Once again an athletic season did not quite live up to its expectations. The men’s lacrosse team looked like a shell of itself of the last four years, the softball team started out hot and sunk fast and missed out on the play-offs, and the baseball team suffered a second straight nine win campaign. But this season was about the women’s lacrosse team. The team is no longer a gimme’ win for teams and in her first year as coach Kelly Berger took the team to their first ever America East Conference Championship, where they lost by just one goal. There are a lot of bright spots heading into the future after this season, even with some down teams. But as for this years awards:

Top Coach

Kelly Berger, Women’s Lacrosse

It should be no surprise who the top coach award should go to this season. Once again, in just her first season Kelly Berger got the team into no only their first AEC tournament in four years, but their first ever AEC Championship. In the last few years the team was one that could not really compete in the AEC, but that all changed with the coaching change that the athletic department made last summer. This year the team beat everybody they were supposed to beat, and played some good lacrosse against some quality teams. While they were near elimination from the tournament they got a big road win to clinch a berth, upset undefeated (in conference play) University at Albany in the first round, and lost by just one to Boston University. In just one year Berger turned the team into one that never could quite get the win, into a favorite for next year’s championship.

Male Freshman of the Spring

Nick Doub, Men’s Lacrosse

It’s not very often that an unproven freshman comes in mid-season and takes over a starting spot that was held by the team’s leading scorer, but Nick Doube did just that. He replaced Bobby Stockton, who at that point led the team with 12 goals, in the starting midfield and shined. While he ended the season with four goals and two assists, what made him keep his spot was his ability on defense and his superb passing skills kept him in the lineup for not only this year, but most likely for the next three years of his career.

Female Freshman of the Spring

Jamie Fahey, Women’s Lacrosse

Jamie Fahey was a major reason the women’s lacrosse team ended where they did. Not only did she play lock-down defense, but when she got the ball she was always a threat to take it up for a goal. With exceptional speed and great ball handling, she looks like she’s going to be one of the top players on the team for years to come. After her season she was named to the All-Rookie Team, Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-AEC, and was named to the Mid-Atlantic Second team by the Women’s Lacrosse Coaches’ Association and All-Rookie team by womenslacrosse.com

Best Male Performance:

Keith Onto, Men’s Track and Field, 7,239 points in Decathlon

The decathlon was an event invented to find out who the best athlete in the world is, and when it mattered the most Keith Onto had a beyond stellar performance in as he won at the AEC Championships with 7,239 points. He won the 400-meter dash, 110-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, Javelin, and Discus, finished second in the 100-meter dash and shot put, third in the 1,500-meter run and pole vault. The second place finished totaled just 6,662 points.

Best Female Performance

Emily Coady, Women’s Lacrosse, Eight Goals in AEC Tournament

While many players had great single game performances, nothing compared to the two game performances Emily Coady had at the AEC tournament. In an upset of UAlbany in the semi-finals Coady scored four goals in a two goal victory. Going into that game UAlbany was undefeated in conference play, but Coady’s performance lifted UMBC past the Great Danes and into their first ever AEC championship game, where once again, she shined. While the team ended up losing in the finals to heavily favored Boston U, Coady scored four goals for a second straight game as the team lost by just one goal. Her eight goals in two games nearly gave UMBC a championship, and left them as a serious contender for next year.

Best Moment

Women’s Lacrosse Upsets UAlbany, 11-9 in AEC Tournament

I’ve been mentioning the game the entire time, it was a huge upset. UAlbany was heavily favored, had a 13-2 overall record and were 6-0 in conference play, and beat UMBC in the regular season on UMBCs own turf. But when it mattered the most UMBC got their revenge with an 11-10 victory over the Great Danes to make it to their first ever AEC Championship game.

Most Improved Male Athlete

Brian Klukowicz, Baseball

Even though the Baseball team struggled for a second straight season, Brian Klukowicz gave the team hope for the future. As a freshman he appeared in just eight games and made 18 at-bats. He had just one hit. But this year Klukowicz became a very reliable hitter that the team can build around. He played in ever game, started all but three, hit .286 with four home runs, and reached base 35% of the time. He also led the team in runs with 26, and had 17 RBIs.

Most Improved Female Athlete

Erika Braerman, Women’s Lacrosse

It’s hard to say she improved because she was very good last year, but was just in a different role. Last season Erika Braerman just had to be a solid passer who could help set up the offense, this year, she was the offense. Braerman went from scoring nine goals with 11 assists last year to leading the team with 54 points off 32 goals and a team high 22 points. It did not take long for Braerman to grow into her new role, and with her return next season, the team has a lot of hope for a championship.

Unsung Male Athlete

Mike Camardo, Men’s Lacrosse

How much more unsung can you get than Mike Camardo. The man very well may be the best player the team has ever had and he’s never even made it to the first team All-AEC. He may not have the sexiest position, long stick midfielder, but he is great at what he does. He’s not a guy who is going to score a lot, just one goal and two assists this year, but defensively he is phenomenal. He once again led the team with 54 ground balls and 36 caused turnovers. Camardo’s job was to shut down the opposing offense, and make chances for his offense, and that is just what he did.

