UMBC

Head coach Phil Stern enters his 11th season with the Retrievers

ALBANY, N.Y. – The UMBC women’s basketball team was voted on by the America East coaches to finish sixth in the conference during the 2012-13 season, as announced by the league office Tuesday, Oct. 23, at the league’s annual media day.

“We are very excited about the talent level and depth of our team,” head coach Phil Stern said. “We will be exciting to watch and I guess we will surprise some people in our conference.”

Defending America East Tournament Champions Albany, topped the poll with 61 points and five first-place votes, while the 2011-12 America East regular season champions Boston University trailed by five points for a second-place nod and two first-place votes. Hartford came in third with 54 points followed by New Hampshire and Vermont tied in fourth with 37 points apiece. UMBC earned 34 votes for sixth place, ahead of Maine (17), Binghamton (16) and Stony Brook (12) who rounded out the poll, respectively.

A year after winning its first-ever America East regular-season title with a 13-3 record in conference play, UMBC finished the 2011-12 regular season tied for fourth with a 9-7 league record. After entering into the America East Championships as the No. 5 seed, the Retrievers defeated fourth-seeded New Hampshire in the quarterfinals and upset top-seeded Boston University in the semifinals. UMBC fell to Albany in their first finals appearance since 2007, 69-61, to conclude the year with a 17-15 mark. 

The Retrievers return two starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s roster, including America East Rookie of the Year in sophomore guard Lauren Chase (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist). Chase, a co-captain for this season’s team, was an unanimous selection to the league’s All-Rookie Team after leading the conference in assists (129) and ranking second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.2). Her 129 assists is the most ever by a UMBC freshman and ranks eighth all-time on the Retrievers’ single-season record list.

Kristin Coles, a 2012-13 College Sports Madness America East Preseason All-Conference Second Team selection, also returns for UMBC. The senior guard finished the 2011-12 campaign ranked second in field goal percentage (.467) and seventh in the conference in rebounding, averaging 7.6 per game – nearly doubling her average from her sophomore season (3.9).

The Retrievers welcome five newcomers to the squad and will see the debut of Longwood sophomore transfer Bria White (Silver Spring, Md./Bethesda-Chevy Chase/Longwood).