University of Richmond Athletics
From The AD's Desk
11/23/2021 | General, Spider Athletic Fund
Greetings Spiders!
As we approach Thanksgiving, a holiday season reserved for family, food, and reflection, I find so much to be thankful for. I'm grateful for our Spider student-athletes, who relentlessly push themselves to perform in the classroom and on the playing field. I'm grateful for our coaches, who have devoted themselves to guiding the next generation of Spiders. I'm grateful for the Richmond Athletics staff, which supports our players and coaches in so many ways, seen and unseen. And I'm grateful to be a part of the University of Richmond, where our leadership recognizes the critical and essential role Athletics plays in creating a thriving University community.
But I'm most thankful for the support we receive from our Spider family. We recognize how difficult the last 18 months have been for so many, testing our patience and our pocketbooks and making such a significant impact on the health and well-being of our community. In such times, it would be easy to turn inward, to focus the entirety of our energy and resources on ourselves and those closest to us. Yet every time Richmond Athletics has asked, Spider nation has answered. I'm thankful to be part of a Spider Athletics community that selflessly invests its time, its resources, and more in creating an unrivaled experience for our Spider student-athletes.
Spider Fall Seasons Wrap-up
Spider football finished its fall season with four straight wins, including a 20-17 victory over William & Mary to give Richmond an overall edge in the South's Oldest Rivalry for the first time in 33 years! UR is now 64-63-5 all-time versus the Tribe. After a difficult midseason stretch, it was thrilling to see the team pull together to finish with a winning record at 6-5.
Our women's soccer team advanced to the Atlantic 10 tournament for the first time in seven years and won its most conference games in 10 years this fall. The team was particularly fierce on its home turf, posting a 6-1-1 record at President's Field. En route to advancing to the A-10 Championship for a 20th straight season, Spider field hockey posted a signature win on October 17, defeating 21st-ranked Massachusetts for the program's first victory against a ranked team since 2017.
Senior Peter Borger turned in one of the best individual championship performances by a Spider in some time last month at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championship in Dayton, Ohio. Borger won the men's race by eight seconds to become the first individual champion for Richmond since 2010 while leading the men's team to a fifth-place finish. The women's team was paced by freshmen Elizabeth Stockman's top-10 result and finished in fourth place.
Spider Winter Sports have Begun!
The Spiders swimming & diving team began its defense of the 2021 Atlantic 10 title in spectacular fashion, defeating Davidson and George Mason to win the Richmond Duals last month. Our Spider basketball teams opened the season with a doubleheader at the Robins Center on November 9. A combined crowd of more than 6,800 turned out for the first Spider basketball games with fans in more than 600 days, and it made all the difference! It was thrilling to see – and hear – so many Richmond family, friends, alumni, and students (!) cheering on the Spiders after such a long absence. For those who weren't there, I hope you will make your way to the Robins Center this season to be a part of this celebration of Spider basketball and of one of the nation's finest college sports facilities. Richmond Athletics is commemorating 50 seasons of the Robins Center at every home game with interviews of some of the pivotal figures in the facility's history, special merchandise, giveaways, and more. Hearing legendary Spiders describe their favorite moments and memories of the Robins Center has given me an even greater appreciation for why our arena is so meaningful to Spiders past and present.
Exciting Facility Enhancements to the Robins Center and Pitt Field!
Please be on the lookout for upcoming enhancements to the Robins Center and Pitt Field in the near future! In mid-to-late December, we will begin the installation of additional digital LED boards to the Robins Center. These new LED boards will be located on the face of 14 vomitories on the concourse level and one on the court level. Their addition will complement the existing LED boards and are another positive step in continuing to update the Robins Center and to create a great game day experience for all Spider fans.
We are also pleased to announce renovations to Pitt Field! Work will begin in the coming days on a new fan entrance and plaza in the outfield.  This new brick plaza will feature a general fan seating area (Spider faithful can bring their own chairs to enjoy the game) and berm seating. These enhancements will create a whole new experience in the outfield of Pitt Field. We hope this project will be fully completed by the start of the baseball season in mid-February. Additionally, construction will begin this spring on a new indoor batting facility along the third baseline. The facility will include two batting cages and pitching mounds. This new building will provide our baseball student-athletes with a state-of-the-art indoor pitching and batting facility, which can be utilized all year round.
Once again, thank you for your support of Spider Athletics and our student-athletes. I hope you are all able to spend time with your loved ones this holiday season.Â
Take care, stay well, and best wishes for a joyful holiday season!
Go Spiders!
