From The AD's Desk - John Hardt - University of Richmond Athletics

Greetings from the University of Richmond and Spider Athletics!

It has been some time since our last update, but please don't interpret that to mean things have been quiet here in the world of Spider Athletics. Quite the contrary! In fact, we are in the middle of one of the busiest stretches since my arrival on campus.

There is championship excitement in the air on campus after a wild and wonderful couple of weekends for our teams. Congratulations to the Spider women's lacrosse program for repeating as Atlantic 10 Conference Champions, winning in overtime for the second-straight year over Massachusetts. The Spiders showed great determination and resiliency, rallying from six goals down to claim the title under the leadership of head coach Allison Kwolek. Richmond now heads to Princeton, N.J., this week to take on Loyola (Md.) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

Spider men's lacrosse made it a lacrosse sweep for Richmond as head coach Dan Chemotti and his program won their second-straight Southern Conference Tournament Championship in dominant fashion, knocking off Air Force and then-No. 11 High Point. This marks the third time in the six-year existence of the men's lacrosse program that the Spiders will be in the NCAA Tournament. Our team will open NCAA play Sunday evening in Durham, N.C., when it takes on No. 2 overall seed Duke. Richmond is the only school in NCAA Division I that has earned its respective automatic qualifying bids in both men's and women's lacrosse for two-straight seasons. An impressive accomplishment!

Frankly, it's been exciting for all of our Spider programs across the board this spring. Two weeks ago, both of our men's and women's tennis programs advanced to the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship finals. It was a great showing for both teams and they represented our University extremely well both on and off the court. The Spider men's and women's golf teams each competed well in their respective league championships and we are excited and optimistic for the future of both programs after such strong showings. Also, a big congratulations to Spider swimmer Hannah Gouger for qualifying for the United States Olympic Trials earlier this spring!

Women's track and field had a strong showing last weekend at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Massachusetts. Head coach Lori Taylor and the Spiders placed fifth overall, highlighted by two dominating performances for Richmond. The Spiders won the 4x800 relay race by over 13 seconds and took home the top two marks in the long jump, including the top mark by Co-Most Outstanding Rookie Performer Rebekah Greene. Head coach Tracy Woodson and the Spider baseball team have a few weeks left in the regular season and have won four-straight Atlantic 10 Conference series, putting themselves in great position for the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament.

While spring is in the air, we still have basketball on our minds in Spider Nation as there was a lot of activity and anticipation with both programs this offseason. On the men's basketball front, we had a difficult season, but I am proud of the resilience and toughness our student-athletes exhibited throughout the year. In addition, I have been impressed with the offseason work that Coach Mooney and his team are putting in. This team is a very cohesive unit and they look focused and are working hard this offseason. We are excited that their dedication and hard work will bring success on the hardwood this upcoming year.

All indications from our athletic training staff are that Nick Sherod is progressing well as he continues to rehab his knee. Nick hopes to be cleared for full activities sometime this summer in July or August. With Nick's recovery and return to full speed, Coach Mooney is very optimistic about this junior class. As he mentioned at the end of last season, he believes this junior class of Grant Golden, Nathan Cayo, Jacob Gilyard, Nick Sherod and transfer Blake Francis have the potential to be one of the best classes in Richmond basketball history. This could be the first season in Spider history that the entire starting five has averaged at least 10 points per game in a previous collegiate season.

While our non-conference schedule is still a work in progress, we are getting close to finalizing it. Here are a few opponents for next season that we've already secured -- Boston College (home), College of Charleston (home) and Vanderbilt (away). These programs are joined on our schedule by the previously announced Legends Classic that includes three NCAA Tournament teams as potential opponents. Stay tuned for additional game announcements later this summer.

We were excited this offseason to ring in a new era for Spider women's basketball with the hiring of Aaron Roussell as head coach. Aaron brings over 15 years of head coaching experience and over 300 career victories to Richmond, including the past seven highly successful years as the head coach at Bucknell University. Aaron's remarkable success at both Bucknell and the University of Chicago as a head coach leading teams to the NCAA Tournament at highly regarded academic institutions, has prepared him well to lead our program. We are looking forward to Coach Roussell's leadership and the future success for our Spider women's basketball program.

