University of Richmond Athletics
Atlantic 10 Coaches Predict The 2004 Fall Campaign
08/23/2004 | Field Hockey
Aug. 23, 2004
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - The Atlantic 10 Conference head coaches picked five Richmond fall sports to finish better than fourth in their respective standings as announced today by the league. Two Spider fall athletic teams were ranked No. 1 as women's cross country and field hockey earned top honors. After winning the 2003 Atlantic 10 crown, the women's cross country team has been chosen to repeat it performance with a first place pick in 2004. Junior Nicole Kurtain will look to pace the squad after her fourth place finish at the 2003 Atlantic 10 Championships. The Richmond cross country men, which finished fourth a year ago were predicted to claim the same finish in 2004. Sophomore Reynolds Chapman will help lead a team that returns just five veterans from last season. Jeff Gettler's young 2004 men's soccer squad received a third place pick after finishing the 2003 season 7-0-4 on top of the A-10 standings. The Spiders return five starters this season. After competing in last year's championship contest, the Spider women's soccer team is picked to finish second behind defending champion Dayton. Head coach Peter Albright returns eight starters from the 2003 squad that finished with a 11-9-2 overall record and a 7-3-0 mark against league schools. Richmond's field hockey squad has once again been picked to finish at the front of the A-10 race. Ange Bradley's squad, which won the conference championship last season, returns eight starters including reigning Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year, junior Allie Howard. The 2004 Richmond fall season begins Friday, Aug. 27, when the women's soccer team hosts James Madison at 7 p.m. The match will also mark the unveiling of First Market Stadium's new FieldTurf surface.