Warmest Regards,
Â
John P. Hardt
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Â
As we approach Thanksgiving, a holiday season reserved for family, food, and reflection, I find so much to be thankful for. I'm grateful for our Spider student-athletes, who relentlessly push themselves to perform in the classroom and on the playing field. I'm grateful for our coaches, who have devoted themselves to guiding the next generation of Spiders. I'm grateful for the Richmond Athletics staff, which supports our players and coaches in so many ways, seen and unseen. And I'm grateful to be a part of the University of Richmond, where our leadership recognizes the critical and essential role Athletics plays in creating a thriving University community.
But I'm most thankful for the support we receive from our Spider family. We recognize how difficult the last 18 months have been for so many, testing our patience and our pocketbooks and making such a significant impact on the health and well-being of our community. In such times, it would be easy to turn inward, to focus the entirety of our energy and resources on ourselves and those closest to us. Yet every time Richmond Athletics has asked, Spider nation has answered. I'm thankful to be part of a Spider Athletics community that selflessly invests its time, its resources, and more in creating an unrivaled experience for our Spider student-athletes.
Spider Fall Seasons Wrap-up
Spider football finished its fall season with four straight wins, including a 20-17 victory over William & Mary to give Richmond an overall edge in the South's Oldest Rivalry for the first time in 33 years! UR is now 64-63-5 all-time versus the Tribe. After a difficult midseason stretch, it was thrilling to see the team pull together to finish with a winning record at 6-5.
Our women's soccer team advanced to the Atlantic 10 tournament for the first time in seven years and won its most conference games in 10 years this fall. The team was particularly fierce on its home turf, posting a 6-1-1 record at President's Field. En route to advancing to the A-10 Championship for a 20th straight season, Spider field hockey posted a signature win on October 17, defeating 21st-ranked Massachusetts for the program's first victory against a ranked team since 2017.
Senior Peter Borger turned in one of the best individual championship performances by a Spider in some time last month at the Atlantic 10 Cross Country Championship in Dayton, Ohio. Borger won the men's race by eight seconds to become the first individual champion for Richmond since 2010 while leading the men's team to a fifth-place finish. The women's team was paced by freshmen Elizabeth Stockman's top-10 result and finished in fourth place.
Spider Winter Sports have Begun!
The Spiders swimming & diving team began its defense of the 2021 Atlantic 10 title in spectacular fashion, defeating Davidson and George Mason to win the Richmond Duals last month. Our Spider basketball teams opened the season with a doubleheader at the Robins Center on November 9. A combined crowd of more than 6,800 turned out for the first Spider basketball games with fans in more than 600 days, and it made all the difference! It was thrilling to see – and hear – so many Richmond family, friends, alumni, and students (!) cheering on the Spiders after such a long absence. For those who weren't there, I hope you will make your way to the Robins Center this season to be a part of this celebration of Spider basketball and of one of the nation's finest college sports facilities. Richmond Athletics is commemorating 50 seasons of the Robins Center at every home game with interviews of some of the pivotal figures in the facility's history, special merchandise, giveaways, and more. Hearing legendary Spiders describe their favorite moments and memories of the Robins Center has given me an even greater appreciation for why our arena is so meaningful to Spiders past and present.
Exciting Facility Enhancements to the Robins Center and Pitt Field!
Please be on the lookout for upcoming enhancements to the Robins Center and Pitt Field in the near future! In mid-to-late December, we will begin the installation of additional digital LED boards to the Robins Center. These new LED boards will be located on the face of 14 vomitories on the concourse level and one on the court level. Their addition will complement the existing LED boards and are another positive step in continuing to update the Robins Center and to create a great game day experience for all Spider fans.
We are also pleased to announce renovations to Pitt Field! Work will begin in the coming days on a new fan entrance and plaza in the outfield.  This new brick plaza will feature a general fan seating area (Spider faithful can bring their own chairs to enjoy the game) and berm seating. These enhancements will create a whole new experience in the outfield of Pitt Field. We hope this project will be fully completed by the start of the baseball season in mid-February. Additionally, construction will begin this spring on a new indoor batting facility along the third baseline. The facility will include two batting cages and pitching mounds. This new building will provide our baseball student-athletes with a state-of-the-art indoor pitching and batting facility, which can be utilized all year round.
Once again, thank you for your support of Spider Athletics and our student-athletes. I hope you are all able to spend time with your loved ones this holiday season.Â
Take care, stay well, and best wishes for a joyful holiday season!
Go Spiders!
Warmest Regards,
Â
John P. Hardt
Vice President and Director of Athletics
Â
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Men's Basketball Press Conference - February 20
Friday, February 20