Coach Roussell was able to bring his entire coaching staff with him from Bucknell and they are all in place and have hit the ground running to improve the Spider women's basketball program. I hope you have the chance to welcome Aaron, his family and our new coaching staff to Richmond and the Spider community. They will all be great ambassadors for our program.

Football wrapped up a successful spring season with the annual Spring Game. I hope you were able to come out and support coach Huesman and his program. Coach Huesman made a lot of changes with his coaching staff this offseason and has brought in five new assistant coaches. The staff has been hard at work this spring and we are confident that our future is bright. Our 2019 schedule has already been released with home starting times. We are looking forward to opening our season under the lights for the first-ever midweek night game at Robins Stadium on Thursday, August 29, when we host Jacksonville. Hope to see you there!

If you haven't been on campus recently, there is a lot of work going on with our master facilities plan. Every day, progress is being made on the site of the Queally Athletic Center and the Student Well-Being Center. The planning and design for this facility has been completed and the construction crews have been busy clearing the space and laying the ground work for the new structure. This important project is still on schedule for our anticipated opening of fall of 2020. As you can imagine, both of our basketball programs are eager to move into their new home in the Queally Athletic Center. Check out the progress of the construction with the live camera feed HERE.

Renovations have also begun on historic Millhiser Gymnasium. The front steps to the building have come down and everyone has been relocated from the building as work has commenced. Millhiser Gymnasium will become the new home for the Spiders' 400-plus student-athletes with its transformation into the Student-Athlete Development Center at Millhiser Gymnasium. The center will house Student-Athlete Academic Services and the expanded Spider Athletics Leadership Program. The center will include individual and group studying areas, tutoring spaces, classrooms, and designated areas for academic support and leadership development of all student-athletes. LINK

In addition, Robins Stadium will be getting a refreshed look this summer as Richmond will replace the playing surface with a new AstroTurf premium surface and the existing track will be replaced with a new Beynon performance track. The work on both projects is expected to begin immediately following the completion of the Spider lacrosse seasons and will be completed in time for fall football camp in early August to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the on-campus stadium. LINK

Some additional facility projects that have been completed or are in-process include:

Student-Athlete Performance Center
The renovations on the lower level of the Robins Center for the Blandford-Everett Student-Athlete Performance Center were completed this winter. The final areas of the program (e.g., the two equipment rooms, new men's and women's locker rooms), were brought on line in January. LINK

Crenshaw Field
We continue to make great improvements to Crenshaw Field, the home of Spider field hockey. Last summer, we installed a new, state-of-the-art artificial turf and underground irrigation system. This spring, work has already begun on the construction of a team support facility that will include home and visiting team rooms, spectator restrooms, a press box and filming positions, along with enhanced landscaping for a new entrance into the facility. Construction is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2019 season.

Pitt Field
Our fundraising efforts continue for the renovation of the home of Spider baseball in Pitt Field. We are pleased with the progress we have made, but we have much work left to accomplish our goal and enable us to make a needed positive impact on this facility.

Robins Stadium Improvements for the Lacrosse Programs
Additional renovations were completed in Robins Stadium that impact Richmond men's and women's lacrosse. Specifically, the construction of a suite of new coaches' offices for both men's and women's lacrosse on the second floor of the east side of Robins Stadium was completed earlier this spring.

Westhampton Tennis Complex
While renovations (and the addition of two courts) of the Westhampton tennis courts was completed this past fall. The installation of a new scoreboard has been completed and final work is being done on new entrance gates and improved landscaping around the facility.

Robins Center Natatorium
The existing pool HVAC system and ductwork needed to be relocated due to the construction of the Queally Athletic Center, which was a great opportunity for us to update the facility's HVAC system to enhance the air quality on the deck and pool surface. The new system will allow better control of the air temperature and humidity of the pool, which will be a tremendous enhancement for our student-athletes.

