University of Richmond Athletics
From The AD's Desk
02/14/2023 | General, Spider Athletic Fund
Greetings Spiders!
With the winter sports preparing for their conference championships and our spring sports starting play, we are speeding through the new semester here on campus. As we enter one of the busiest times of the school year, I wanted to provide an update and let you know what Richmond Athletics has been working on.
Spider Student-Athletes Continue Success in the Classroom
This semester, we're focused on building upon our achievements from the fall, when Spider student-athletes shone in athletic competition and academics. 15 of our 17 varsity teams posted a combined GPA of 3.00 or better last term and more than one-third (35%) of our undergraduate student-athletes earned a spot on the Dean's List. Three programs recorded their highest GPAs ever for a semester not impacted by interim academic rules in place during the COVID-19 pandemic: Baseball (3.28), Women's Basketball (3.46), and Swimming & Diving, which posted a 3.82 GPA this fall, the highest on record for any team in a single semester!
Congratulations to all Spiders on their hard-earned academic achievements and honors!
Spider Football Playoff Run
Among our top athletic accomplishments last fall, I'd like to highlight one you're undoubtedly already aware of and one that might have escaped your attention. Spider Football returned to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2016, and once the team reached the postseason it made a mighty impact. The Spiders defeated Davidson 41-0 in the First Round to record the first postseason shutout in Richmond history. In the Round of 16, Richmond pushed unbeaten Sacramento State to the limit, taking a 21-7 lead and staying ahead into the fourth quarter before falling to the Hornets 38-31. Our Spiders will look to make another playoff run in 2023, when our recently announced schedule includes six home games as well as a matchup with the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten.
Welcome Coach Adam Denton!
Another program that will begin next fall with postseason aspirations is Spiders Soccer. In December, we announced that Adam Denton has been hired to lead our program following a tremendous tenure at Davidson. Denton and Davidson posted a 13-3-4 record last season, the best in school history. In 2021, he led the Wildcats to the Atlantic 10 Championship match for the first time ever. At Davidson, Adam built a top-tier A-10 program at a small, private institution with rigorous academic expectations of its student-athletes. I have every confidence he can do the same at Richmond.
Winter Sports are Preparing for their Stretch Run
Our perennial powerhouse Swimming & Diving team is on its way to the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship in Geneva, Ohio. The Spiders are seeking a 17th A-10 title and second in the last three years, and we're all hoping they'll bring another conference championship trophy back with them to the Robins Center.
I'd like to thank those of you who have given Spider Basketball such an incredible home-court advantage at the Robins Center this season. Our men's and women's teams are a combined 18-6 at home in 2022-23. Women's Basketball registered a record-setting 119-55 home win over Longwood in non-conference play, and Men's Basketball has played before four sellout crowds, including on January 7, when the team overcame a 22-point deficit to beat Duquesne, the biggest comeback win for the Spiders in the 21st century! I'll echo Spiders star forward Tyler Burton, who was asked about the crowd in his postgame press conference and said: "We really appreciate it and we probably couldn't have done it without you." Spider Basketball in the Robins Center is a showcase for everything we love about Richmond Athletics, and I'm glad so many of you have been a part of these special events this season.
Spring Sports are underway!
If you can't make it to the Robins Center this winter, the spring season also offers many opportunities to support the Spiders. Both our Men's Lacrosse and Women's Lacrosse teams have been picked as preseason favorites in the Atlantic 10, and both teams have earned spots in the top 20 in preseason national polls! Baseball will play in a newly renovated Pitt Field, which now includes an indoor pitching and hitting facility and a new fan plaza in right field. The Fred Hardy Invitational returns to campus in March, and UR hosts the Patriot League Women's Golf Championship in April. It will be a busy spring on campus, and our Spiders would love to see (and hear) you in the stands.
We are Grateful for your Continued Support of Spider Student-Athletes
Incredible support from both our surrounding community and those whose paths have led them far from campus is part of what makes the student-athlete experience at Richmond among the best in all of college athletics. And when our Spiders move on, they don't forget what they've left behind. We now have more than 50 former Spider student-athletes participating in the Spiders Mentor program, an effort by Spider Performance & Development to pair junior student-athletes with alumni mentors to assist with networking, transitioning from college athletics to the professional workplace, and more. Once our Spiders graduate and begin to make their way in the post-college world, so many of them make time to reach back to their undergraduate roots and help those who followed them at Richmond.
In this new era of intercollegiate athletics, a wider array of organizations and individuals have more options to support student-athletes than ever before. And Richmond Athletics is determined to allow our Spiders to benefit from their positions as leaders on our campus and in the greater community. To that end, we've created the Richmond Spiders NIL Marketplace, a platform where businesses, civic groups, individuals, and others can easily offer, agree upon, and compensate our Spiders for Name, Image, and Likeness activities. If you've ever wanted to connect directly with one of our student-athletes, I'd encourage you to visit our NIL Marketplace and see what your favorite Spiders are offering.
On behalf of Spider Athletics, thank you to all those who support our Spiders in one way or another. You are making a difference in ensuring that the University of Richmond continues to be a very special place to be a student-athlete!
Take care, be well, and… Go Spiders!!
