Quickie Quiz Time: Which UMBC sports program has been the most successful during The Retriever Renaissance of the past five years?

Answer: Depending on how you measure success, the answer could vary. However, if you are looking at team records, academic excellence, conference championships won, and NCAA appearances, the answer is clear and perhaps a bit surprising.

Tennis.

Both the men's and women's programs, which are coached by UMBC alums Keith Puryear, '90, and Bobby Hoffman, '96, have enjoyed unprecedented success since 1998. In the spring of 1998, the women's team began the run by stunning the Big South Conference with a conference title. Just a few months later, UMBC repeated the feat, as they captured the Northeast Conference title, which took place in the fall of 1998. When the NEC moved its championships to the spring time, the Retrievers didn't miss a beat, winning the 2000, 2001, and 2002 titles, and competing in the NCAA Championships the past four years. In five years, the ladies have compiled a record of 91-27.

The women's tennis team has led the athletic program's amazing effort in the classroom, as they recorded a team grade-point average of 3.40 in the fall, after having senior Kathryn Wheatley earn Verizon CoSIDA Academic All America honors last spring.

The men have strung together five outstanding seasons as well, with a combined record of 85-35, three straight NEC crowns and three consecutive NCAA appearances. Oscar Lopez, '00, was a two-time NEC "A" flight singles champion and UMBC's first-ever First Team Academic All American and current junior Josef Novotny has become UMBC's top regionally-ranked player ever.

The man behind all of this success is Puryear. The Retriever mentor took a circuitous route to the coaching position at UMBC, matriculating for two years at Howard University and one year at UMBC before entering the United States Marine Corps from 1983-88. He returned to complete his studies at UMBC in economics and took over the coaching reigns of the men's program in 1990 and the women's program in 1992.

When last season ended, Puryear had coached in exactly 500 matches, winning 291, for a winning percentage of .582. He has been named NEC Coach of the Year six times, and earned Big South honors in 1997-98. His formula for success is found in his philosophy of his chosen sport.

"I look at tennis as a way to develop character," says Puryear. "Being that it is an individual sport, it builds self-reliance, and teaches one how to deal with adversity and pressure. Tennis helps to develop the principles of hard work and how to achieve one's goals. Tennis is more than wins and losses; thinking in that manner is too narrow a process. For a coach, it becomes a goal to help each individual to become the best they can be, to instill principles and ideals that they can take with them into their adult lives."

Puryear's former and current student-athletes have heeded their coach's words and have found success on and off the court. "The opportunities to be a student-athlete and assistant coach at UMBC have been two of the most rewarding experiences of my life," says Hoffman, who earned a degree in American Studies in 1997. "Keith taught me how to be a better player physically, but also how to be a better player mentally. His guidance and leadership took me into coaching."

Rebekah Knouse, '98, a UMBC Admissions Counselor, was a standout player as Puryear was developing the program. "Keith taught the tennis team how to be strong and how to never give up," she says. "Through both the wins and the losses, his faith in us never yielded. He believed in our abilities as tennis players, as students, as more importantly, as people. Playing for the UMBC tennis team proved to be one of the most inspiring and educational experiences of my life."

Current team captain, senior Anita Pushpanathan agrees. "Both Keith and Bobby have contributed so much to both teams and continue to demand only the best from each one of its players. Their positive, motivating style of coaching has provided all of us with the opportunity to reach our full potential," she says.

Pushpanathan's 2003 team could be "the strongest team I have ever had," according to Puryear, while the men currently have to replace five starters in singles and/or doubles from last year. Both teams have beefed up the schedule as the men host St. John's (April 4), while the women entertain Cincinnati (April 4), and West Virginia (April 12).

But, if both teams continue to take their cues from Puryear, the tennis trophy case may become even more crowded after this spring.