We have had a particularly strong year academically here at Richmond. Our student-athletes are hard at work last week completing their final exams. We anticipate another outstanding showing in the classroom for our Spiders; and, if the fall is any indication, it was be a great one. Over 280 Spider student-athletes were celebrated for a term or cumulative GPA over a 3.0 in the fall. That was our best term in Spider history in the classroom! It is a job well done by our Spider student-athletes and our academic support staff that work diligently throughout the year.

Congratulations to six of our programs for being honored by the NCAA with Public Recognition Awards based on their most recent multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR). The NCAA presents these prestigious honors annually to teams for academic excellence after scoring in the top 10 percent of their sports in the most recent Academic Progress Rates (APR). Men's cross country, women's cross country, women's track, women's golf, women's soccer and women's swimming and diving achieved the public honor for the Spiders.

This has also been a tremendous year for our Spider Athletics Leadership Initiative under the direction of Associate Athletic Director Lauren Wicklund. We have reorganized and improved our Student-Athlete Advisory Committee this year to allow for better access, communication and accountability for our student-athletes. This has been a great year of programming for the Spiders Lead program.

Spider Leadership Immersion: An Exploration Into Richmond's Legacy
This spring, 26 student-athletes took an overnight trip to downtown Richmond to learn about history and the leaders that played a role in the city's past. The purpose of the Richmond Spider Leadership Immersion was to develop leadership skills in the areas of authenticity, decision-making, dignity, communication and legacy. LINK

Spider Athletic Alumni Achievement Awards
Earlier this year, the University of Richmond athletic department and the Spider Leadership Initiative hosted the first-ever Spider Athletics Alumni Achievement Awards, honoring two very distinguished Spider alums in Leland Melvin, R '86 and Mary Sue Terry, W '69, at the Jepson Alumni Center. The Spider Athletics Alumni Achievement Award is awarded to one male student-athlete alumnus and one female student-athlete alumna that have earned distinction in their professional careers. The award recognizes alumni for their leadership aptitude and contributions to their professions, while upholding the highest values of the University of Richmond and Spider Athletics. LINK

Spider Leadership Alumni Networking Event
The University of Richmond Spider Leadership Initiative hosted a Spider Networking event for student-athletes at the Jepson Alumni Center on campus. The goal of the event was to allow Spider student-athletes a chance to speed interview and network with Richmond alumni and friends of the program. LINK

I want to extend a sincere thank you to all of our alumni and friends who supported the Spider Club and the University of Richmond in the first-ever #URHere Day of Giving. Richmond Athletics led the way for the University, raising over a quarter of the total funds on campus.
Spider Athletics raised $104,649 in the 36-hour event, surpassing its goal for the first-ever Giving Day. LINK

As you know, the Spider Club plays a vital role in the success of our Spider Athletics program. This year, we are reviewing our Spider Club operation and organization with a goal of being as effective and efficient as possible in serving our alumni and supporters, while also supporting our Spider student-athletes and programs at the highest levels possible. I want to personally thank all of our alumni and donors for your loyal and generous support. Without your support, our Spider student-athletes would not be able to be able to achieve their extraordinary levels of success academically and athletically. Thank you for your help in making our Spider student-athlete experience one of the best in the country!

Finally, I would like to take a moment to thank one of our own who is retiring this summer. Mike O'Toole is a true Richmond Spider. He embodies everything that is positive with the world and he has been a valuable member of our department for over 10 years. We thank Mike for caring for all of our 17 Spider sport programs and positively impacting the lives of our Spider student-athletes and staff. Thank you, Mike, for your dedication and great service to the University of Richmond and Spider Athletics!

I hope you have enjoyed these editions of "From the AD's Desk" this year and found them to be informative. We are always looking to improve and connect with our Spider faithful. We want to continue keeping you informed on Richmond Athletics and we are always interested in hearing from our Spiders friends and alumni who support our programs (athleticdirector@richmond.edu).

And, as always, thank you for your support of the Spiders, and I'll look forward to seeing you at one of our upcoming Spider events and games!

Take care, and…. Go Spiders!

All the best-

John P. Hardt
Vice President and Director of Athletics

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