With the winter sports preparing for their conference championships and our spring sports starting play, we are speeding through the new semester here on campus. As we enter one of the busiest times of the school year, I wanted to provide an update and let you know what Richmond Athletics has been working on.
Spider Student-Athletes Continue Success in the Classroom
This semester, we're focused on building upon our achievements from the fall, when Spider student-athletes shone in athletic competition and academics. 15 of our 17 varsity teams posted a combined GPA of 3.00 or better last term and more than one-third (35%) of our undergraduate student-athletes earned a spot on the Dean's List. Three programs recorded their highest GPAs ever for a semester not impacted by interim academic rules in place during the COVID-19 pandemic: Baseball (3.28), Women's Basketball (3.46), and Swimming & Diving, which posted a 3.82 GPA this fall, the highest on record for any team in a single semester!
Congratulations to all Spiders on their hard-earned academic achievements and honors!
Spider Football Playoff Run
Among our top athletic accomplishments last fall, I'd like to highlight one you're undoubtedly already aware of and one that might have escaped your attention. Spider Football returned to the NCAA FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2016, and once the team reached the postseason it made a mighty impact. The Spiders defeated Davidson 41-0 in the First Round to record the first postseason shutout in Richmond history. In the Round of 16, Richmond pushed unbeaten Sacramento State to the limit, taking a 21-7 lead and staying ahead into the fourth quarter before falling to the Hornets 38-31. Our Spiders will look to make another playoff run in 2023, when our recently announced schedule includes six home games as well as a matchup with the Michigan State Spartans of the Big Ten.
Welcome Coach Adam Denton!
Another program that will begin next fall with postseason aspirations is Spiders Soccer. In December, we announced that Adam Denton has been hired to lead our program following a tremendous tenure at Davidson. Denton and Davidson posted a 13-3-4 record last season, the best in school history. In 2021, he led the Wildcats to the Atlantic 10 Championship match for the first time ever. At Davidson, Adam built a top-tier A-10 program at a small, private institution with rigorous academic expectations of its student-athletes. I have every confidence he can do the same at Richmond.
Winter Sports are Preparing for their Stretch Run
Our perennial powerhouse Swimming & Diving team is on its way to the 2023 Atlantic 10 Championship in Geneva, Ohio. The Spiders are seeking a 17th A-10 title and second in the last three years, and we're all hoping they'll bring another conference championship trophy back with them to the Robins Center.
I'd like to thank those of you who have given Spider Basketball such an incredible home-court advantage at the Robins Center this season. Our men's and women's teams are a combined 18-6 at home in 2022-23. Women's Basketball registered a record-setting 119-55 home win over Longwood in non-conference play, and Men's Basketball has played before four sellout crowds, including on January 7, when the team overcame a 22-point deficit to beat Duquesne, the biggest comeback win for the Spiders in the 21st century! I'll echo Spiders star forward Tyler Burton, who was asked about the crowd in his postgame press conference and said: "We really appreciate it and we probably couldn't have done it without you." Spider Basketball in the Robins Center is a showcase for everything we love about Richmond Athletics, and I'm glad so many of you have been a part of these special events this season.
Spring Sports are underway!
If you can't make it to the Robins Center this winter, the spring season also offers many opportunities to support the Spiders. Both our Men's Lacrosse and Women's Lacrosse teams have been picked as preseason favorites in the Atlantic 10, and both teams have earned spots in the top 20 in preseason national polls! Baseball will play in a newly renovated Pitt Field, which now includes an indoor pitching and hitting facility and a new fan plaza in right field. The Fred Hardy Invitational returns to campus in March, and UR hosts the Patriot League Women's Golf Championship in April. It will be a busy spring on campus, and our Spiders would love to see (and hear) you in the stands.
We are Grateful for your Continued Support of Spider Student-Athletes
Incredible support from both our surrounding community and those whose paths have led them far from campus is part of what makes the student-athlete experience at Richmond among the best in all of college athletics. And when our Spiders move on, they don't forget what they've left behind. We now have more than 50 former Spider student-athletes participating in the Spiders Mentor program, an effort by Spider Performance & Development to pair junior student-athletes with alumni mentors to assist with networking, transitioning from college athletics to the professional workplace, and more. Once our Spiders graduate and begin to make their way in the post-college world, so many of them make time to reach back to their undergraduate roots and help those who followed them at Richmond.
In this new era of intercollegiate athletics, a wider array of organizations and individuals have more options to support student-athletes than ever before. And Richmond Athletics is determined to allow our Spiders to benefit from their positions as leaders on our campus and in the greater community. To that end, we've created the Richmond Spiders NIL Marketplace, a platform where businesses, civic groups, individuals, and others can easily offer, agree upon, and compensate our Spiders for Name, Image, and Likeness activities. If you've ever wanted to connect directly with one of our student-athletes, I'd encourage you to visit our NIL Marketplace and see what your favorite Spiders are offering.
On behalf of Spider Athletics, thank you to all those who support our Spiders in one way or another. You are making a difference in ensuring that the University of Richmond continues to be a very special place to be a student-athlete!
Take care, be well, and… Go Spiders!!
|
|
|
Loyola Postgame
Sunday, March 01
A10 Track & Field Preview
Thursday, February 26
Women's Basketball Postgame - Rhode Island
Thursday, February 26
Women's Basketball Highlights vs. Rhode Island
Thursday, February 26