University of Maryland - Baltimore County Men's Swimming

Cradock led both the mens and womens teams to two league titles, and the men also won their fifth and sixth consecutive ECAC crowns. In 2002, Cradock coached UMBCs first NCAA qualifier in 13 years, Lindsey Prather. When UMBC joined the America East Conference in 2003, Cradock guided the Retrievers through a seamless transition, as both teams finished with school-best 12-1 records, and the mens squad dominated at the league championships, scoring a then-record 901 points to take the title, while the women placed second. In 2004-05, the men finished 10-0, becoming UMBCs first-ever undefeated team, and captured another conference title by repeating as AEC champions and breaking their own league record for points with 920. The 2005-06 campaign proved to be record-breaking for the womens team, which posted a 9-1 dual meet mark, winning the first eight meets of the season, and shattered 11 school records. The Retrievers took seven gold medals and finished second at the America East Championships, just 54 points behind two-time conference titlist New Hampshire, a huge improvement from a year earlier when UMBC was a distant third, 252 points behind the Wildcats. And though the men were just 6-4 in dual meets, they captured their ninth straight conference crown and third in the America East. Then in 2007, Cradock made history as his womens squad became the first womens team from UMBCto claim an America East title in any sport, while the men once again displayed their dominance, capturing their fourth straight America East championship. In addition, Cradock earned his 100th career victory in the 2006-07 season, when the Retrievers defeated Binghamton on Nov. 4, and his success has not gone unnoticed. He and his staff have been awarded numerous honors over the last eight years, including 2001-02 Northeast Conference Women's Coach of the Year, ECAC Men's Coach of the Year in 2001-02 and 2002-03 and America East Men's Coaching Staff of the Year in 2003-04 and 2004-05. In 2007-08, the men once again dominated at the America East Championships, winning with a score of 929, a new record for most points. Although the women lost the second-most dual meets in Cradocks career, they outpaced second-place Boston University by 56 points on their way to a second consecutive America East crown. In 2008-09, the men came from behind to catch Boston University and win an unprecedented sixth consecutive America East championship. Despite a 4-7 dual meet record, the women finished second at the conference meet. In 2009-10, the first year the men were not picked to win the America East, but scored just 2.5 points less than their own conference record on their way to a 13th consecutive crown. The women, who were picked to finish well behind Boston U., finished just 84 points behind in second, the fifth straight year they have finished second or higher. In 2010-11, both the men's and women's teams won the America East Championships for the third time in five years. In 2011-12, both programs finished second at the conference championships, falling to Boston U., despite having the Men's Most Outstanding Swimmer, Mohamed Hussein, and Most Outstanding Diver, Andrew Eckhoff, in addition to the Female Coaches Award Recipient, Abbey McKenney.  This past season, the men posted just the second undefeated dual meet season in school history, and then took back their crown with an America East meet record 1,075 points, their ninth championship in ten years in the league.  The mens win over East Carolina on Senior Day was the teams 200th win in program history.  The women, meanwhile, placed second for the second-consecutive season at the conference meet.  In addition, Cradock helped guide Mohamed Hussein to the NCAA Championships where he became the third Retriever in school history to reach the national meet. A native of Barrie, Ontario, Cradock earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from UMBC in 1997 and was a four-year letter-winner for the Retriever swimming and diving program. I really enjoyed my experience as an athlete at UMBC, said Cradock, the recipient of UMBCs Matt Skalsky Outstanding Scholar-Athlete award as a senior. The friends that I made here are friends that I'll have for a lifetime, and the whole school experience was a tremendous run for me. Being from Canada, it was a dream-come-true to swim at UMBC, since I always wanted to go to the States to compete. To be successful on top of it all was even more amazing.  While at UMBC, Cradock swam at the U.S. Open and was fifth in the 400-meter freestyle at the Canadian Olympic Trials in 1996. A mid-free and distance swimmer, he capped his senior season of 1997 by earning ECAC Swimmer of the Meet honors after winning the 200-, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle events and breaking pool records in the 200 and 500 free to lead the Retrievers to a second-place finish. The previous season, he won both the 500 free and the mile at ECACs. Following his graduation, Cradock guided the UMBC Masters team to the 1998 YMCA short course national championship. Before arriving to coach the Masters team, Cradock was the assistant director at Camp Chikopi in Magnetawan, Ontario, where he coached alongside Olympic coaches. Cradock has also served as head coach of the Retriever Aquatic Club since 2000. Cradock, who was inducted into the UMBC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004, currently resides in Odenton, Md., with his wife Christie, their daughter Amanda, two sons Geoffrey and CJ, and their dog Riley.

