The UMBC Retrievers men's lacrosse team represents the
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) is a public research university in Baltimore County, Maryland. It has a fall 2022 enrollment of 13,991 students, 61 undergraduate majors, over 92 graduate programs (38 master, 25 doctoral ...
(UMBC) in
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...
(NCAA)
Division I men's
college lacrosse
College lacrosse is played by student-athletes at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. In both countries, men's field lacrosse and women's lacrosse are played at both the varsity and club levels. College lacrosse in Canada is ...
competition. The Retrievers play their home games at
UMBC Stadium, located in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
with a
capacity of 4,500 spectators. UMBC competes as a member of the
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States.
The conference has nine core members including eight public research ...
. The program has an all-time record of 373–344 including pre-NCAA results.
History
The University of Maryland, Baltimore County was founded in 1966, and athletic director and men's lacrosse coach Dick Watts started the first team in
1968
The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...
at the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...
Division II level.
[Paul McMullen]
UMBC steps up in class Lacrosse: With the help of former Hopkins coach Don Zimmerman and eight MIAA front-line players, the Retrievers are on their way to the Division I tournament for the first time.
''The Baltimore Sun, May 6, 1998. The Retrievers advanced to the
NCAA Division II championship finals in 1979 and 1980, winning the national title in 1980.
[ In ]1981
Events January
* January 1
** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union.
** Palau becomes a self-governing territory.
* January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major off ...
, UMBC promoted its lacrosse team to the Division I level.[ Watts, however, struggled to build the team in the face of poor facilities and scheduling.][
In 1989, newly hired athletic director Charlie Brown began campaigning for upgrades to UMBC Stadium, which finally came to fruition in 1996 with funding of $2.3 million. In 1993, UMBC increased its scholarship allotment from eight to the NCAA maximum of 12.6. That year, Watts resigned as head coach and was replaced by Don Zimmerman, who had previously led ]Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...
to three national championships. Early in his tenure at UMBC, Zimmerman and his staff had difficulty recruiting in their targeted region, New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. Of Zimmerman's initial 1994 recruiting class of nine, only two players remained at UMBC for the entirety of their collegiate career. In 1996, an increased strength of schedule led to a 3–9 finish for the Retrievers, which included a school record 27 goals allowed against Towson State
Towson University (TU or Towson) is a public university in Towson, Maryland. Founded in 1866 as Maryland's first training school for teachers, Towson University is a part of the University System of Maryland. Since its founding, the universit ...
. The UMBC staff landed some highly sought after Baltimore area recruits and transfers with the incentive of early playing time, including two ''Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' Players of the Year in 1996. In 1997, UMBC improved to a 9–3 record, but missed the tournament because of a relatively weak schedule. The Retrievers entered the 1998 season with a No. 18 preseason ranking, and upset Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; ...
, 12–8, to clinch an invitation to the school's first NCAA Division I tournament as the No. 8 seed.[ UMBC returned to the tournament the following year.][
Into the 2000s, UMBC continued to grow as a nationally competitive team. The Retrievers won the ]America East Conference
The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States.
The conference has nine core members including eight public research ...
tournaments in 2006, 2008, and 2009, while being eliminated in the final in 2007. In 2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
, UMBC upset seventh-seeded Maryland, 13–9, in the first round to advance to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals where they were eliminated by Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacen ...
.[All-Time Records]
(PDF), ''2009 UMBC Retrievers Men's Lacrosse Media Guide'', p. 41–50, UMBC, 2009. The Retrievers finished the 2009 season with a 12–4 record, winning the America East tournament before being eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament by North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...
.
Going into the 2010s, the Retrievers struggled as the Hartford Hawks
The Hartford Hawks are the NCAA Division I athletic teams of the University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford sponsors teams in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports. The men's and women's tennis teams were ...
and Albany Great Danes both rose as America East powers. During this time, the Retrievers finished with a winning record once, an 8–7 season in 2014. During this time, numerous players transferred out of the program, most notably Pat Young to Maryland in 2015. However, they did make the 2013 and 2014 America East Championship games, falling both times. In 2015, the Retrievers failed to make the conference tournament for the first time since joining the America East, and a similar finish in 2016 resulted in longtime coach Don Zimmerman retiring at the end of the season
.
On June 20, 2016, UMBC hired former Loyola Greyhound assistant Ryan Moran as head coach.
Season Results
The following is a list of UMBC's results by season since the institution of NCAA Division I in 1971:
{, class="wikitable"
, - align="center"
†NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to the COVID-19 virus.
See also
* List of UMBC alumni for a list of notable former players.
References
External links
*
{{America East Conference men's lacrosse navbox
NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams
UMBC Retrievers men's lacrosse