BALTIMORE – More than 400 student-athletes, faculty, staff and family members were in attendance on Monday, May 6 at the RAC Arena as UMBC honored its student-athletes for another successful year both on the playing surface and in the classroom. Junior Pete Caringi III (Perry Hall, Md./Calvert Hall) joined second-year honorees, sophomore Mercedes Jackson (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown) and junior Mohamed Hussein (Cairo, Egypt/Victory College), as the Retrievers’ Most Outstanding Athletes for the 2012-13 academic year, an honor that was renamed the Dr. Charles R. Brown Outstanding Athlete Award to recognize the Athletic Director, who will retire in June, for his 24 years of dedication to the department and school.

Men’s Lacrosse four-year letterwinner Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, Brit. Columbia/Terry Fox) earned Outstanding Senior Male Athlete recognition, while track & field’s Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen) and women’s lacrosse’s Jamie Fahey(Baldwin, Md./Loch Raven) shared the Outstanding Senior Female Athlete Award.

Women’s Basketball’s Raven Harris (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne/American) and men’s soccer’s Liam Paddock(Worcestershire, England/Chase Technology College) received the prestigious Matt Skalsky Scholar-Athlete Award, given to the department’s top academic honorees.

Caringi III authored a breakthrough season for the men’s soccer program, and was the offensive force that propelled the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning several post-season honors. He was cited as the America East Striker of the Year, the ECAC Offensive Player of the Year and he was selected to National College Soccer Coaches’ Association All-Northeast Region Second Team.

An America East First Team selection and the league’s Fans’ Choice Player of the Year, he scored 14 goals and recorded 32 points to place 13th and 15th respectively in the country. The local Calvert Hall product also tied a school single-game record by scoring four goals in a resounding victory over league foe Hartford.

Jackson pushed past her record-setting freshman campaign and continued to make history both inside and outside, as she garnered her second consecutive Athlete of the Year recognition. Already the school-record holder in the 60-meter and 200-meter dash events indoors from last year, Jackson ran past both marks during the 2012-13 indoor track season, including a personal-best time of 7.34 in the 60-meter event to become just the fourth UMBC track athlete ever to advance to the NCAA Championships. In Fayetteville, Arkansas, she placed 13th and earned a spot on the All-America Second Team.

Outside, the sophomore has continued her bristling pace, winning the 100m and 200m dash events in record-breaking time at the America East Outdoor Championships. Her victory in the 100-meter race broke an eight-year old conference record, while her win the 200-meter snapped her own conference and school-record times. For her efforts, she was named the Most Outstanding Female Track Performer.

A year after breaking onto the scene at UMBC with three individual gold medals at the 2012 America East Championships,Hussein, also a back-to-back honoree of Most Outstanding Athlete recognition, pushed even further this season, leading the Retrievers to just their second-ever undefeated dual meet season. In Orono, Maine, he once again won three individual events and was named the Most Outstanding Male Swimmer for the second-straight year, as he helped guide the Retrievers back to the top of the conference with a meet-record 1,075 total points at the America East Championships in Maine.

Following the America East meet, the junior claimed Top Male Swimmer accolades at the ECAC Championships and became just the third Retriever in program history, and first male swimmer, to make the cut for the NCAA Championships. In Indianapolis, against a national field, he set personal-records in the 200-yard individual medley, 200-yard freestyle, and the 200-yard backstroke, breaking his own school record with each swim.

Jones has been the men’s lacrosse team’s offensive leader for the past three seasons. He has earned three all-conference honors, including first team recognition in 2012, when he finished eighth in the nation in goals scored per game. Earlier this season, he became the 30th player in school history to record 100 points and currently stands 20th with 117 career points. Jones has served as team captain of the Retrievers for the past two season and earned all-tournament honors at the 2013 America East Men’s Lacrosse Championships.

Deller has won the shot put all eight times at the America East Championships, earning a gold medal in the event indoors and outdoors, all four years of her career. In addition, she has won the weight throw at the indoor meet to be named the Most Outstanding Female Field Athlete each of the last two years. Last year, she added the discus championship to her career haul and this season at the conference championships at Binghamton, she repeated in the discus to bring her career haul to 12 America East titles.

