[Baltimore Sun] Brian Barrio steps down as UMBC athletic director
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Brian Barrio stepped down as University of Maryland, Baltimore County athletic director after more than four years in the position.
Barrio, 46, announced his departure Tuesday evening on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Thank you to all of the student-athletes and coaches at UMBC for giving me 4+ years of great memories,” he wrote. “I am very proud of what we did together and will be rooting for you all! Thanks also to all the wonderful friends and colleagues who reached out today — I appreciate every word.”
Neither Barrio, who was the university’s fifth athletic director, nor a school spokesperson immediately returned calls and texts seeking additional comment.
Barrio has been the athletic director at UMBC since January 2020 when he succeeded Tim Hall, who resigned in July 2019 and started the next month as athletic director at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Barrio joined a university that was notified in November 2020 of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for its handling of a former swim coach accused of sexually harassing his athletes. The federal agency concluded March 18 that, between 2015 and 2020, the school failed to protect the victims of harassment and discrimination by Chad Cradock, who was placed on leave in October 2020 and died by suicide in March 2021. Investigators said the university failed to oversee its athletics department appropriately or devote enough resources to Title IX compliance, according to the letter sent to UMBC.
The university plans to earmark $4.14 million for settlements for those impacted.
Barrio’s announcement Tuesday was applauded online by several colleagues.
“You’re one of the best in the business!” UMass-Lowell athletic director Peter Casey wrote. “You’re a great mentor, colleague & better human being! You make everyone around you better. Much bigger and better days are ahead!”
“Wishing you and your family all the best of luck going forward!” Retrievers softball coach Chris Kuhlmeyer wrote. “Thank you for everything you did for me personally and for our program!”
In Barrio’s first full year in 2020-21, the university earned four America East Conference championships in volleyball, men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse and softball and set another school record for the highest department-wide GPA at 3.19 in the fall semester.
During Barrio’s tenure, the softball program has captured America East regular-season and tournament titles under Kuhlmeyer in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The volleyball team has collected league regular-season titles under Kasey Crider (who was hired by Barrio in February 2022) in 2021 and 2023 and tournament crowns in 2021, 2022 and 2023. And the men’s swimming program has taken home conference championships under Matt Donovan (hired by Barrio in March 2021) in 2022 and 2023.
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Barrio hired Jim Ferry in April 2021 to coach the men’s basketball team after Ryan Odom — who guided the Retrievers to the NCAA men’s tournament’s first No. 16 seed upset of a No. 1 seed when the 2017-18 squad shocked Virginia in a first-round game — left for Utah State. In three seasons under Ferry, UMBC has compiled a 47-49 overall record and a 25-25 mark in the America East.
Barrio arrived at UMBC after serving as athletic director at Central Connecticut State from 2018 to 2019. He was also the senior associate athletic director at Nevada from 2015 to 2018 and the associate athletic director at Pepperdine from 2011 to 2015, worked in compliance at the America East from 2010 to 2011 and Ivy League from 2005 to 2006, and was the director of compliance at Southern California from 2006 to 2008.
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