From The AD's Desk

Greetings Spiders!

Following a fall without sports in 2020, it's been thrilling to see so many Spiders competing on the pitch, the court, the gridiron, the greens, and more over the last two months. With so much happening on campus, there are times when it's tempting to think that we have finally returned to the familiar rhythms and routines we all enjoyed prior to the pandemic. As pleasant as that fiction may be, it is crucial to remember that our journey back to "normal" requires us to remain vigilant in our fight against COVID-19. Across campus, Spiders of all stripes continue to make smart decisions to protect themselves from this terrible virus. Please make sure you are doing the same, so that we may soon put this difficult time behind us.

As we approach the midpoint of our fall sports season, I want to highlight a handful of standout performances we've already seen from Spiders this school year.

Spider football enters its rivalry matchup with James Madison Saturday at 2-3, with a pair of lopsided wins over Howard and Lehigh. The Spiders spent several weeks in the top 20 of the national rankings during the season and have a great chance to get healthy and string together some wins in the second half of their schedule. I hope all area Spider fans will find their way to campus to support UR in its final three home games as well as see the newest Robins Stadium feature, a state-of-the-art LED video board in the north end zone that measures 60 feet wide and 28 feet tall! It's the latest (and perhaps the largest) sign that Richmond Athletics is committed to providing our student-athletes and varsity programs with state-of-the art athletic facilities that give the Spiders a strong home-field advantage.

May we all be as comfortable at home as Spider soccer has been this season. Following Sunday's win versus Rhode Island, Spider soccer is now 5-0-1 at President's Field and Marty Beall's team has positioned itself near the top of the Atlantic 10 two weeks prior to the start of the conference tournament.

Spider field hockey is off to a strong start in its conference season, having won three of its first four games. In addition, the team deserves credit for testing itself against the very best, as the Spiders have faced a ranked team in five of nine non-conference games this year.

Our men's and women's cross country teams are busy preparing for the Atlantic 10 Championship, which will be held on October 30^th in Dayton, Ohio. The men's team will be defending its team title from last spring, while the women will be seeking their fourth championship in the last seven seasons.

The men's and women's tennis teams have had some early individual success in their respective fall seasons, as has Spider golf. Our men's team won the 12-team VCU Shootout in September, finishing one shot ahead of the host Rams, and our women's team won the 13-team Navy Fall Invitational earlier this month. Even though it's only October, this is already the first time both Spider golf programs have won an event in the same season since 2016-17!

With last year's season disrupted by COVID-19, we are on the verge of one of the most anticipated basketball seasons in Richmond Athletics history. Our men's team has already added more than 400 new season-ticket holders this offseason, and more than 97% of our existing season-ticket holders have renewed their seats for this season. This is already the most new season tickets and highest renewal rate on record for our men's basketball program. Expectations are also high for our women's team, which is coming off a 13-9 season and is seeking to increase its winning percentage for a fourth straight season.

The hardwood isn't the only place to see championship-level performances from the Spiders this winter. Our swimming and diving team will be back in the pool soon to defend its 2021 Atlantic 10 title. The Spiders will start their run for a second-straight conference crown on October 22-23 when they host the Richmond duals.

Our efforts to prepare Spider student-athletes to succeed on the field of competition, in the classroom, and in their future endeavors are both never-ending and always changing. Spider Athletics is focused on providing the top student-athlete experience in the nation. The Spider Performance and Development Program takes a holistic approach in our efforts to prepare Spider student-athletes to succeed on the field of competition, in the classroom, and in their future endeavors. We are continually working to find new ways to ensure that the student-athlete experience at the University of Richmond is second to none. That aim was a driving factor behind our decision to launch the Spider Performance and Development Program (SPD) last fall. The SPD has one goal: building champions for life. To do that, the program focuses on eight key areas: academic excellence, leadership development, sport performance & analytics, career preparation & alumni engagement, diversity & inclusion, nutrition, sport medicine & well-being, and mental health & sport psychology. After a year of tremendous progress and positive reviews from current Spiders, we are committing ourselves to providing the resources needed to take the Spider Performance and Development Program to the next level. Please be on the lookout for ways you can support this critically-important endeavor during the Spider Athletic Fund's SPD giving initiative, starting on October 27^th and running through November 5^th.

Perhaps no group of Spiders can provide a better example of developing into life-long champions than Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame's Class of 2021, which was announced earlier this month. Former men's basketball coach John Beilein, lacrosse standout Heather Gardner Quinn, quarterback Stacy Tutt, team physician Dr. Chris Young, and Helen Dodd Driscoll – who earned a combined 15 varsity letters in basketball, track, tennis, and field hockey – contributed so much to the Spiders and have earned a place alongside the all-time greats of Richmond Athletics. The Class of 2021 will be enshrined during a ceremony and reception on November 5th and honored at halftime of our Homecoming football game vs Towson on November 6th. I hope you will join me on campus that weekend, as Spiders from all over return to Richmond to renew their bonds with our wonderful University.

Take care, be well, and…. Go Spiders!

Warmest regards-

Vice President and Director of Athletics
John P. Hardt

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