UMBC Athletics Holds 2026 Gritty Awards on Monday Night

The UMBC Department of Athletics held its fifteenth Annual Gritty Awards on Monday, May 11, contained in the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. 

Matt Skalsky Outstanding Scholar-Athletes

The males’s winners: Aidan Denham (Baseball, Computer Science), Brendan Hanlon (Swimming & Diving, Chemical Engineering), Sean Neils (Swimming & Diving, Financial Economics/Accounting), Alex Steers (Lacrosse, Business Technology Administration), Ellie Taragano (Swimming & Diving, Mathematics)

Leon Upshur Memorial Award

Conner McLaughlin joined the UMBC Athletics’ Equipment Room workers in July 2022, he beforehand spent the 2021-22 educational yr as an intern with each the Retriever Game Day Operations and the gear room workers. This previous season, he stepped as much as function an assistant males’s lacrosse coach. Now a trusted, full-time member of the athletic division, Conner embodies Leon Upshur’s spirit.

Retriever Impact Award

Dr. Amy Gooding is a medical psychologist and Clinical Lead at Eating Recovery Center, Baltimore. She commonly presents to our athletes, coaches, and sports activities medication workers on the identification, prevention, and remedy of consuming issues. In addition, our honoree supplies ongoing session to our sports activities medication workers on the psychological well being and well-being of student-athletes.

Eddie Carrera, serves as greater than only a UMBC Transit Department bus driver. He is a guardian to our student-athletes, coaches, and workers. Whether navigating rain, snow, or heavy visitors, Eddie supplies a relaxing, skilled presence on each journey. Always greeting everybody with a smile and sometimes remembering names, he brings a singular heat.

Retrievers of the Year

Male

Derek Paris is experiencing his greatest offensive season, rating fourth within the America East Conference with a .338 batting common. As a catcher, he additionally stands out amongst league leaders in runs, doubles, RBIs, on-base share, and is a prime defender with stolen bases towards. In the classroom, the pc science main earned spots on each the America East Conference All-Academic Team (2024, 2025) and the 2025 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.

 

Female

Hannah Howard, an Inwood, West Virginia native, has delivered three excellent volleyball seasons, serving to lead the staff to 2 NCAA Tournament appearances. Twice named America East Conference Defensive Player of the Year, she earned her first All-Conference First Team honors this previous fall. As a junior, she was named the 2025 America East Championship Tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Her work within the classroom is equally spectacular: the Information Systems Major made the 2025 Academic All-District Team and was an Academic All-American Finalist. Already a 10-time America East Defensive Player of the Week honoree, her dedication stands out in each space.

Dr. Charles R. Brown Outstanding Athlete Award

Male

Iosif Papa is amongst UMBC’s most embellished student-athletes. Originally from Nicosia, Cyprus, he holds the Retrievers’ all-time outside discus file and ranks sixth all-time within the indoor shot put. In 2023, this Financial Economics Major gained the America East Conference discus title and claimed bronze on the prestigious Penn Relays. He earned a silver medal in discus on the 2024 America East Outdoor Championships. Last season, competing on the NCAA Outdoor Championships, he completed seventeenth within the nation and earned 2025 Outdoor Honorable Mention All-American honors. He additionally reclaimed the America East Conference discus title and captured the IC4A championship. Papa was named America East Outstanding Field Performer on the 2026 America East Outdoor Championships as he earned gold within the discus, breaking the championship meet file.

Female

Ashley Gutshall set UMBC information in three occasions. She is a local of Royersford, Pennsylvania, and is now this system’s prime performer within the 50- and 100-Freestyle. In 2024, she helped her 200 and 400 Free Relay groups set information on the UMBC Aquatic Complex. The following yr, she set the UMBC pool file within the 50 Freestyle and helped her 200-meter freestyle relay squad break the varsity file. In 2025, she additionally captured gold within the 50 Freestyle on the America East Conference Championship and was a part of the silver-medal 200 Free Relay staff. During the 2026 season, she broke the America East meet file, repeated because the 50 freestyle champion, and certified for the NCAA Championships—ending within the prime 50 nationally and turning into the primary Retriever to compete on the occasion since 2017. She additionally set one other program and convention file within the 100 freestyle. Off the pool deck, this History Major, minoring in Spanish Language and Culture, earned America East All-Academic and the 2025-2026 Academic All-District Team honors from College Sports Communicators.

