Capturing UMBC’s First America East Championship

Capturing UMBC’s First America East Championship

 After leading the Retrievers to their first-ever championship title in the America East Conference, Swimming and Diving Head Coach Chad Cradock has once again proved that the equation “Cradock + UMBC” yields only success.

Cradock, a native of Barrie, Ontario, who earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from UMBC in 1997, was a four-year letter-winner for the Retriever Swimming and Diving program. “I really enjoyed my experience as an athlete at UMBC,” said Cradock. “The friends that I made here are friends that I’ll have for a lifetime, and the whole school experience was a tremendous run for me. Being from Canada, it was a dream come true, since I always wanted to go to the States to compete. To be successful on top of it all was even more amazing.”

While at UMBC, Cradock recorded at the U.S. Open and was fifth in the 400-yard freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials in 1996. A mid-free and distance swimmer, he capped his senior season by earning ECAC Swimmer of the Meet honors. In that competition, he won the 200, 500 and 1650 freestyle events, breaking pool records in the 200 and 500 to lead UMBC to a second-place finish. His times of 4:28.62 in the 500-yard freestyle (’96) and 15:34.61 in the mile (’97) set school records that to this day are yet to be broken.

After graduating, Cradock assumed the position of assistant coach under his mentor, Sid Burkot. “I never really assumed that I would be a coach,” said Cradock. “I decided to apply for the opening and was pretty excited. Hard to believe, but it all actually just led to what it is today.”

What it is today is a head coaching position that has posted an incredible 62-15 men’s and women’s combined record, good for a .805 winning percentage. This year alone, both teams set a school-best 12-1 record, with the men winning their seventh straight league title, while capturing UMBC’s first ever championship in the America East. The women, who took four of five league titles during UMBC’s tenure in the Northeast Conference, finished second in the America East.

“Watching my athletes today—watching them train hard and work hard—has been a great experience,” said Cradock the day his team captured the championships. “They deserve everything they have achieved with hard work and dedication and discipline.”

The hard work showed during the three-day competition, where the Retriever men dominated, as they amassed a league-record 901 points. The closest competitor was Binghamton, who came in second with 574 points. Senior co-captain Brad Green received Swimmer of the Meet honors, as he broke the 12-year old school record in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 44.82, en route to receiving five gold and two silver medals in the championships.

On the women’s side, everyone contributed a tremendous effort, as the Retrievers broke three school records—Astrid Sperling in the 100 backstroke, Agnes Stanislawska in the 200 freestyle, and the 400 medley relay team of Sperling, Lindsey Prather, Holly Wittsack, and Stanislawska. In addition, Stanislawska received Swimmer of the Meet honors in her first year as a UMBC competitor.

“The keys to being successful in our program are belief in what you’re doing, belief in yourself, trusting yourself and focus, dedication and discipline,” said Cradock. “If you put it all together and never question yourself and you’re always positive, you will be a successful student-athlete at UMBC.”