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News Release

Kimener Heads Record-Tying Four Retrievers Named To USILA All-American Team; Former Coach Dick Watts Selected to US Lacrosse Hall of Fame

5/25/2008

Baltimore—UMBC senior midfielder Terry Kimener (Oakton, Va.) and three Retriever teammates were handsomely rewarded for their outstanding seasons as the program tied a school record with four All America citations by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association.

Kimener earned Second Team honors, receiving the highest honor since defenseman George McGeeney earned UMBC’s lone First Team citation at the NCAA Division I level in 1982. Midfielder Mark Gold also earned Second Team honors in 1984.

A trio of juniors, defenseman Bobby Atwell (Dunkirk, Md.) goalkeeper Jeremy Blevins (Cockeysville, Md.), and attackman Ryan Smith (Fallston, Md.) earned honorable mention All America honors. The foursome of award winners ties the 1981 and 1999 classes as the most in a single season in the school’s Division I (1981) history.

Moreover, the United States Lacrosse Board of Directors has selected former UMBC Director of Athletics and Head Lacrosse Coach Dick Watts to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. This year's class will be inducted in a ceremony on Nov. 10 at The Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md.   

Kimener, who competed in the North-South All Star Classic on May 23 at Harvard University, becomes the third Retriever to earn three Division I All America citations. He followed the exact same pattern as Gold, who earned honorable mention honors in his sophomore and junior seasons and Second Team honors in his senior campaign. Attackman Chris Turner was named honorable mention in his sophomore and junior seasons and earned Third Team honors in his final season of 1999.

Kimener was the 2007 America East Conference Player of the Year and the Most Outstanding Player in the league championships. He finished his career as the second-highest scoring midfielder in school history with 71 goals and 63 assists for 134 points. In 2008, he led the team with 48 points as UMBC earned its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championships and finished at a school-record No. 6 ranking by the USILA.

Atwell was a First Team All America East honoree in just his second season as a close defender. He started all 16 games and gobbled up 39 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers. Blevins also started all 16 games and has started 48 straight since arriving on the UMBC campus in 2006. Also a First Team All America East selection, he has a career record of 32-15 and is fifth in school history with 477 saves. In his first season at UMBC after earning junior college All America honors at CCBC-Essex, Smith led UMBC with 29 goals and was just behind Kimener with 43 points. UMBC’s fourth First Team All America East honoree suffered a torn ACL injury early in the conference championship game vs. Albany and did not play in the 10-9 first round NCAA Tournament setback at second-seeded Virginia.

An outstanding player, coach and supporter, Watts has played been dedicated to the sport and its growth throughout his life. Watts earned All-America honors as a defenseman at Johns Hopkins and played in the 1956 USILA North-South game. He was a coach at the high school and collegiate level, enjoying his greatest success at UMBC, where he coached from 1971 to 1993. He led the Retrievers to the 1980 NCAA Division II championship when he was named the USILA's Coach of the Year. Watts was a member of the US Lacrosse Foundation Board of Directors from 1977 to 1980 and again from 1984 to 1986. He served as USILA President from 1974-75 and was a member of the organization's Executive Board from 1967 to 1994. He is a past president of the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter and also chaired the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Committee from 1981 to 1986. Watts, who also served as UMBC’s Director of Athletics from 1968-85, has been inducted into the UMBC Athletic and US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter halls of fame. He is being inducted as a truly great contributor.