 

Athletic Director Award

The first-ever award honors a standout member of the ladies’s swimming and diving staff, Bruna de Padua. Always prepared to go the additional mile for her staff and the athletics division since arriving in Baltimore within the fall of 2024, the native of Curitiba, Brazil, has made an affect out and in of the pool. She earned America East Conference Swimmer of the Week honors three completely different occasions as a junior and was named to the America East All-Academic Team as nicely. She was a member of 4 free relay squads that set UMBC pool information on December 7, 2024.

The senior Media & Communications Studies main additionally minors in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Highest Team GPA Award

Men: Women’s Swimming & Diving, 3.720

Women: Men’s Cross Country, 3.438

Female Rookie of the Year

Enazajah Young, Track & Field

Male Rookie of the Year

Braden Weise, Swimming & Diving

Newcomer of the Year

DJ Armstrong Jr., Men’s Basketball

Breakthrough Athlete of the Year

Ehi Okojie, Baseball

Athletic Event of the Year

Men’s Basketball America East Championship sport towards Vermont

Play of the Year

Lyna Beraich, Women’s Track & Field

Female Performance of the Year

Katie Schwaner, Track & Field

Men’s Performance of the Year

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Team Awards

Women’s Soccer

Delainey Varela-Keen, Most Improved Player

Olivia Nardone, Unsung Hero

Zoe Brossman, Most Valuable Player

 

Men’s Soccer

Emigdio Tormo Lopez, Most Valuable Player

Branden Johns, Unsung Hero

Kofi Amoah & Logan Ehart, Co-Most Improved Players

 

Women’s Volleyball

Hannah Howard, Player of the Year

Laura Fuehrer, Most Improved Player

Jada James, Unsung Hero

 

Women’s Cross Country

Lily Strelecki, Most Outstanding Athlete

Katelyn Deal, Most Improved Athlete

Katie Schwaner, The Big Dawg Award

 

Men’s Cross Country

Daniel Danilovitz, Most Outstanding Athlete

Justin Banks, Most Improved Athlete

Joey Ensor, The Big Dawg Award

 

Women’s Basketball

Alaina Williams, Most Improved Player

Carmen Yánez, Unsung Hero

Jade Tillman, Most Valuable Player

 

Men’s Basketball

Caden Diggs, Unsung Hero

Ace Valentine, Most Improved Player

DJ Armstrong Jr., Most Valuable Player

 

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Ashley Gutshall, Most Valuable Athlete

Alice Marini, Unsung Hero

Erma Duratovic, Most Improved Athlete

 

Men’s Swimming & Diving

Braden Weise, Most Valuable Athlete

Sean Neils, Unsung Hero

Axel Mori, Most Improved Athlete

 

Women’s Indoor Track & Field

Katie Schwaner, Most Valuable Athlete

Enazajah Young, Most Valuable Athlete

Lyna Beraich, Most Valuable Athlete

Men’s Indoor Track & Field

Ojigwe Olua, Most Valuable Athlete

Joey Ensor, Most Valuable Athlete

Jacob Martin, Most Valuable Athlete

 

Women’s Lacrosse

Emily Knapp, Most Valuable Player

Ella Killian, Top Dawg

Emily Renehan, Unsung Hero

 

Men’s Lacrosse

Ryan Demato, Most Outstanding Offensive Player

Jameson Coffman, Most Outstanding Defensive Player

Todd Freeman, Most Outstanding Freshman

 

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

Ava Roberts, Most Valuable Athlete

Enazajah Young, Most Valuable Athlete

Lily Bandy, Most Valuable Athlete

 

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field

Iosif Papa, Most Valuable Athlete

Martin Ojulu, Most Valuable Athlete

Ojigwe Olua, Most Valuable Athlete

 

Baseball

Ehi Okojie, Most Valuable Athlete

Zach Robinson, Most Improved Athlete

Eddie Sargent, Unsung Hero

 

Softball

Taylor Nicholson, Top Hitter

Emily Riggs, Top Hitter

Jayda Koontz, Top Pitcher