Senior Ivan Puskovitch of the West Virginia men’s swimming team recently qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on Feb. 4, and his journey to West Virginia and the USA Olympic Team is a long one.

Puskovitch, originally from West Chester, Pa., is a former USA Junior National Champion and specializes in long-distance, open water events. The swimmer’s numerous accolades can be traced back to his earliest years in the pool.

Prior to his collegiate career, Puskovitch began swimming competitively at the age of five, finding his passion for the sport when he entered his first regional open water race.

“I fell in love with in it. I felt like I was in my element. To jump into my first open water race and win by over a minute, that just felt amazing,” Puskovitch said last year.

Idolizing swimmer Jordan Wilimovsky and his endless determination, Puskovitch was inspired to improve on his swimming; truly getting involved in the sport as he reached high school.

Attending the Episcopal Academy in Newton Square, Pa., Ivan became a multi-time medalist in both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Open Water National Championship. The swimmer furthermore in his senior year earned Delaware County Daily Times Swimmer of the Year.

Ivan committed to USC for swimming in 2018, having a breakout freshman year. In his first conference meet alone, Puskovitch finished 15th at the Pac-12s in the 400y IM (3:55.66). He was also 18th in the 1650-yard free (15:30.93) and 29th in the 500 free (4:26.37).

In his final two years at USC, Puskovitch garnered his personal bests in both the 1650-yard free and 400-yard IM, placing third and second, respectively, before transferring to West Virginia.

“WVU has the tools to cultivate elite swimmers in a focused environment and I’m truly excited to be joining the team,” Puskovitch when he transferred.

Although his tenure at WVU has been short, Ivan secured a win for the Mountaineers in the 1650-yard. free event against Villanova on Jan. 27, and then he’s only the fifth American male in history to qualify for the Olympics in open water swimming. Puskovitch begins his journey in Paris on July 26.