From The AD's Desk

Greetings Spiders!

I hope you and yours are safe and well! Here on campus, we are extremely fortunate that the spring semester has started much the same way as so many before it. Our student-athletes gearing up for a spring competition schedule have already started team practices. Those in the midst of their seasons are competing on campus and across the country. And those looking ahead to next fall are already well into offseason workout programs, trying to ensure that they are stronger, faster, and better conditioned by the time they return to competition.

As always, our Spiders are taking care of their responsibilities in the classroom and continuing to meet and exceed Richmond's rigorous academic standards. Yet just six weeks ago, with intercollegiate competitions being canceled at alarming rates in the face of the onset of the Omicron variant, a "regular" start to the semester was anything but certain. I'd like to recognize the efforts of University leadership, the faculty and the entire campus community as well as our Spider coaches and support staff, and student-athletes that have allowed us to safely return to campus, classrooms, and competition, even in the midst of this ongoing pandemic. We recognize and appreciate all of the effort that makes this possible; and, in addition, we also understand that we must remain vigilant against COVID-19. Our positive progress over the past month-and-a-half has shown that we can protect the Spider community if we all continue to work together.

Men's and Women's Basketball Head into Stretch Run

That fact has been most evident on the hardwood recently, as both our men's and women's basketball teams are currently on track to complete full-length schedules after playing COVID-shortened seasons last year. Our men's team is 14-8 entering Friday's home game vs St. Bonaventure, which will be nationally televised on ESPN2. The Spiders won the final six games of the non-conference portion of their schedule, the program's longest single-season win streak since 2015. Our women's team is 13-9 and has already posted a seven-game win streak, the longest for the program in 18 years! We are only a month away from the start of the Atlantic 10 Women's Championship, which will be held at Chase Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del. from March 2-6. The A-10 Men's Championship will be at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. from March 9-13. With both championships close to major metro areas and in easy driving distance from Richmond, we'd love to see the arenas full of red and blue clad Spider fans in both Delaware and D.C this March.

Winter Sports Prepare for A10 Championships

Richmond will also have a chance at a pair of conference crowns in February, as swimming and diving defends its 2021 league title at the A-10 Championship in Geneva, Ohio from February 16-19. The Spiders seem to be finding their championship form, having won three straight meets including a win over James Madison on January 28, the program's first dual meet victory vs the Dukes since 2011. The Spiders track and field team will compete at the A-10 Indoor Track & Field Championship in Fairfax, Va. on February 26-27. Senior Rachel Helbling likely wishes the meet was much sooner. Helbling won the 500M at Boston University on January 28 in a school-record time of 1:11.82, the fourth-fastest time in the world this year! Best of luck to Rachel and all of her teammates on the track later this month.

Spider Spring Sports are Around the Corner!

As winter sports come to a close, our eight spring sports will have the Spiders stage to themselves for the first time since 2019. Men's lacrosse will start its defense of its 2021 regular season Southern Conference title at national powerhouse North Carolina on February 11, while our women's team starts its path to what could be a third A-10 title in four seasons at home vs Old Dominion on February 12.

Spider baseball is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its 2002 NCAA Super Regional team this season and will start its schedule at the Swig and Swine Classic in Charleston, S.C. on February 18-20. Both Spider tennis teams are seeking return trips to the A-10 Championship final this spring, while women's golf returns reigning Patriot League individual champion Rory Weinfurther and men's golf will be led by 2021 Atlantic 10 Golfer of the Year Lou Baker. In addition, the outdoor track and field season will open with the return of a tremendous Spiders tradition, the Fred Hardy Invitational. The meet will be held at Robins Stadium on March 17-18.

Spider Athletics Celebrates 50 Years of Title IX

With the pandemic upending or altering nearly every aspect of life at Richmond at some point over the last 24 months, I think we've all come to realize how special each and every "regular" school year still is. But I'm especially excited for the next two semesters, as Richmond Athletics participates in a year-long celebration to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. The landmark legislation enshrined the principle of equal play and equity into federal law and has provided countless opportunities in intercollegiate athletics to generations of women.

Richmond Athletics launched its year-long recognition of Title IX this past Wednesday at our women's basketball game vs VCU as we celebrated National Girls and Women in Sports Day. I hope you will join us throughout 2022 as we recognize the positive and enduring impact Title IX has made in the lives of millions of young women during the last half-century.

Finally, please save the date for this year's #URHere Giving Day on April 6 and 7, 2022. The loyal support of the Spider community is essential in providing a first-rate premier student-athlete experience to our Spiders

Thank you for your continued support of the Spiders!

Take care, stay well, and… Go Spiders!

Warmest Regards,

John P. Hardt
Vice President & Director of Athletics
athleticdirector@richmond.edu

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