The following "chapters" comprise just some of the history of women's athletics at UMBC. We are certain that many great moments have been unintentionally not included, but we welcome any and all civil feedback!

1. UMBC Women's Athletics History
2. Landmark Dates
3. They Said It
4. Hall of Fame Notes

1. UMBC Women's Athletics History (Current Programs)

Program                                  First Season*               Head Coach
Basketball                                 1968-69                      Joan Chenoweth
Cross Country                           1971                           Jim Pfrogner
Lacrosse                                   1973                            Kathy Zerlaut
Soccer                                      1988                            Dave Kelley
Swimming & Diving                   1986-87                      Sid Burkot
Softball                                     1992                            Catherine Lavery
Track & Field                             1971-72                      Jim Pfrogner
Volleyball                                  1973-74                       Kathy Zerrlaut
*These dates represent the first year that results were recorded.
= UMBC has also sponsored programs in field hockey (1977-87, 2000-06), golf (1998-2002), gymnastics (1977-90) and tennis (1979-2016)

2. Landmark Dates

Jan. 11, 1969
-The first recorded outcome of a women's varsity occurred on this date as the women's basketball team defeated Essex Community College, 48-11. Five days later, UMBC would go to 2-0 and defeat a four-year institution, as they edged Morgan State, 34-31.

Feb. 1970
-Fran Daum scores 35 points as the women's basketball team defeated Essex CC, 66-62. The single game points record stood alone for 15 years until Tammy McCarthy tied it and another 14 years until Jami Lange scored 36 points versus Long Island.

Fall, 1973
-Although there were many victories prior to this one, the first recorded UMBC volleyball victory over a four-year school occurred eight matches into the 1973 season when the Retrievers defeated Loyola, 2-1. The team would record five wins that year, including triumphs over Madison (now James Madison) and American.

May 12, 1984
- On the crowned, grass surface of UMBC Stadium, the Retrievers defeated St. Michael's, 13-7, to win the ECAC Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship.

May 22, 1985
-Cross country and track standout Karin Wagner finishes eighth in the 10,000 meters at the NCAA Division II nationals at UCLA. Thirteen months earlier (April 16, 1984), she finished 17^th in the Boston Marathon.

February 19, 1987
-Women's basketball standout Tammy McCarthy becomes the first player in the history of the state of Maryland to score 2,000 career points.

March 8, 1989
-The gymnastics team sets a school record with a team score of 177.35 versus Towson.

May, 1989
-Susan Herzog, who won both the 500 and 1650 freestyle events at the 1988 and 1989 Eastern Intercollegiate Championships, is the first women's swimmer to earn UMBC's Female Athlete of the Year honor. She would later become the first women's swimmer selected to the Athletics Hall of Fame.  

October 20, 1993
- Volleyball's Kelly O'Brien became the first (and only) UMBC volleyball player to reach the 2,000-kill mark in a 3-2 victory at Towson State. She put down 23 kills in that match as UMBC rallied from a 2-1 deficit to defeat their local and league rivals.

November 1994
-Volleyball standout Kelly O'Brien is named Big South Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and finishes 12^th in NCAA Division I history in total kills.

November 11, 1995
-Trailing 13-10 in the fifth and deciding game, the Retriever volleyball team rallies to win, 15-13, over UNC Greensboro and capture the Big South title.

May 2, 1996
-Kathy Zerrlaut coaches the final game of her 24-year UMBC career in both volleyball and lacrosse. She totaled 41 years as a Retriever head coach and Senior Woman Administrator.

May 1998
-UMBC hosts the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships and draws record crowds.

Fall, 1999
-Jenelle D'Alessandro finishes fourth at the NEC Women's Golf Championships, carding a UMBC record 18-hole record of 77.

September 1998
-UMBC begins play in the Northeast Conference. A month later, NEC newcomer UMBC bested defending champion and #1 seeded Central Connecticut State 5-4, in the finale of the Northeast Conference Women's Tennis Championships

 March 2002 
-Cleopatra Borel becomes UMBC's first Division I national champion as she wins the indoor shot put at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

May 2002
-The women's lacrosse program makes its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. They would return one year later.

May 16, 2002
- UMBC softball recorded the first win in a NCAA Division I Tournament for any Retriever team as they eliminated Liberty with a 7-1 victory.
 
May 2003        
-The women's tennis team advances to its fifth consecutive NCAA Tournament.

August 18, 2004
-Borel competes in the Athens Olympics, finishing tenth in the world in the shot put. She would go onto to compete in three additional Olympic Games.

Oct. 9, 2005
-Paige Hartman records the only four-goal game in UMBC field hockey history in a 9-3 win over Robert Morris.

March 2007
-The women's basketball team records an America East first – as the seventh seed, UMBC defeats Nos. 2, 3 and 1 to win its first NCAA Division I conference title at Binghamton University. The Retrievers compete in their first-ever NCAA Tournament and play at UConn, the pre-eminent program in women's college basketball.