Fahey received conference honors all four season with the Retrievers, including three straight selections to the America East All-Conference First Team. Additionally, she has earned national recognition on the IWLCA Mid-Atlantic Region Second Team, as well as garnering a spot on the womenslacrosse.com All-Rookie Squad. The four-year letterwinner eclipsed the century mark for draw controls with 115 and ground balls with 105 for her career this season, in addition to recording her first career point with an assist in a 15-12 victory against American.

Harris emerged as one of the elite point guards in the America East in her senior season, setting a new school record with 109 steals on the season, ranking fifth all-time in takeaways in a campaign for the America East, and ended the year ranked third in the country in steals per game. An America East All-Conference Second Team selection, and a member of the America East All-Defensive team, the senior guard tripled her scoring production from a year ago, averaging 12.4 points per game and adding 3.8 helpers. The America East Honor Roll member earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in media and communications studies in May 2012 and has posted a 4.0 GPA since starting her master’s program in early childhood education.

Paddock became just the second UMBC student-athlete ever to receive a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, which he is using to pursue a master’s degree in the management of aging studies. He earned his undergraduate degree with a 3.92 GPA, completing a double-major in psychology and sociology and was the 2012 ECAC Division I Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

A team captain at UMBC, Paddock was named 2012 America East Defender of the Year and was a repeat selection to the America East All-Conference First Team. The two-time America East Scholar Athlete in the sport of men’s soccer, he started all 72 games that he dressed for in his four-year tenure in Baltimore.

The Leon Upshur Memorial Award, establish in 1994 to honor a student volunteer that contributes to the mission of the athletic department in capacities other than participation, was given to fourth-year student trainer Mariah Cheaves.

Juniors Andrew Smith (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley) of track & field and Klara Pavelkova (Prague, Czech Republic/Gymnasium Pripotocni) of women’s swimming & diving wrapped up the major award winners as the recipients of the Retriever Club Scholarship Award, which will be used for their senior seasons of competition.

Below is the list of UMBC’s most valuable athletes, most improved athletes and unsung heroes for each sport, chose by that’ team’s coaches, as well as the winners of the third annual Gritty Awards:

2012-13 UMBC Award Winners

Men’s Soccer
Most Improved Athlete: Jordan Becker (Pocomoke City, Md./Pocomoke)
Most Valuable Athlete: Pete Carinigi III (Perry Hall, Md./Calvert Hall)
Most Valuable Athlete: Phil Saunders (Perry Hall, Md./Perry Hall)

Women’s Soccer
Unsung Hero: Melissa Hummel (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown East)
Most Improved Athlete: Stephanie Smith (Severna Park, Md./Archbishop Spalding)
Most Valuable Athlete: Lauren Kadet (Oakville, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas)

Volleyball
Unsung Hero: Robbin Lee (Olney, Md./Sherwood)
Most Improved Athlete: Mallory McIntyre (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada/St. Mary’s Academy)
Most Improved Athlete: Krystal Mlemchukwu (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech)

Men’s Cross Country
Unsung Hero: Tommy Eldridge (Rocky River, Ohio/Rocky River)
Most Improved Athlete: Jake Albino (Hampton, N.Y./Minisink Valley)
Most Valuable Athlete: Brandan McGee (Hiram, Ohio/Crestwood)

Women’s Cross Country
Unsung Hero: Nicole Dawson (Jessup, Md./Hammond)
Most Improved Athlete: Julie Gessler (Ellicott City, Md./Institute of Notre Dame)
Most Valuable Athlete: Cody Mezebish (Westminster, Md./South Carroll)

Men’s Basketball
Unsung Hero: Malik Garner (Philadelphia, Pa./Chestnut Hill Academy)
Most Improved Athlete: Brian Neller (Red Bank, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy)
Most Valuable Athlete: Ryan Cook (Laurel, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti/Chestnut Hill College)

Women’s Basketball
Unsung Hero: Kristin Coles (Charles Town, W.Va./Notre Dame Academy/American)
Most Improved Athlete: Kim Browning (Mechanicsville, Va./Hanover)
Most Valuable Athlete: Raven Harris (Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne/American)