Unsung Female Athlete

Kate Quick, Women’s Lacrosse

This year was about the high powered offense the women’s lacrosse team had the outscored their opponents 223-160, but lost in all that was a great play of former first team All-AEC goalie Kate Quick. In 10032:08 minutes she saved 126 goals and helped make all of that offense happen. While she did not have nearly as much success as last year, she was still a staple in goal, starting all 18 games the Retrievers played, and did her part to not only save shots, but set up the defense however the team needed.

Fan’s Choice Male Athlete of the Spring

Victor Gilreath, Men’s Track and Field

Coming off an incredibly impressive winter season, Gilreath absolutely dominated in the fall season, totaling seven medals in six events, including four gold medals in the triple jump and one silver medal in the high jump.

Fan’s Choice Female Athlete of the Spring

Amanda Fefel, Softball

While the softball team sputtered in conference play and missed making the AEC tournament, Amanda Fefel capped of a phenomenal career with a great season. This season she led the team in nearly every offensive category, totaling 53 hits, 13 home runs, 35 RBIs, 101 total bases, a .631 slugging percentage, and reaching base 40 percent of the time. She was also second on the team with a .331 batting percentage and 33 runs. But she also dominated on the mound, leading the team with a 2.64 ERA and four saves. This year she also broke the all-time UMBC softball home run record, hitter her 41st career home run, became the only retriever named to four straight first-team all-conference teams, and earned an ECAC all-star selection.

Male Athlete of the Spring

Victor Gilreath, Men’s Track and Field

Once again, Gilreath was just absolutely dominant in his second season since transferring from University of Maryland and when it mattered the most he did great. Gilreath won gold at the America East Conference Championship with a leap of 15.45 meters, breaking a 19-year-old championship record. He also started the season with three straight gold medals, a third place finish at the IC4A Championships and a 43rd place finish at the NCAA Regional Championships.

Female Athlete of the Spring

Emily Coady, Women’s Lacrosse

She may be just a sophomore, but Emily Coady has proven to be the future of the women’s lacrosse team. This year she led the team with 35 goals and added eight assists to finish second on the team with 43 total points. She also finished fourth on the team with 20 ground balls. Emily Coady proved right away in her freshman season that she was going to be a very reliable player for the women’s lacrosse team, but this year she took her game to an all-new level. Even though she missed being named to an All-Conference team she ran the high powered offense from behind the net, opened up everybody else for good opportunities, and created her own. In the AEC tournament she scored four goals in both games as the fourth-seeded Retrievers upset UAlbany and came up just one goal shy against Boston U in the conference finals.

**Photos of Kelly Berger, track and field athletes, and Brian Klukowicz courtesy of UMBC athletics.

First I would like to say I apologize for being late on this update and late on the athlete of the week and schedule updates. It is the end of the semester and I had five papers and a few exams to study for and just fell behind on my site. But for now school is finished, but that does not mean the site will take a break. Check back all summer for updates, features, analysis, and previews.

But as for the track and field IC4A/ECAC Championships, UMBC had a little bit of success this time around, led by Victor Gilreath, who just capped of an astounding season with yet another impressive outing. He won a bronze in the triple jump with a leap of 15.23 meters. Brian Pendleton finished 16th in that event with a mark of 14.55 meters and then 30th in the long jump with a mark of 6.68 meters.

Elsewhere on the men’s side of things Justin Acker finished 21st in the 100-meter dash in 10.85, while Antonio Thomas finished 17th in the 200-meter dash in 21.69.

Michael Christmas finished 24th in the 800-meter run in 1:52.38. Senior Camal Pugh finished 24th in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.88.

The 4×100-meter relay team of Acker, Adrian Arthur, Jason Powell, and Thomas finished 11th in 41.06 while the 4×800-meter relay team of Christmas, Roy Jones, Joshua Hewitson, and Chris Snyder finished 20th in 7:42.39.

On the women’s side sophomore Imani Colbert finished 12th in the 100-meter hurdles in 14.57.

Britney Foreman crossed the finish line 23rd in the 100-meter dash in 12.35 and 33rd in the 200-meter dash in 25.24.

Sara Parkinson finished the 5,000-meter run in 14th place with a time of 17.07.95, less than one second above a school record. Suzanne Gabriel finished in 14th in the event.

Amanda Deller placed 16th in the shot put with a throw of 12.99 meters while the 4×100-meter relay team of Fallon Rovel-Jones, Ashley Ajayi, Colbert, and Foreman finished 16th in 47.84.

These polls will be open until 11:59 on May 31, 2010.

In the America East Conference Championship meet Gilreath was named Most Outstanding Male Field Performer after breaking a school and 19-year old AEC Championship record with a mark of 15.45 meters in the triple jump. His first place finish was just one of many in his two year career at UMBC and it helped to lead UMBC to 120.5 points for a fourth place finish in the meet.

Also, Keith Onto broke a UMBC and AEC Championship record with 7,239 points in the decathlon. His success not only earned him gold but it also bumped him into the Top-25 in the country in the event.

