UMBC Athletics is pleased to announce that seven alumni and one current beloved staff member will comprise its 2014 UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame class:
Justin Bronson ’09, men’s swimming & diving, earned five gold medals in America East Championship competition in individual races and three golds in relay events, in addition to numerous silver and bronze medals. He was selected as the America East Conference Swimmer of the Week once as a freshman, twice as a junior and three times in his senior year. The native of Oshawa, Ontario, Canada still holds the school record in 500-yard freestyle.
Kelly Fiorani ’06, women’s lacrosse, currently ranks third on UMBC’s all-time scoring list in lacrosse with 189 points. She scored 140 goals and added 49 assists from 2003-06. Fiorani was a member of UMBC’s Northeast Conference champion and NCAA Tournament team in 2003. She was named Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year in 2003 and received America East First Team honors and All-Championship Team honors in 2004 and 2006. She also received two letters in soccer and ranked second in points (10) for the 2004 squad. Fiorani was named UMBC’s Outstanding Female Senior Athlete in 2006.
Jay Greene ’09, men’s basketball, has played the most basketball games, 122, and logged the most minutes, 4,192, in Retriever basketball history. A current assistant coach with UMBC, Greene dished out 683 assists, the most in school history, the third-most ever in America East Conference history and the third-most of any NCAA Division I player in the state of Maryland. He was named the Reggie Lewis Most Outstanding Player in the 2008 America East Tournament, leading the Retrievers to their first tournament title and NCAA berth. In his junior season, he was the lone player in the nation to be ranked in the top five in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio and assists per game. An America East All-Rookie team member in 2005-06, Greene earned First-Team All-Conference honors in 2007-08 and Second Team honors in his senior campaign.
Ray Ignacio ’87, men’s lacrosse, earned Honorable Mention All-American in 1987. He is currently tenth in NCAA history in face-off winning percentage (63.4%) and his 69.6% mark led the nation in 1987. Ignacio is UMBC’s single season leader in draws and is the current leader with 450 face-offs won. He is a member of the UMBC All Time Lacrosse Team, was the 1987 UMBC Lacrosse team captain and played in the 1987 North-South All-Star Game.
Cindy Kubiet, Director of Sports Medicine, 1978-present, established a training program which includes recruitment, educational forums, clinical experiences and a career development and mentor program. Her holistic approach toward working with student athletes led to the creation of a life skills program at UMBC in 1986. Kubiet was awarded the Board of Regents’ University System of Maryland Staff Award for her outstanding service to students in an academic or residential environment in 2007.
Alessandra Pedergnana ’06, women’s tennis, becomes the first women’s tennis player selected to the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame. As a freshman in 2003, she won 27 matches and was named All Conference in both singles and doubles in the Northeast Conference. She earned All-America East honors in 2004 and played at No. 1 singles for her final two seasons. As a senior, she won her 100th career match and finished the campaign with an impressive 13-4 record. She was named UMBC’s co-Senior Female Athlete of the Year in 2006.
Kristie Pickeral ’06, softball, was the 2002 Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year, helping UMBC reach the NCAA Championships. A year later, she earned NEC Player of the Year with a .387 batting average, 12 HR’s and 59 RBI. The third baseman is currently UMBC’s all-time hits leader with 263 and she slugged 40 home runs. She is also the all-time leader in RBI (179), games played and started (242), total bases (416) and walks, and was the 2005 UMBC Most Outstanding Female Athlete.
Brian Rowland ’03, men’s soccer, holds UMBC’s single season (11, 2002) and career shutouts record (25) as a goalkeeper in men’s soccer. He earned First Team All-Northeast Conference honors in his senior season of 2002. He is currently seventh in school history with 227 saves and has played professionally both indoors (Baltimore, Milwaukee, Orlando) and outdoors (Crystal Palace USA, Toronto Lynx). Rowland is currently an assistant men’s soccer coach at the University of Maryland.
The UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame dinner and inductions will take place on Saturday evening, January 25, at the Southeast Club Level of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore. The inductees will also be honored at halftime of the UMBC men’s basketball game versus Hartford that afternoon. Get tickets today.