Feb. 24, 2010
-On Women's Basketball Senior Night 2010, the Retrievers (at that time) engineering the fourth-great comeback in the sport's DI history. UMBC trailed Boston University, 41-18, with 17 minutes remaining. Over the next 11 minutes, led by Carlee Cassidy's (the team's lone senior) 25 points, the Retrievers outscored BU, 34-10 to take a 52-51 lead. Cassidy hit the layup with 1:45 to play to give UMBC the lead for good in a stunning 58-57 victory.

Feb. 23, 2011
- UMBC Women's Basketball hosted Albany on "Senior Night" in search of their first NCAA Division I regular season title and an automatic WNIT bid. They knocked off the Great Danes, 62-55. Senior Meghan Colabella, scored a season-high 17 points. UMBC were knocked off in the conference semis, but gave Florida a good battle in the WNIT, falling, 59-47, in Gainesville. 

May 2013
-Sophomore sprinter Mercedes Jackson caps a fantastic year by earning a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She competed in the indoor championships a few months earlier and was America East's Most Outstanding Track Athlete in both the indoor and outdoor championship meets.

November 2013
 -In one of the most remarkable stories in UMBC Athletics' history, the women's soccer team completed a worst-to-first journey and won the America East championship, defeating Stony Brook, 2-1, at Retriever Soccer Park. Leslie Wray's forces, which had combined to win only one contest in the previous two seasons combined, shared the regular season league title with Stony Brook, and defeated Hartford in the semifinals at RSP before celebrating the program's first-ever conference on the home turf. UMBC went on to compete in its first NCAA Tournament and competed well, despite a 2-0 loss at national power Virginia Tech.  

March 2014
-Freshman Emily Escobedo becomes UMBC's first female swimmer since 2002 to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships.

March 18, 2017
-The aforementioned Escobedo concluded her historic career with a bronze medal in the 200 breaststroke at the 2017 NCAA Championships. She earned her second All-American accolade.

June 30, 2017
-Director of Sports Medicine Cindy Kubiet announces her retirement. The UMBC Hall of Famer served as the athletic department's head athletic trainer/director of sports medicine since 1979.

 January 31, 2018
-The women's basketball team plays the final intercollegiate basketball game at the RAC Arena (formerly UMBC Fieldhouse), falling to Stony Brook.

February 17, 2019
-For the first time since 2010-11, both the UMBC women's and men's swimming and diving squads capture conference titles.

 May 11, 2019
-The softball team, picked to finish last in America East, defeats Stony Brook, 4-0, to complete a four-game sweep of the league championships and earn their first league title and NCAA Tournament appearance since 2002. Freshman pitcher Courtney Coppersmith earns tournament MVP honors, winning all four games on the mound.

Two more titles (2021, 2022) would follow.

April 2, 2021
Playing in front of a raucous crowd, the UMBC Volleyball team twice rallied back from down a set to stun defending champion UAlbany in five sets to capture its first America East Championship in program history. 
Two more titles (fall 2021, 2022) would follow.

March 1, 2023
-Head Coach Johnetta Hayes and her women's basketball squad host an America East quarter-final game for the first time in UMBC's tenure in the conference. The Retrievers defeat NJIT, 82-71, capping a 12-6 streak to vault the team into its first semi-final appearance since 2015.

III. They Said It
Several of our outstanding student-athletes, coaches and administrators from the rich history of women's athletics were asked to respond to the question, ""What does it mean to you to be a Retriever For Life?"
Here are their complete responses

• Cathy Bielawski, Gymnastics, 1973-77
  Retrievers' gymnast who competed in the Eastern Regional Championships in 1976 and 1977 and was named Outstanding Senior Female Athlete and Outstanding Female Athlete at UMBC in 1977. In her junior season, she won all but one all-around competition. After competing for four years, she coached the squad through the 1990 season. 

"To be a 'Retriever for Life' means that I am forever connected to UMBC.  As a Retriever I have certainly found my sense of place, whether it be in athletics or academics this is a bond for life.  A bond that I share with others as I celebrate my relationships at UMBC.As a student-athlete, coach and staff member, there is much to be proud of and share. I believe that I have taken the Retriever with me in all aspects of my life. I am part of the Black and Gold and have often said that 'I bleed Black and Gold.'"

• Tammy McCarthy Marge, Basketball, 1983-87
  At the time of her induction, Tammy was the top scorer in the history of women's basketball in Division I in the state of Maryland, amassing 2,063 career points. She was named District II All-American in the the 1985-86 season, when she average 21.0 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. She also served as assistant coach for three seasons at UMBC.  

"To me, being a 'Retriever for Life' is taking what I learned as a retriever about leadership, winning and teamwork into every single day as a mom, wife, friend, sister, daughter and sales leader." 

