"Queens Swimming is more than just a family, it's my home," says Matheus Przewalla '28. He came to Queens from Brazil not knowing what to expect. "I came all the way across the world not knowing if I'd swim faster, not knowing if I'd even adjust to a new life in a new country. But since day one, every teammate showed me a kind of love and support I'd never felt before."
Today marks the launch of Investing in Champions, Queens Athletics' annual giving campaign. Every gift this week goes directly to student-athletes like Przewalla and his Swimming and Diving teammates, funding the meals, travel, and everyday resources that shape life in and out of the pool.
"We exist to build leaders for life with Royals pride," says Director of Swimming Jeff Dugdale. The program is now in its 17th year, 11 of them winning ones.
Coming from an environment where individual performance was the only thing that mattered, Przewalla noticed something different at Queens. "Everyone actually cared and wanted to see me succeed," he says. "That's something priceless."
As team captain and an international student, Przewalla knows firsthand what it takes for a student-athlete to be here at all. "Because of generosity, I get to actually be a student-athlete here, not just someone who swims on the side while trying to survive financially," he says. "Donor support is really what makes it possible for me to be here doing this in the first place."
That support has reached further than he expected. "My sister just moved here from Brazil too, to study at Queens, and I get to watch her have her own version of this experience now," he says. "So it's not just me it's impacting — it's the whole community."
Coach Dugdale keeps a quote posted at the pool: "To compete for Queens is a privilege, to win at Queens is a tradition." Przewalla says he didn't fully understand it as a freshman, before he'd raced for Queens himself. Now, entering his junior year, he says it's completely true. "We're a small school, and not a lot of people know about our program, and that's exactly what makes competing for Queens such a true privilege," he says.
Another of his coach's sayings has stuck with him even longer: "Don't leave your legacy in times, because we'll always be able to find someone faster than you. Leave your legacy in the person you are." Przewalla admits he resisted that idea at first — all he wanted was to swim fast and win. But it's shaped what he wants to be known for at Queens: a leader, a teammate people can count on, someone who says hello to every staff member he passes on campus. "Someone who wasn't just chasing a 4.0 GPA and gold medals but leaving a mark and impact in every interaction he had," he says. "That's been my goal ever since I had that realization."
This week, you can invest in Przewalla and every one of Queens Swimming & Diving's 65 student-athletes. Gifts help fund team meals during breaks and conference costs, along with setting in motion a long-term goal of replacing the team's scoreboard.
Check out this year's challenges and progress toward both men's and women's goals of $30,000 each on the team giving page.
Investing In Champions is October 2-9, 2026. Unlock Royals Club benefits with gifts of $100 or more. For questions or information on issuing your own challenge, please reach out to Danielle Evans-Clan, director of athletics advancement, at evanscland@queens.edu.