Gibeau oversaw Mohamed Hussein become just the third Retriever, and first male to advance to the NCAA Championships. Prior to his return to UMBC in 2004, Gibeau had a six-year stint with the Monocacy Aquatic Club, including two years as head age group coach and four as the teams head coach.  While with MAC, Gibeau had several swimmers achieve NAG Top 16 consideration, as well as a number of Junior National and U.S. Open Qualifiers.  Under his guidance, MAC placed third in the inaugural Maryland Swimming LSC Championships in March of 2003.  In addition, Gibeau helped the MAC double in size during his tenure. Its good to be back at UMBC, Gibeau said. This is where my coaching career began and it was nice to return to where I have spent so many years.  Gibeau swam for UMBC from 1989-93. Before his time with MAC, Gibeau spent three years as an assistant coach at UMBC and as age group coach with the Retriever Aquatic Club, where he helped lay the foundation for the future success of the mens and womens swimming programs.  Gibeau spent nine years as a member of the Maryland Swimming Board of Directors, holding multiple positions during that time.  He was selected as a Maryland Swimming All-Star Coach by his peers five years in a row and served as Head All-Star Coach for the team that competed in Buffalo, N.Y. in the summer of 2004 An American Swim Coaches Association (ASCA) Level 4 achievement Lifetime Member, Gibeau currently resides in Baltimore, Md.

Bellamy will be responsible for the majority of the recruiting effort for the Retrievers.  In his first season with the Retrievers, Bellamy helped lead the mens squad to their second undefeated dual meet season, and then recapture the America East title with a meet-record 1,075 points.  The conference championship was UMBCs ninth in ten years in the league.  The women, meanwhile, finished second at the America East meet for the second straight year. Originally from Maryland, Bellamy spent three years in California after college where he assisted in coaching the varsity and junior varsity swim teams at Mt. Carmel High School while also working as a personal trainer.  We pursued Rob knowing that he could elevate our team to the next level, Cradock said.  He brings things to the table a lot of things that our staff was not as strong in and I think he will help everyone involved with our program. Bellamy is certified for personal training and performance enhancement through the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). The Columbia, Md. native went north for college and swam for four years at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMASS) where he served as captain during his junior season.  His times in the 500-yd. (4:34.78) and 200-yd. free (1:40.61) still rank seventh and ninth, respectively, in school history.  In 2009, while swimming under coach Gibeau and Cradock, Bellamy qualified for the USA Swimming National Championship meet in 50 meter free (24.19) and 100 meter free (52.24). Bellamy, who currently resides in Baltimore, Md., graduated from UMass with a Bachelors degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management in 2003.

Nigro assisted with team practices and dryland sessions; he primarily worked with the sprint group. Moreover, in 2010 he worked at the University of Southern California Swim Camp with Olympic Coach, Dave Salo. In 2014, he was invited by USA Swimming to serve as assistant coach at the Eastern Zone Select Camp. Brandt is exactly who we need in our program.  I know our team will respond well to him and look forward to our future, Cradock said.  A Bristol, CT native, Nigro graduated with honors from the College of Charleston in 2005. At Charleston, he helped his team to a Southern States Conference Championship. Nigro was also named to multiple All-Conference and All-Academic Teams. In 2009, he graduated from the University of Hartford with a Masters Degree and 6 Year Certificate in School Psychology. Prior to UMBC, he worked as a state and nationally certified School Psychologist in Connecticut. View: | Desktop

Trifonov guided a school-record four divers in their qualification for the NCAA Zones Meet. Under Trifonovs tutelage, Andrew Eckhoff swept the two diving events at the America East Championships in 2012 and 2013, earning Most Outstanding Male Diver accolades each year.  In addition, Eckhoff broke the school record in the 3-meter event during his junior year, and qualified for the NCAA Zones meet both seasons. Trifonov has had a decorated diving career, winning more than 50 national championships in his native Bulgaria and culminating in an appearance in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. After he finished his competitive career, Trifonov became a recognized judge and coach. He judged the USA Diving National Championships from 2001-05, and last year was a judge at the FINA Junior Diving World Championships. Trifonovs coaching career includes stints at the College of William and Mary and American University, and was the head coach of the Montgomery Dive Club team in Rockville, Md., for eight years. In addition to coaching at UMBC, Trifonov will be the head coach of the Retriever Dive Club, which will be geared for youth divers in the Baltimore area.