Men’s Swimming & Diving
Unsung Hero: Andrew Eckhoff (Chelmsford, Mass./Chelmsford)
Unsung Hero: Pierre DeWaal (Pretoria, South Africa/Tuks Sport/Cleveland State)
Most Valuable Athlete: Mohammed Hussein (Cairo, Egypt/Victory College)

Women’s Swimming & Diving
Most Improved Athlete: Corinna Darelius (Rye, N.Y./Rye)
Most Improved Athlete: Faye Hixenbaugh (Rockville, Md./Richard Montgomery)
Most Valuable Athlete: Jennifer Kotonias (Burtonsville, Md./Academy of Holy Cross)

Men’s Indoor Track & Field
Most Improved Athlete: Liam Stott (Carrboro, N.C./Chapel Hill)
Most Valuable Athlete: Dennison Long (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/FIU)
Most Valuable Athlete: Andrew Smith (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley)

Women’s Indoor Track & Field
Most Improved Athlete: Mary Katherine Kulp (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal)
Most Valuable Athlete: Mercedes Jackson (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown)
Most Valuable Athlete: Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen)

Men’s Lacrosse
Unsung Hero: Matt Gregoire (Crofton, Md./South River
Unsung Hero: Ethan Murphy (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca East)
Unsung Hero: Jake Zimmerman (Towson, Md./Boys’ Latin)

Women’s Lacrosse
Unsung Hero: Kendall Mason (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor)
Most Improved Athlete: Lexi Bristow (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck)
Most Valuable Athlete: Jamie Fahey (Baldwin, Md./Loch Raven)

Men’s Tennis
Unsung Hero: Patrick Geoffrion-Amorim (Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada/American Heritage)
Most Improved Athlete: Daniel Gray (Bowie, Md./The Bullis School)
Most Valuable Athlete: Justin Carter (Randallstown, Md./National Connections Academy)

Women’s Tennis
Unsung Hero: Isabel Aldunate (Bowie, Md./Home School)
Most Improved Athlete: Heidi Danielsson (Jonkoping, Sweden/Sanda)
Most Valuable Athlete: Josefin Stange-Jonsson (Vasteras, Sweden/De La Gardiegymnasiet)

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field
Most Valuable Athlete: Dennison Long (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt/FIU)
Most Valuable Athlete: Vincent Rentzsch (Oranienburg, Germany)
Most Valuable Athlete: Thor Serafenas (Olney, Md./Good Counsel/Clemson)

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field
Most Valuable Athlete: Kirsten Jones (Brentwood, Tenn./M.L.K. Magnet)
Most Valuable Athlete: Amanda Deller (Aberdeen, Md./Aberdeen)
Most Valuable Athlete: Mercedes Jackson (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown)

Baseball
Unsung Hero: Robert Hopp (Catonsville, Md./Catonsville)
Unsung Hero: Luke Seppi (Annapolis, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt)
Most Improved Athlete: Jon Cohn (Scottsdale, Ariz./Notre Dame Prep)

Softball
Unsung Hero: Danielle O’Neill (Loathian, Md./Southern)
Most Valuable Athlete: Heather Brown (Pasadena, Md./Northeast)
Most Valuable Athlete: Taylor Hall (Cosby, Va./Cosby)

2012-13 Gritty Award Winners

Upset of the Year: Men’s Soccer victory over Old Dominion

Rookie of the Year: Pat Young (Ewing, N.J./Christchurch School) – men’s lacrosse

Record-Breaking Performance: Mohammed Hussein (Cairo, Egypt/Victory College) – men’s swimming & diving

Comeback Athlete of the Year: Amy Fay (Haverhill, Mass./Haverhill) – women’s swimming & diving

Play of the Year: Brian Neller (Red Bank, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) – men’s basketball

Breakthrough Athlete of the Year: Shannon Harkey (Purcellville, Va./Loudoun Valley/Florida) – women’s

Stony Brook Sweeps America East Men’s Basketball Annual Awards; All-League Teams Announced

ALBANY, N.Y. – For the first time in America East Conference history, a school has swept the conference’s major awards as Stony Brook took home all four 2013 honors Friday, highlighted by Tommy Brenton being named the Kevin Roberson Player of the Year. Brenton, also the Defensive Player of the Year, headlined the annual award winners, which were announced along with the all-conference teams, at the league’s annual awards reception at the University at Albany, which is hosting the America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU this weekend.

