Retriever Achievers

UMBC student-athletes excel in their sports, in the classroom and in the community.

Academics | Athletics | Community Outreach


ACADEMICS

The NCAA's most recent Academic Progress Report ranked our women's swim team and men's basketball and cross country teams in the top 10 percent of colleges and universities nationally. 

Twenty three program participants recorded 4.0 grade point averages in fall 2008. Four UMBC athletic and support teams posted grade point averages of 3.00 or higher in the spring of 2008. Forty-four percent of all students in the program (total of 441) had grade point averages of 3.00 or higher, while 20 percent were over 3.50. The women's swimming team has a team grade-point average of 3.31. The only team in the department with a higher GPA is women's tennis, at 3.43.

Women’s Swimming and Diving were the only America East team to win an America East championship and post the highest GPA among the conference’s teams in 2008.

Kara Dorr and Ashley Lancer were selected to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division-I Academic Honor Roll.

Isaac Matthews ’07, mechanical engineering, was named the 2007 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year and 10 additional student-athletes were chosen as 2007 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholars. The award is given annually by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine to the U.S. female and male athletes who best combine athletic and academic excellence with community activism. Matthews is now a graduate student in MIT’s M.S./Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering and M.S. in Technology and Public Policy programs.

Basketball
Junior Justin Fry earned a 2009 All-Academic Team recognition, becoming the first Retriever men’s basketball player to earn that honor in four years of the award.

Swimming and Diving
In 2008, 11 men and women were selected for the second straight year to represent 2008 America East champion UMBC on the America East Swimming and Diving All-Academic teams. The honorees are Scott Auchter, P.J. Sterba, Milos Djukic, Rasmus Kutt, Zach Vonder Haar, Matt Mattingly, Tina Cantwell, Carly Fitzpatrick, Danielle Surkovich and Lindsay Sherman. The Retrievers boasted the most student-athletes named to the teams for the second year in a row.

Brad Reitz was named the 2008 America East Swimming and Diving Rookie of the Year.

Track and Field/Cross Country
Four members of the track and field teams were named to the 2008 America East Indoor Track and Field All-Academic Teams.  The teams placed fourth at the America East championships.

Cross country and track and field athlete Morgan Little was named to the 2007 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II Second Team.

Two members of the track and field teams were named to the 2007 America East Outdoor Track and Field All-Academic Teams.

During his senior year, Isaac Matthews ’07, mechanical engineering, was named the 2007 Arthur Ashe Jr. Male Sports Scholar of the Year. The award is given annually by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine to the U.S. female and male athletes who best combine athletic and academic excellence with community activism. Matthews is now a graduate student in MIT’s M.S./Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering and M.S. in Technology and Public Policy programs.

Tennis
The men’s tennis team received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship Award for April 2007. The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that goes to one men's and one women's team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis.

Cornelia Carapcea was named the America East Conference Scholar-Athlete in women’s tennis for the 2006-07 academic year.

Volleyball
Volleyball’s Ashley Oscars was named to the 2007 America East All-Academic team.

Softball
Softball infielder Dana Shepherd was named to the ESPN the Magazine 2008 Academic All-District II University Division First Team for the third year in a row. Shepard is also one of 30 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award honoring the nation’s best softball seniors who excel in the classroom and are involved in the community.

ATHLETICS

Baseball
Four baseball players were named to the 2008 America East All-Conference Team, and four players earned spots on the 2008 America East All-Academic squad. Joe Fowler and Will Delawter led the Retriever award winners with First-Team All-Conference nods for outfield and designated hitter, respectively, while Wink Nolan and Scott Peddicord earned Second-Team honors for the outfield position. Delawter was also named to the All-Academic squad along with Steve Russo and Ryan Morse and Tom Meaney.

Baseball's Rich Conlon was named to the 2008 America East All-Championship Team as a shortstop.

Basketball
Men’s basketball has advanced to the 2009 America East championships and women’s basketball has advanced to the 2009 America East semifinals. In 2008, UMBC had its first-ever appearance in a league title game in 22 years at the NCAA Division I level. In 2008, The Retrievers earned their 23rd victory (23-8) of the season, tying the all-time (41 years) school record.  The team advanced to the semi-finals in 2007.

