ZAGREB, Croatia — After a standout freshman season for the UC Santa Barbara Men's Water Polo team in the fall, Danilo Dragovic is heading to the world championships this summer. The attacker from Budva was named to Montenegro's team for the World Aquatics U20 World Championship in Croatia ahead of the competition's opening round this week. He becomes the second Gaucho to receive an international call up this year after Dom Brown made his senior debut for Team USA at the World Cup back in January.
 
Dragovic and Montenegro will face Team USA at this year's tournament, but first they will square off with reigning champions Hungary in their opening match on Saturday, June 14 at 8:30 a.m. Pacific Time. They will then take on hosts Croatia on Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time before rounding out the group stage against the United States on Monday at 8:30 a.m. Pacific. Playoff rounds will run from June 17-20, with the finals being played on Saturday, June 21. All games will be held in Zagreb and will be live streamed on the World Aquatics website and YouTube.
 
Dragovic earned All-America Honorable Mention in his first season of collegiate water polo this fall, pairing an aggressive defensive style with the ability to both set up teammates or score for himself in the attack. Despite being a rookie, he led all outfield players in The Big West with 34 steals on the season while also providing 35 goals and 35 assists, making him the Gauchos' third-highest scorer by total points on the season. Plenty capable against top-level competition, Dragovic recorded a goal and two assists against eventual national champions UCLA in his first ever NCAA game, and by the end of the year he had accumulated nine total points across four contests against the elite trio of UCLA, USC and Stanford.
 
For updates and coverage throughout the U20 World Championships, fans can follow World Aquatics on social media at @world_aquatics on Instagram and @worldaquatics on X and check their website, worldaquatics.com.