Teenage Distance Star Luka Mijatovic Confirms Commitment to the University of Texas
After teasing the move, U.S. National Team member Luka Mijatovic has confirmed his commitment to the University of Texas. Mijatovic initially posted a photo on Instagram of himself in a cowboy hat. Although the photo was not captioned, several comments congratulated him on joining the Texas Longhorns.
A day later, Mijatovic took to social media to verify that he will be a Longhorn in the future. The national high school record holder in the 500-yard freestyle and holder of several National Age Group Records will join Bob Bowman’s Texas team in the fall of 2027 after his final two years of high school
Mijatovic had a breakout meet at the 2025 U.S. National Championships, qualifying for the World Championships at just 16 years old. Mijatovic twice broke the National Age Group record in the 400 freestyle at the selection meet on his way to a second-place finish behind Rex Maurer. He also finished fourth in the 800 free and fifth in the 400 IM at Nationals, and he made a surprising A-final appearance in the 200 free, dropping two seconds from his best time to become the fastest 18-and-under swimmer in American history.
The teenager struggled at the World Championships, falling to a 36th-place finish in the 400 free as he was seemingly hampered by the gastrointestinal illness that affected the majority of the U.S. team. Still, his progress from the summer has made Mijatovic one of the rising stars of U.S. middle-distance freestyle, a certain contender for World Championship and Olympic spots in multiple events in the coming years, perhaps even more given his current rate of rapid improvement.
When he arrives in Austin in a little under two years, Mijatovic will become an instant championship contender in his individual events. Already, he owns top times in the 500 free (4:10.96) and 1650 free (14:37.63) that would have scored points at last year’s NCAA Championships while his 400 IM best (3:41.76) is just outside of scoring territory. Mijatovic figures to inherit the role currently occupied by Maurer, last year’s NCAA winner in the 500 free and 400 IM, with Maurer set to exhaust his eligibility one season before Mijatovic arrives.