Forward Darryl Proctor was named to the 2009 America East All-Conference First Team, while senior guard Jay Greene was selected to the 2009 Second Team.

Head Basketball Coach Randy Monroe was one of ten finalists for the 2008 Hugh Durham Award, given to the nation’s top Mid-Major coach. He was also named 2008 America East Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Five members of the men’s basketball team earned 2008 America East all-conference honors.

The America East Conference named UMBC men's basketball player Cavell Johnson its 2008 Male Sportsmanship Award winner.

Jay Greene and Brian Hodges were nominated for America East Men's Basketball Fans' Choice 2008 Player of the Year.

In 2007, Brian Hodges earned All America East Men’s Basketball Second Team, while Chris Pugh was named to the league’s All Defensive Team, becoming the first UMBC player to ever earn that honor.

The women’s basketball team won the 2007 America East Championships and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Sharri Rohde earned 2007 America East all-conference second team and all-defensive team honors.

Women’s basketball off-guard Kristin Drabyn won the 2007 America East Conference Sportsmanship Award.

Swimming and Diving
Men's Swimming and Diving won their sixth consecutive America East Championship in 2009, ranking 12th overall. Women’s Swimming and Diving took second place. 

The UMBC men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams won the 2008 and 2007 America East Championships, making them the first team in the history of the conference to win back-to-back dual conference championships.

Swimming and Diving Coach Eric Skrabacz received America East’s 2008 Coaches’ Award.

Lacrosse
Midfielder Terry Kimener was named to the 2008 USILA All-American lacrosse Second Team, and and defenseman Bobby Atwell, goalkeeper Jeremy Blevins and attackman Ryan Smith earned honorable mentions. Kimener was also named 2008 America East Conference Menís Lacrosse Player of the Year.

Ashley Fauntleroy received the 2008 America East Most Outstanding Field Performer award.

Senior attack Ali Levendusky was selected to the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) 2008 Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team.

Head Lacrosse Coach Don Zimmerman was named 2008 America East Lacrosse Coach of the Year.

In 2007, the men’s lacrosse team advanced to the 2007 NCAA quarterfinals for the second year in a row.

Men’s lacrosse won their first America East Championships in 2006 and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals.

Three members of the men’s lacrosse team were named to the 2007 United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s All American teams.

Five members of the women’s lacrosse team earned 2007 America East all-conference honors.

Tennis
Men’s tennis won the 2007 America East Championships and earned a berth in the NCAA championships, as well as an invitation to the prestigious ECAC Invitational at the U.S. Tennis Center in fall 2007. The women’s team was the America East runner-up.

Cornelia Carapcea was named to ESPN The Magazine's 2008 Academic All-District II women's tennis at-large first team.

The men’s tennis team received the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Team Sportsmanship Award for April 2007. The ITA National Team Sportsmanship Award is a monthly award that goes to one men's and one women's team that has exemplified outstanding sportsmanship, character and ethical conduct in the true spirit of competition and collegiate tennis.

Softball
The softball team reached the America East semi-finals in 2007.

In 2007, Dana Shepherd was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District II University Division First Team for the second year in a row.

Soccer
Mary Hearin was selected to the 2006 ESPN the Magazine Women’s Soccer Academic All-District II University Division First Team.

Volleyball
Three volleyball players were named to the 2007 America East All-Conference teams.

In 2006, the volleyball team stunned defending champion Binghamton in the America East semi-finals.

Wrestling
Alex Broadwater, interdisciplinary studies, won the 2008 National Collegiate Wrestling Association club team tournament.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The UMBC Athletics Community Outreach Program promotes a positive relationship between our student-athletes and communities surrounding the university. In recent academic years, UMBC athletes performed more than 5,000 hours of community service and raised thousands of dollars during fundraisers for local and national organizations.

Examples include:

Mentoring: Student-athletes from men’s basketball and other teams mentor students and participate as guest speakers at area schools.

Volunteering: For over ten years, the men’s lacrosse team has volunteered with Ride for Pride. The team assists trainers in horseback riding activities for special needs children at the Patapsco Horse Center in Ellicott City, Maryland.

Fundraising: Student-athletes organize or participate in fundraisers for Komen Maryland Race for the Cure, Adopt-a-Family Christmas Toy Drive, Polar Bear Plunge and others.