Grittys Program

BALTIMORE – UMBC Athletics honored its student-athletes at the 2022-23 Gritty Awards, held at the Retriever Activities Center on May 8, 2023.

A pair of pitchers, softball's Courtney Coppersmith and baseball's Luke Johnson, earned the Dr. Charles R. Brown Outstanding Athlete awards.

Women's lacrosse's Claire Bockstie and men's soccer's Quantrell Jones took home the Retrievers of the Year award. Formerly known as the UMBC Outstanding Senior Athlete award, the Retrievers of the Year are presented to seniors or graduate students that have competed for at least three years at UMBC and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

Volleyball's Aysia Miller and swimming's Niklas Weigelt earned the department's Matt Skalsky Outstanding Scholar Athlete awards.  

Notable:

• Coppersmith, a graduate student, earned the Dr. Brown Award for the third time (2019, 2021, 2023), a year after capturing the Retriever of the Year Award. She just earned her fourth America East Pitcher of the Year honor.
• Johnson is second in America East in earned run average (3.06) and UMBC is 8-3 in games that he has started in 2023.   
• Bockstie just earned America East co-Attacker of the Year honors. She finished her career in second place on UMBC's all-time goals' list with 163.
• Jones started 64 of 65 games over five years in the goal for the men's soccer team. His 29 victories and 14 shutouts recorded are both sixth in program history.
• The America East Conference tabbed Miller as the 2022 America East Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She has received the 2022 America East Defensive Specialist of the Year and 2021 Setter of the Year awards and maintains a 3.91 GPA in biological sciences.
• Weigelt earned three consecutive America East All-Academic Team honors. In the pool, he was a two-time league Swimmer of the (championships) Meet (2021, 2022).

Eugene Chung, a student that has worked countless hours with UMBC Sports Medicine, accepted the Leon Upshur Memorial Award for contributions to the mission of Retriever Athletics in capacities other than participation.  

Grittys were given out in the following categories:

Female Rookie of the Year:                    Serin Maden, volleyball                   
Male Rookie of the Year:                         Iosif Papa, track and field
Newcomer of the Year:                            Kiara Bell, basketball
Breakthrough Athlete of the Year:           Meghan McKye, soccer
Female Performance of the Year:           Kamani Conteh, volleyball, 59 kills vs.Del./JMU                 
Male Performance of the Year:               Leewood Molessa, baseball, 3 HR's at UAlbany                  
Game/Event of the Year:                         Men's Swimming/Diving Winning AE Championship              
Play of the Year:                                      Laycee Drake, buzzer-beating, game-winning trey vs. NJIT
 
Here are the team award winners for each sport

Men's Soccer
Most Outstanding Athlete                       Ryan Becher
Unsung Hero                                          Tyler Harry
Most Improved Athlete                           Karl Quist-Therson        

Women's Soccer
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Meghan McKye
Most Improved Athlete                            Natasha Munro
Unsung Hero                                          Alyssa Clearfield        

Volleyball
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Aysia Miller
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Mia Bilušic
Most Improved Athlete                             Mila Ilieva

Men's Cross Country
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Cameron Hindle    
Most Improved Athlete                            Jafar Hussen               
Unsung Hero                                           Baraka SIla     

Women's Cross Country
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Emmy Beyer     
Most Improved Athlete                             Lyna Beraich    
Unsung Hero                                         Lily Strelecki                                       
   
Men's Basketball
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Tra'von Fagan          
Most Improved Athlete                            Matteo Picarelli                         
Unsung Hero                                           Anyang Garang              
 
Women's Basketball
Most Outstanding Athlete                       Laycee Drake
Most Improved Athlete                            Paloma Iradier
Unsung Hero                                            Keelah Dixon

Men's Indoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding Athlete                       Ibra Khairat
Most Improved Athlete                             Nicholas Alphonse
Unsung Hero                                         Zachary Taylor

Women's Indoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Leanne McDonald
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Jasmine Holland
Unsung Hero                                         Ava Roberts                                        

Men's Swimming & Diving
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Daniel Nicusan
Most Improved Athlete                             Christian Coleman
Unsung Hero                                            Christopher Welsh

Women's Swimming & Diving
Most Outstanding Athlete                       Susie Cadigan
Most Improved Athlete                             Isabella Evers
Unsung Hero                                            Calla Derr
 
Softball
Most Outstanding Athlete                       Kya Matter                          
Most Improved Athlete                            Ashley Della Guardia 
Unsung Hero                                            Madison Wilson 

Men's Lacrosse
Most Outstanding Athlete                         Mateo Brown 
Unsung Hero                                           Brett Baucia
Unsung Hero                                            Andrew Taylor  

Women's Lacrosse
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Megan Halczuk
Most Improved Athlete                            Ellie Lawton 
Unsung Hero                                            Jenna McDermott    

Men's Outdoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding Athlete                         Michael Arnold
Most Improved Athlete                             Nicholas Alphonse    
Unsung Hero                                            Liam Meginniss  

Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Most Outstanding Athlete                        Jasmine Holland
Most Outstanding Athlete                       Caitlyn Bobb
Most Improved Athlete                            Za'Kayza Parsons             

*Baseball did not present its awards