CUC Scientists and Student-Athletes at Unisport Finals and the "4 Healthy Academic Society" Conference

From May 28 to 31, 2026, our student-athletes participated in the Unisport Finals 2026, the finals of the university championships of the Republic of Croatia. This year's Finals gathered a record 1,600 participants from 26 Croatian higher education institutions who competed in 14 sports.

Students Bruna Kahlina and Lara Matusina represented the University in beach volleyball, showing through their combativeness and high-quality play that effort and perseverance pay off. Last year, our colleagues finished their run in the quarterfinals, but this year, their match against the University of Pula secured them 3rd place and the bronze medal.
 

In the men's category of beach volleyball, our students Nikola Renić and Hrvoje Polić competed. Despite their fighting spirit and great effort, the students did not qualify for the next stage of the competition.

Alongside our bronze volleyball players, our table tennis players, Ana Znika and Nina Jurić, also performed outstandingly, representing the University in table tennis for the first time. In the battle to enter the finals, Znika and Jurić lost to the University of Rijeka; however, in the match for 3rd place, they secured a convincing victory against the University of Dubrovnik, winning the bronze medal.
 

This year, students Pero Josip Maslać, Matija Lasović, Jakov Biklić, and Luca Pecoraro represented the University for the first time in 3x3 basketball. Despite a great fight and effort, the competition proved too strong, and our colleagues ended their run losing to Libertas University and the Zagreb School of Economics and Management.
 

In addition to the aforementioned athletes, our students Stjepan Majcan and Maro Ugarković represented the University in tennis. Our tennis players played their first match against the University of Applied Health Sciences Zagreb, ultimately losing after a grueling match. However, in the playoffs for 5th to 9th place, our tennis players faced the University of Applied Health Sciences Zagreb once again and defeated them this time. In the match for fifth place, Stjepan and Maro played against the University of Split, securing fifth place with their victory.
 

Parallel to the Finals, the 4th International Scientific Conference "4 Healthy Academic Society" was held in Poreč on May 27 and 28, 2026. The conference was enriched by the presentations and papers of our faculty members.
 

Assistant Professor Dragan Glavaš, PhD, participated in the conference with two papers resulting from research within the project "Determinants and Mechanisms of the Contribution of Physical Activity to Mental Health." He also participated as a moderator and speaker in the round table titled "From Stress to Resilience - Creating a Mentally Healthy Academic Environment." Teaching Assistant Patrik Grubor, univ. mag. psych., presented the research findings of "From Exercise Identity to Well-Being among Student-Athletes: The Role of Belief in Mental Health Benefits of Physical Activity" (Authors: P. Grubor, K. Užarević, S. Ćurković, N. Zuber).