By Julian Lopez, Digital Communications Intern
She speaks four different languages, has lived in five different countries, and is the daughter of a prominent youth water polo coach in Australia.
Freshman attacker Lena Mihailovic has one of the most interesting backgrounds on the seventh-ranked Sun Devil Women’s Water Polo team.
Mihailovic grew up around the game of water polo. Her father, Pedrag, played professional water polo for 15 years before beginning his coaching career in Serbia in 2005. Mihailovic moved a lot when she was younger, following her dad wherever he coached. Although life was hectic, she enjoyed being around the game and expanded her knowledge of the sport to make her a better athlete.
“It had its benefits,” Mihailovic said. “My dad and brother both played. I have been around water polo since I was really young which is good. It is really hard sometimes because you want to get away from it but you can’t.”
Because she lived in different countries, Mihailovic is fluent in four different languages, although she has started to forget a little bit of one.
“I speak Turkish, Serbian and English,” she said. “I also speak Italian but have started to forget it.”
Mihailovic’s brother, Uglijesa, played for the Serbian National Team in 2010 and between the two of them, Mihailovic said that she was more focused on the game than him and there wasn’t a competitive rivalry.
“He’s not as competitive as me,” she said. “He enjoys it but doesn’t take it as serious as me. I think it’s useful because I can look up to him and he show me new stuff and we train together.”
So how does someone who has never been to the United States, become a Sun Devil?
“I spoke to Todd (head coach Todd Clapper) and I really liked how he talked about the team environment,” she said. “When I came here, I really liked the team, campus, coaching staff and style. It made the decision easier for me.”
Although there were nerves about leaving her family, Mihailovic said the team and coaches made the transition pretty easy and she feels she is part of the family.
In her freshman year, Mihailovic has been a breakout star for the 16-7 Sun Devils. She ranks 4th on the team in goals (24) and points (40) and is tied for first in assists (16). Her numbers are tops among freshmen on the team.
There is one difference that has made playing for the Sun Devils better than playing in Australia for Mihailovic.
“My favorite part is that the team is together constantly which is really different than in Australia. We pretty much live together. We are a family.”
In her spare time, Mihailovic enjoys spending time with her teammates and sightseeing Arizona cities. Although, as temperatures begin to reach close to 90 degrees every day, Mihalovic’s favorite place to go is of course, the pool.