Athletics

UMBC All-American soccer standout Oumar Ballo has been signed by the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer. The Dynamo selected Ballo in the second round with the 30th overall selection of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. Ballo helped lead UMBC to the NCAA Tournament College Cup (Final Four) in 2014 for the first time in program history. A two-time NSCAA-All American, Ballo was named America East Conference Defender of the Year in 2014. Ballo has appeared in two games this preseason. The Dynamo open their tenth season on Saturday, March 7, 2015 at BBVA Compass Stadium against Columbus Crew SC.

Last week, the women’s swimming and diving team won the 2015 America East Championship with 791 points. The men’s swimming and diving team became the 2015 Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) champions several days later. This year marks the fourth year in school history that the UMBC women’s swimming and diving team has won the America East Championship. Sophomore Emily Escobedo won the Most Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet award and Coach Chad Cradock, as well as assistants Chris Gibeau, Brandt Nigro, Rob Bellamy and diving coach Petar Trifonov, earned Coaching Staff of the Year. At the CCSA Championship, Nikola… Continue Reading Swimming and Diving Teams Win Championships

UMBC Head Men’s Soccer Coach Pete Caringi was named 2014 National Division I Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. The award is voted upon by Caringi’s fellow coaches who are members of the NSCAA. It is the Retriever mentor’s third top honor in 30 years, as he was selected as the National Junior College Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1989. At the senior college level, Caringi earned South Atlantic regional honors in 1999 and Northeast regional honors in 2013. Caringi just completed his 24th season at UMBC and has piloted the Retrievers… Continue Reading Head Men’s Soccer Coach Pete Caringi Named NSCAA National Coach of the Year

This fall marks a historic year for the UMBC men’s soccer team as they advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. After winning their third America East title, the Retrievers defeated Wake Forest and College Park in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament. The win against College Park at the time marked the furthest a UMBC Division I team had advanced in a national tournament, until the team again emerged victorious in the next round. On Sunday, UMBC men’s soccer bested the University of Louisville in the third NCAA round to make the quarterfinals. UMBC has been… Continue Reading UMBC Men’s Soccer Advances in NCAA Tournament

UMBC red-shirt sophomore goalkeeper Billy Heavner earned the inaugural America East Conference Elite 18 Award, honoring student-athletes who exemplify excellence both in their sport and in the classroom. The awards were presented at the conclusion of the league’s six fall championships The Elite 18 Award Program was established by the conference in June 2013 for implementation in the 2014-15 academic year to honor the highest achievement in academics and athletics by a student-athlete in each America East sponsored sport. Heavner maintains a perfect 4.00 GPA while majoring in financial economics. He took over the starting position mid-season and has posted… Continue Reading UMBC Men’s Soccer Squad Receives NSCAA Academic Honor

Director of Athletics Tim Hall was a featured panelist of NCAA Division I athletic directors at the 2014 NACWAA Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. Alabama A&M Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Dr. Renae Myles led an all-star panel of Division I athletic National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators, which was founded in 1979 as the premier leadership organization dedicated to empowering, developing and advancing the success of women throughout the profession. Dr. Myles moderated an engaging session titled: “Why Women Leaders are Critical to Department Success.” She led the Sunday conversation with Tim Hall, Whit Babcock, athletic director… Continue Reading Tim Hall, Athletic Director, Serves As Featured Panelist at the 2014 NACWAA Convention

Head Swimming and Diving Coach Chad Cradock talked with the host of “The Morning Swim Show” Jeff Commings about career win number 200, as well as the season at hand. Click here to see the video.

Head Swimming and Diving Coach Chad Cradock earned his 200th career win at the CCSA North Invitational this past weekend. Cradock swept the competition, earning wins over Gardner-Webb, NJIT, and VMI to accomplish the feat. “It is a pleasure for a milestone like this to occur at home,” Cradock said about winning number 200. “I want to thank all the coaches who have been a part of this over the years, including Chris Gibeau who has been here with me for most of it,” he added. “I am proud to work with talented athletes both in the past and the… Continue Reading Head Swimming and Diving Coach Chad Cradock Earns 200th Career Victory

Six UMBC student-athletes were among the 48 America East student-athletes named to the conference’s inaugural Presidential Scholar-Athlete class for their outstanding academic achievements throughout their collegiate careers. Approved by the America East Board of Presidents last June and implemented for 2013-14 academic year, the Presidential Scholar-Athlete award recognizes graduating student-athletes who compiled a cumulative grade-point-average (GPA) of 3.75 or higher as an undergraduate student. The Retriever honorees were tennis’ Kim Berghaus, swimming and diving’s Patty Hallberg, volleyball’s Robbin Lee, men’s soccer’s Corbin McCarron, cross country/track athlete Kirsten McGovern and baseball’s Luke Seppi. In addition to registering a 3.75 GPA for… Continue Reading Six UMBC Graduates Among Inaugural America East Presidential Scholar-Athletes

UMBC Swimming and Diving rising sophomore Andrew McKissick (Ellicott City, Md./Mount St. Joseph’s) is featured in the “Faces in the Crowd” section of the June 23 issue of Sports Illustrated. The issue began hitting newsstands and mailboxes on Wednesday, June 18. McKissick won the Great Chesapeake Bay Swim for the second consecutive year back on Sunday, June 8. The Retriever swimmer bested the field of over 600 competitors in the 4.4-mile open-water swim with a time of just under 90 minutes (1:29:35), which also beats his winning time of 1:31.46 from 2013.