Brenton, just the second player to earn Player and Defensive Player of the Year honors in the same season, was joined as a major award winner by teammate Jameel Warney, who became the first Stony Brook player to ever be named Rookie of the Year. Their head coach, Steve Pikiell was named Coach of the Year after leading the Seawolves to a Division I-program record 23 wins and their third America East regular-season title in the last four years. The winners were all chosen in a vote by the league’s head coaches.

One of the most unique and versatile players in all of college basketball, Brenton is the second Seawolf in the last four years (Muhammad El-Amin) to earn Player of the Year honors. The senior forward from Columbia, Md. ranks third among America East leaders in rebounding (8.7 rpg), second in assists (4.9 apg), fourth in steals (1.6 spg) and first in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3-to-1), while averaging a career-high 8.9 points per game. Just the second repeat Defensive Player of the Year, Brenton has been the catalyst for a defense that ranks 14th nationally in scoring defense and fifth in field goal percentage defense. Brenton, also a first-team all-conference selection for the second-straight year, is up to fourth on the league’s all-time rebound list with 1,089 and also has over 950 points, nearly 400 assists and over 200 steals. He was twice named America East Player of the Week this season.

Warney, a freshman big man, had a major impact on Stony Brook’s success during the regular season en route to earning Rookie of the Year accolades. The 6-foot-8 forward is one of just four America East players to rank in the league’s top 10 in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 12.2 points per game (10th) and 7.3 rebounds per game (6th). Warney, whose eight Rookie of the Week honors are the second-most in league history, also leads the league in field goal percentage, hitting 62.4 percent of his attempts. He also earned second-team all-conference honors, All-Rookie accolades and was the league’s first freshman to be named to the All-Defensive team, ranking second in the league in blocks (1.6 bpg).

Pikiell, who’s in his eighth season at Stony Brook, led the Seawolves to their best regular season as a Division I program as he earned his third Coach of the Year trophy in the last four years. Pikiell’s squad, which leads the conference in both scoring and scoring defense, has already set a new Division I standard with 23 wins and won the America East regular-season crown for the third time in four seasons in 2013. In his last four seasons, the Seawolves have won 91 games, captured three America East regular-season titles and appeared in consecutive league championship games.

Brenton is joined on the first team by Albany’s Mike Black, Boston University’s D.J. Irving, Hartford’s Mark Nwakamma and Vermont’s Brian Voelkel. Black, a senior guard, ranks third among league leaders (15.1 ppg) and tied for the league lead with nine 20-point games this season. Irving, a junior guard is sixth in scoring (14.3 ppg) and fifth in assists (3.6), while Nwakamma, a sophomore forward, led America East in scoring during conference play (16.5 ppg) and also has nine 20-point efforts. Voelkel, a junior forward, ranks in the top three in both rebounding (2nd – 8.9 rpg) and assists 3rd (4.9 apg) and is also an All-Defensive choice for the second-consecutive season.

Accompanying Warney on the second team is Maine’s tandem of Justin Edwards and Alasdair Fraser, UMBC’s Ryan Cook and Vermont’s Clancy Rugg. Edwards leads the league in scoring (16.7 ppg) while Fraser is in the top 10 in both scoring (7th – 13.7 ppg) and rebounding (4th – 8.2 rpg). Cook is one of just four players to average 15 points per game, while Rugg leads Vermont in scoring (11.5 ppg) and ranks 13th in both scoring and rebounding.