Elsewhere on the men’s side Camal Pugh earned gold in an I.C.4.A. mark of 14.70 in the 110-meter hurdles.

Michale Christmas broke a school record in the 800-meter run with an I.C.4.A.-qualifying time of 1:51.34.

The 4×100 meter relay team of Justin Acker, Adrian Arthur, Jason Powell, and Antonio Thomas also earned a spot at the I.C.4.A. championship meet with a second place finish in 41.657.

Thomas also won silver in both the 100-meter dash in 11.01 and 200-meter dash in 21.81. Arther and Acker finished third and sixth in the 100, respectively.

Sophomore Aaron Brooks finished third in the discus with a throw of 45.47 meters and fifth in the shot put with a mark of 15.08 meters. Brian Pendleton finished in third in the triple jump with a mark of 14.82 meters.

Once again Victory Gilreath had a lot of success as he finished seventh out of 19 competitors in the Triple Jump with a mark of 14.48 meters,

The men’s 4×800 meter relay team of Michael Christmas, Roy Jones, Aristole Johnson, and Josh Okoniewski finished 29th out of 35 teams with a time of 7:50.37, beating conference foe University of Hartford, who finished last.

In the Distance Medley the team of Christmas, Johnson, Jones, and T.J. Cowing struggled a bit more, finishing 26th out of 27, behind first place University at Albany, and 11th place Stony Brook University.

In the Pole Vault Martin Nevarez finished tied for 14th in the 22 person event with a mark of 4.45 meters, just behind Binghamton’s Adam Helman who finished 13th with a mark of 4.60 meters.

Finally, on the women’s side Chrissy Robinson finished 23rd in the 25 person shot put event with a mark of 12.35 meters.

Sara Parkinson finished second overall in the 1,500-meter run in 4:31.85, besting the previous time of 4:33.40 from Cara Wettlauger from 2005.

Meanwhile, Michael Christmas broke Izudin Mehmedovic’s 2003 time of 1:53.05 in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.97 in his eighth place finish.

Elsewhere on the men’s side senior Victor Gilreath continued his dominance in the field as she won the Triple Jump for a third straight week with a mark of 14.84 meters. He also came in second in the High Jump with a leap of 1.95 meters.

Aaron Brooks also won gold in the Shot Put with a throw of 15.56 meters.

The team’s final gold came from the men’s 4×100 meter relay team of Justin Acker, Brian Pendleton, Jason Powell, and Antonio Thomas with a time of 42.00.

Evan Palmer and Cameron McDearmon each won silver as they won the Discuss with a throw of 44.10 meters and Hammer Throw with a mark of 46.54 meters, respectively.

Brian Pendelton came up with a silver for the team with a third place finish in the Triple Jump with a mark of 13.59 meters. he also finished fourth in the Long Jump with a mark of 6.49 meters.

Camal Pugh finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles in 14.73.

On the women’s side Britney Foreman came in third in the 100-meter dash in 12.30 while Amanda Deller also finished third in the shot put with a toss of 13.78 meters.

Victor Gilreath won the triple jump with an IC4A qualifying mark of 14.98-meters. He also placed ninth in the high jump with a mark of 1.99-meters. Junior Keith Onto placed 13th in the high jump with 1.94-meters.

The men’s 4×100-meter relay team of Justin Acker, Brian Pendleton, Jason Powell, and Antonio Thomas finished seventh in 42.53.

On the women’s side the distance medley relay team of Suzanne Gabriel, Megan Arnold, Keri Wilson, and Sara Parkinson broke a UMBC record with a time of 12:20.87, nearly 47 seconds faster than the previous record.

Men’s Track and Field

Senior Victor Gilreath finished first in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 14.42-meters while also earning silver in the high jump with a mark of 1.93-meters.

Brian Pendleton also won two silver medals as he places second in the triple jump with a mark of 14.08-meters and long jump with a mark of 6.70-meters.

Sophomore Roy Jones came up just short of a medal as he finished fourth in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:58.39.

Women’s Track and Field

Sophomore Imani Colbert may be the most dominate hurdler UMBC has ever had as she continues to win the event. She won the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.02 while Fallon Rovel-Jones finished third in 15.60.

The 4×100-meter relay team of Ashley Ajayi, Tawana Wilson, Colbert, and Britney Foreman finished second in 48.20. Foreman also won a bronze in the 100-meter dash in 12.30, an ECAC-qualifying time.

In the field Jasmine Batchelor and Chowan Brightful tied for third in the high jump with marks of 1.52-meters. Kiki Malomo-Paris finished thirs in the long jump with a mark of 5.64-meters.

Keith Onto finished third in the event with 5,183 points while Michael Buccheri finished eighth with 4,837 points.

One consecutive days of the meet sophomore Joshua Hewitson broke the school record for the 500-meter dash.

In the first day Jewitson broke his own record in the event when he qualified for the championship meet with a time of 1:03.50, but broke it the next day in a fourth place finish in which he want it in 1:03.35.

Victor Gilreath earned a silver in the triple jumper with a mark of 15.05-meters. He then finished sixth in the high jump with a leap of 1.99-meters.