 2017 NCAA Championships. PHOTO BY MATT RILEY/COURTESY UVA Filip Mihaljevic Gave Maximum Effort In Everything He Did At UVA ALL IN