Two rookies, Binghamton’s Jordan Reed (16.7 ppg, 9.6 rpg) and the Terriers’ Maurice Watson, Jr. (11.1 ppg, 5.4 apg) lead the third team and are joined by Boston U.’s Dom Morris (11.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg), the Seawolves’ Dave Coley (10.6 ppg), also an All-Defensive honoree, and the Catamounts’ Sandro Carissimo (10.0 ppg)

In addition to Warney, Reed and Watson, Jr., Albany’s Peter Hooley (8.0 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Boston University’s John Papale (64 three pointers;.423) make up the All-Rookie team.

Brenton, Coley, Voelkel and Warney are joined on the All-Defensive squad by Maine’s Mike Allison, a repeat selection who leads the league in blocks (1.7 bpg).

Carissimo earned All-Academic recognition for the second-straight year in addition to his all-conference nod. Vermont’s Luke Apfeld, a repeat selection, and Albany’s Jacob Iati, who was recognized two years ago, both also received Capital One Academic All-District honors this year. Albany’s Sam Rowley and New Hampshire’s Scott Morris round out the team. Those selections were chosen by a committee made up of America East sports information directors, academic advisors and faculty athletic representatives.

The 2013 America East Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship presented by SEFCU gets underway Saturday at University at Albany’s SEFCU Arena.

UMBC will compete in its tenth America East Conference Tournament and opens play on Sat., March 9 as the sixth-seeded Retrievers take on the third-seeded Hartford Hawks at SEFCU Arena. Tip-off time will be 30 minutes after the noon tilt between No. 2 Vermont and No. 7 UNH. The game can be seen on ESPN3 and via the WatchESPN app on smartphones and tablets.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (5-11, 7-22) concluded the regular season with a 59-49 victory over Binghamton, securing the No. 6 seed in the tournament. The win snapped a six-game slide for the Retrievers. A pair of seniors led the way on “Senior Day” as guards Ryan Cook (team-high 15.0 ppg) and Brian Neller (AEC leader in 3-point fg) combined for 41 of UMBC’s 59 points.

HAWK UPDATE: Hartford (10-6, 17-12) closed the season with three consecutive victories and secured the No. 3 seed by virtue of a 61-58 victory at Vermont on the final day of the regular season. SO F Nate SIkma hit the game-winning trey in the final seconds in the victory. Hartford swept Boston U. and had victories over Vermont and Stony Brook in 2013. SO F Mark Nwakamma leads the Hawks at 14.7 points per game.

WHO’S UP NEXT: UMBC would meet the winner of the game between No. 2 Vermont v. No. 7 New  Hampshire in the first (5:00 p.m.) semifinal contest on Sunday, March 10.

UMBC concludes its tenth season of America East Conference play on Sunday, March 3 when they host Binghamton at the RAC Arena. UMBC would wrap up the No. 6 seed in next weekend’s America East Conference Tournament with a victory over the Bearcats. UMBC Basketball will also celebrate its “Senior Day”, as the Retrievers honor Ryan Cook, Brian Neller and Adrian Satchell before the contest which tips off at 2:10 p.m. Gary Stein and Paul Mittermeier have all the play-by-play action and streaming is available at www.umbcretrievers.tv.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (4-11, 6-22) has dropped six straight, including Thursday’s 68-56 setback at Hartford. For the second time in the last three road games, UMBC had a halftime lead, but could not protect it in the second half. The Retrievers held UH to 20 first half points, but the Hawks hit over 60 percent from the field and scored 48 in the final 20 minutes. Cook (14.6 ppg) went over the 400-point barrier for the season with a team-high 16 points for UMBC.

BEARCAT UPDATE: Binghamton (1-14, 3-25) has dropped nine straight, but gave Vermont a scare on Thursday, leading early in the second half before the Catamounts pulled away for a 78-61 victory. FR G Jordan Reed is one of the nation’s top newcomers- he leads America East in scoring (16.9 ppg) and rebounding (9.5 rpg). SR G Jimmy Gray has buried 62 treys on the campaign for the Bearcats.

WHO’S UP NEXT: A UMBC win would pit the Retrievers vs. either host Albany or Hartford in the America East Tournament on Sat., March 9. A loss and a UNH win over Maine would mean the Retrievers would face No. 2 Vermont.