• Jean Salkeld Battista, Softball, 1996-98
  Despite pitching for just two years, Jean Salkeld Battista is the UMBC softball team's career ERA leader at 1.48 and opponent batting average (.183). She posted 15 wins in both 1997 and 1998, and her 1.03 ERA in 1998 ranks third on the all-time list. She was a member of the 1998 All-Big South First Team, and was named UMBC's 1998 Co-Female Athlete of the Year.

"Being a 'Retriever for Life' is about the pride my family feels every time we see any UMBC team take another step higher in national prominence. No matter how long it's been, I always feel proud and at home once I step on campus."

• Karen Woodard, Basketball, 1986-90 
• Karen is a deputy chief at the U.S. Department of Justice. She is a member of the UMBC Alumni Board of Directors.

"Being a 'Retriever for Life' means being grateful for four years of unforgettable experiences; hard work; high character and leadership development; commitment to excellence: forever friendships: and dedication to paying it to forward."

• Jen Dragoni Muston, Lacrosse, 2000-04
  Jen is currently the all-time leader in assists (63) in women's lacrosse history. Dragoni posted the second-most points in a UMBC Division I season with 61 (37-24) in 2003 and was the 2003 Northeast Conference Player of the Year. The Morton, Pa. native was a First Team All-NEC pick in 2002 and 2003 and an America East First Team attacker in 2004. She was the Most Valuable Player of the 2002 NEC Tournament as UMBC advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time and was tabbed UMBC's Outstanding Female Athlete in 2004.

"Being a 'Retriever for Life' is a sense of pride and family. I'm so proud to be a UMBC alum and so thankful to have been a part of an institution and a community that helped shaped my life.  There is a feeling of family when you put on the black and gold and it's something that never leaves you. The people you meet become your family forever, and the memories you make will last a lifetime. It's the best four years and a place you are always proud to be from. Dawgs for life!" 

• Cindy Kubiet, Director of Sports Medicine, 1978-2017
  Cindy served as UMBC's Head Athletic Trainer and then Director of Sports Medicine Services from 1978-2017. Cindy coordinated sports medicine efforts for such events as the Maryland State Games, the First and the Second Rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships (1995), the NCAA Women's Lacrosse Championships (1999) and numerous NCAA Youth Education Through Sports (YES) clinics and conference championships. She was awarded the Board of Regents' University System of Maryland Staff Award for her outstanding service to students in an academic or residential environment.

"'Retriever for Life' is all about Family. Not just our staff and student-athletes, but also the parents, so many memorable people and moments."

• Kathy Zerrlaut, Head Coach/Administrator, 1973-2014
  Kathy coached over 850 games in volleyball and lacrosse. She was the USWLA Coach of the Year as UMBC topped the NCAA Division II ranks in 1985 and 1986. The Baltimore native served as UMBC's Senior Women's Administrator and Associate Athletic Director for the past two decades. She served on the NCAA Management Council and as the chair of the 2004-05 NCAA Women's Lacrosse Committee.

"Considering that I spent more than half my life at UMBC I guess I merit alumni status.  The UMBC that I arrived at in 1973 was extremely different from the current university.  In that year it was a campus trying to figure out its identity. This was especially true for the athletic program.  The women's coaches were housed in Gym 1, where basketball and volleyball played.  Field hockey and the new lacrosse program played next to the library.  The RAC had just opened, but there were no locker rooms for the women's teams.
  
It was great to see the growth of the women's athletic teams.  Obviously as an athlete at Frostburg there were no national associations.  At UMBC the AIAW emerged, followed a few years later by the NCAA including women.  Paired also with Title IX, women's sports took on a new appearance.  It was a rewarding part of my career.  I was able to experience our teams moving to the RAC and to the stadium.  Scholarships were added and we joined our first of several conferences that included the majority of our sports.

I also was able to grow professionally through committees with the NCAA.  In all my years allowed me the pleasure of coaching a lot of talented female athletes who have gone on to be very successful women. That was the most rewarding part of my career and what definitely makes me an alum!"

• Linda Lyall Sowers, Basketball/Volleyball/Field Hockey, 1966-70
  Linda was "the driving force behind women's sports during the first four years of the school." She recruited women into each program to enable UMBC to participate in intercollegiate athletics and began to build an identity for the school. She earned letters in three different sports during her tenure.

To me, being a "Retriever for Life" means continuing to enjoy so many wonderful friendships that I made 55 years ago, while playing women's field hockey, basketball, volleyball, and being the scorekeeper for the men's basketball team.
 
To this day I have so many great friends from those experiences. We were a small university at that time and everyone got to know everyone. We were a tight-knit group struggling to find our way while laying the groundwork for a brand-new university, and we formed strong bonds that have lasted all these years. I was proud to be a Retriever then, and have the best memories of those days, which will always be a part of who I am today."

4. Women in the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame Notes

• Mary Carol Greenwalt was the first woman inducted into the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame in 1979. Like many Retrievers during that era, she competed in multiple sports (tennis, field hockey, basketball)
• There are 45 women who have been formally inducted into the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame.
• The women's basketball program and the volleyball program have a program-high 11 inductees apiece.