University of Maryland-Baltimore County Athletics

UMBC competes in NCAA Division I, meaning the Retrievers offer athletic scholarships and face top-level competition. The school awards $5.8 million in athletic scholarships across 13 varsity sports. With 375 total athletes among 10,434 students, just 3.6% of the campus participates in varsity athletics. The Retrievers compete in the America East Conference alongside schools like Vermont and Maine. UMBC made national headlines in 2018 when its men's basketball team became the first 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed in March Madness, stunning Virginia in one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. The school maintains a cross-town rivalry with Towson University. While athletics exist at the Division I level, the campus culture centers more around academics and research than sports fervor.