UMBC enters the final week of the regular season trying to hold off UNH for the sixth seed in the upcoming America East Tournament. The Retrievers open play this week by taking on the Hartford Hawks at the Chase Family Arena on Thurs., Feb. 28. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (4-10, 6-21) has droppped five straight, including last Saturday’s 68-59 setback vs. Boston University. The Retrievers fell behind by 12 early in the second half before a rally cut the deficit to two points midway through the stanza, but the comeback fell short. Reserve SO G Joey Getz is averaging 12.0 ppg in the month of February. SR G Ryan Cook leads the squad with 14.6 points per game.

HAWK UPDATE:  Hartford (8-6, 15-12) is tied with Albany for the No. 3 seed in the tournament. The Hawks has been tough at home in 2012-13, postiing a mark of 9-4. UH is coming off a 49-44 victory over UNH on Feb. 20 and had the weekend bye. SO F Mark Nwakamma leads America East in scoring in league play at 17.6 points per game.

WHO’S UP NEXT:  UMBC completes the regular season vs. Binghamton at home on Sun., March 3 at 2:00 p.m.  The Retrievers will honor seniors Ryan Cook, Brian Neller and Adrian Satchell in ceremonies before the start of the game.

The UMBC men’s basketball team will welcome Boston University to the RAC Arena for the final time with the Terriers as members of the America East Conference on Sat., Feb. 23. Tip-off time between the Retrievers and Terriers is 7:00 p.m.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (4-9, 6-20) suffered through its poorest contest of the 2012-13 season on Tuesday, when they fell, 83-39 at America East leader Stony Brook. SR G Ryan Cook (team-leading 14.7 ppg) was the lone Retriever in double figures with 15 points. UMBC led, 23-14 at the nine-minute mark of the first half, but managed only five field goals in the final 30 minutes of action.

TERRIER UPDATE:  Boston University is surging and bring a five-game winning streak into this evening’s game. The Terriers just knocked off Albany, 79-69, at home on Wednesday, hitting nearly 52 percent from the floor and committing only four turnovers vs. the Great Danes. JR G D.J. Irving leads the team with 14.4 points per game and JR F Dom Morris is contributing 11.8 ppg and a team-best 6.5 rebounds per contest.

WHO’S UP NEXT:  UMBC completes the regular season next week, facing Hartford in West Hartford, Conn. on Feb.  28 and play the finale vs. Binghamton at home on Sun., March 3 at 2:00 p.m.

UMBC has four regular season games left before the America East Conference Tournament. The Retrievers open play on the road this week, taking on first-place Stony Brook at Pritchard Gym. Tip-off time between the Retrievers and Seawolves is 7:00 p.m.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (4-8, 6-19) could not hold on to a ten-point halftime lead and fell to 0-3 in overtime this season in a 92-86 setback at UNH. SO G Joey Getz scored a career-high 22 points in the contest and is averaging 13.8 ppg in his last four outings. SR G Brian Neller, who has hit 27 treys in his last six games, added a season-high 19 points and took over third place on UMBC’s all-time list with 241 career treys. SR G Ryan Cook (14.7 ppg) leads UMBC in scoring, but is now at a season-low in scoring average.

SEAWOLF UPDATE: In a battle for the league’s top spot, Stony Brook (10-2, 19-6) overwhelmed Vermont, 65-48 before a rowdy home crowd on Feb. 22. G Marcus Rouse led the way with 16 points as SBU held UVM to seven second half field goals. Stony Brook is 9-1 at home this season. Freshman phenom, post Jameel Warney leads the squad with 12.0 ppg and 7.6 rpg and is shooting 62.4% from the field.

WHO’S UP NEXT: UMBC returns home on Sat., Feb. 23 to face a red-hot Boston University team in their last visit to RAC Arena as a member of the America East Conference. Tip-off time is set for 7:00 p.m.

UMBC starts a two-game America East road swing on Wed., Feb. 9 when they visit New Hampshire at Lundholm Gymnasium. Tip-off time between the Retrievers and Wildcats is 7:00 p.m. 

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (4-7, 6-18) could not recover from another poor start and fell to Vermont, 67-55, at the RAC Arena on Sat., Feb. 9. In the three-game homestand, UMBC trailed by 9, 15 and 9 points at the midpoint of the fi rst half. They rallied to defeat Maine, 68-67, in the opener, but lost to Albany and Vermont. SR G Brian Neller has hit 22 treys in his last five games, while SO G Joey Getz scored in double figures in two of the three games at the RAC Arena. SR G Ryan Cook (14.7 ppg) leads UMBC in scoring, but is now at a season-low in scoring average.

WILDCAT UPDATE: New Hampshire (2-8, 6-16) had the bye this weekend, after falling, 63-48 at Vermont on Feb. 6. The Wildcats are 0-5 at home in league play in 2013. SR F Ferg Myrick, who leads the Wildcats with 13.8 ppg, scored just two points at Vermont a week ago. Myrick leads UNH with 34 three-point field goals.

WHO’S UP NEXT: UMBC has the weekend off before traveling to Long Island to take on Stony Brook at Pritchard Gym on Tues., Feb. 19.

UMBC plays two of the top three teams in America East this week, as they welcome Albany and then Vermont to the RAC Arena. The Retrievers meet the Great Danes on Wed., Feb. 6 with a tip time of 7:05 p.m. Gary Stein and Paul Mittermeier handle broadcast duties, all UMBC home basketball games are streamed on www.umbcretrievers.tv.

UMBC will be clad in its traditional black road uniforms for the 7th annual “RAC in Black” promotion.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (4-5, 6-16) is riding its first two-game winning streak since 2010-11 with back-to-back nail-biting victories over Binghamton and Maine last week. SR G Brian Neller was named America East Player of the Week after scoring a season-high 18 points vs. the Bearcats and hitting the game-winning trey with 0.5 seconds remaining vs. the Black Bears. JR F Chase Plummer leads UMBC with 13.2 ppg in league play, while SR G Ryan Cook is the overall leader at 15.2 points per outing.

GREAT DANE UPDATE:  Albany (6-4, 17-7) just completed a four-game homestand and snapped a three-game slide with a 79-46 thrashing of Binghamton on Feb. 2. SR wing Jayson Guerrier led a resurgent UA attack with 18 points. Albany had averaged just 46.0 points per game in setbacks to Vermont and Stony Brook. SR G Mike Black leads Albany with 15.2 points per game. Albany is 8-2 on the road in 2012-13.

WHO’S UP NEXT:  The Retrievers complete the three-game homestand by entertaining Vermont in the nightcap of a doubleheader on Sat., Feb. 9. Tip-off time is set for 3:30 p.m.

UMBC makes its final trip to Boston, Mass. to take on the Terriers in an America East Conference contest on Sat., Jan. 26. Tip-off time at the Case Gymnasium is set for 1:00 p.m. with Paul Mittermeier on the call.

RETRIEVER UPDATE: UMBC (2-4 AE, 4-15) rallied from a 15-point second-half deficit, but could not complete the comeback and fell, 67-60, to Stony Brook at the RAC Arena on Jan. 23. The setback was UMBC’s first at home in conference play (2-1) this season.  Four Retrievers scored in double figures, but UMBC could not overcome a 1-of-14 start to the game from the floor. SR G Ryan Cook (15.7) has scored in double figures in 17 of 19 games this season. JR G Quentin Jones has started the last four games and has 18 assists/9 turnovers in AEC action. 

TERRIER UPDATE:  The Terriers (4-3, 10-10 ) earned their fifth win in six games, an improbable 85-80 overtime win at Albany on Jan. 23. Boston U. trailed by six with 10 seconds left but a pair of threes by JR G D.J. Irving, the second off a steal with 2.5 seconds left, forced overtime. Boston U. then made all six of their shots in the extra session and poured in 22 points in five minutes for the win. FR G Maurice Watson had 21 points and seven assists for the winners. Irving leads a balanced attack with 14.6 ppg while Watston (10.7 ppg) leads the conference with 4.8 apg.

WHO’S UP NEXT:  The Retrievers complete the first half of the conference schedule with a game at Binghamton on Wed., Jan. 30.