Spiders Tabbed No.1 in Atlantic 10 for Second Consecutive Year, Three Named to All-Conference Team

Richmond, Va. – The University of Richmond women's lacrosse program has been voted the preseason favorite in the Atlantic 10 for a second consecutive year, announced in the annual preseason poll released Tuesday.

The Spiders earned 95 points and six first-place votes from the ten ballots submitted by head coaches within the conference. UMass picked up 94 points with the remaining four first-place votes, falling behind Richmond in the standings at 2^nd place. Saint Joseph's, Davidson, VCU, George Washington, St. Bonaventure, George Mason, Duquesne and La Salle in that order follow in the poll through third and tenth place.

In 2023, head coach Anne Harrington, now in her 3^rd season, led the Spiders to the programs first ever NCAA Tournament second round appearance after taking down Marquette in the first round, 18-8. Prior to that week, Harrington and her Spiders defeated No. 16 UMass in the Atlantic 10 title game, marking Richmond's sixth conference championship victory through 41 years of the program's existence. This group was ranked as the No. 2 scoring offense in the country at the end of the 2023 season. They were also recognized as No. 1 in draw controls per game, No. 3 in points per game and No. 3 in draw control percentage nationally. Harrington drove the 2023 team to shatter multiple program records: most wins in program history (17), most points (504), most goals (347), most assists (157), most draw controls (392) and single game high draw controls (30).

Nine Spiders were voted onto the All-Atlantic 10 teams prior to the conference tournament:

Arden Tierney (First Team All-Conference Attack/Offensive Player of the Year)
Lindsey Frank (First Team All-Conference Attack)
Sophia DiCenso (First Team All-Conference Midfield)
Maggie O'Brien (First Team All-Conference Defense)
Jordyn Harrison (All-Rookie Team)
Juliana Stanley (All-Rookie Team)
Colleen Quinn (Second Team All-Conference Attack)
Hannah Custer (Second Team All-Conference Defense)
Jax Donohue (Second Team All-Conference Defense)

Following the conference championship, five Spiders were named to the 2023 All-Tournament Atlantic 10 Team including the Offensive Player of the Year, Arden Tierney. Sophia DiCenso (midfield), Emilie Bloyer (goalie), Lindsey Frank (attack) and Jordyn Harrison (defense) joined Tierney on the All-Tournament Team. Tierney and Frank ended their Richmond campaigns recognized as All-Americans by USA Lacrosse Magazine and the IWLCA. Through all of their accolades, the team wrapped the season up as the No. 14 ranked program in the country.

With being predicted to finish first in the conference in 2024, three Spiders were named to the Atlantic 10 women's lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team in attack Colleen Quinn, midfield Grace Muldoon and defense Hannah Custer.

Colleen Quinn is coming off a standout 2023 season with the Spiders, heading into the 2024 campaign as a team captain. She played and started in all 21 games as a sophomore, tallying 58 goals, 28 assists and 13 ground balls on the year. Quinn was named the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Week on April 24 and was listed to the Atlantic 10 Attack All-Conference Second-Team. Through the postseason (Atlantic 10 Tournament and NCAA tournament) Quinn accounted for 11 goals and 4 assists (4 games against Saint Joseph's, UMass, Marquette and UNC).

Grace Muldoon comes back to the 2024 season as a key piece for the Richmond midfield unit. Muldoon played in all 21 games as a sophomore as she tallied 29 goals, 18 assists, 20 ground balls, 16 draw controls and 15 caused turnovers. In the double overtime victory against UVA on March 15, Muldoon accounted for 6 points from 3 goals and 3 assists. She was a clutch member for the Spiders in the postseason as she scored three points from 2 goals and 1 assist in the win against Saint Joseph's in the Atlantic 10 semi-finals.

Hannah Custer is returning from an impressive defensive 2023 season with the Spiders, heading into the year as a team captain. She played and started in all 21 games as a sophomore, accounting for 36 ground balls, 14 draw controls, 20 caused turnovers, 4 goals and 5 assists. Custer led the defensive unit for Richmond, where the group saw massive success as the No. 1 Atlantic 10 team in draw controls per game, No. 1 in national rankings in draw controls per game, No. 3 national ranking in draw control percentage and highest amount of single season draw controls in program history. Custer was named to the Atlantic 10 Defensive All-Conference Second-Team. In the double overtime upset over No. 7 UVA on March 15, Custer scooped three ground balls, forced one caused turnover and found 2 draw controls. She led the Spiders defensive unit to success in the postseason as she collected 5 ground balls and forced 2 caused turnovers in the game against Marquette in the programs first NCAA tournament win.

The 19^th nationally ranked Spiders open the 2024 season on the road this Saturday, February 10 against the Fighting Camels of Campbell. Live stats can be followed here. Stay tuned to the team's schedule for a live stream link.

"It's an honor for the team and these individuals to be recognized by the conference in this way", head coach Anne Harrington stated. "We are proud of the work we have put in to be in this position and value the roles Colleen, Hannah and Grace have played on the field for us so far in their careers. However, we know we've got a whole season ahead of us! We will rely on each member of our team and our daily work ethic to earn us the opportunity to compete for another Atlantic 10 Championship in May".

Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Preseason Poll

Richmond – 95 (6)
UMass – 94 (4)
Saint Joseph's – 79
Davidson – 72
VCU – 49
George Washington – 48
St. Bonaventure – 45
George Mason – 28
Duquesne – 26
La Salle – 14

Number in parenthesis denotes first-place votes

Atlantic 10 Women's Lacrosse Preseason All-Conference Team

ATTACK
Julianne Carey, Davidson
Fiona McGowan, Massachusetts
Charlotte Wilmoth, Massachusetts
Colleen Quinn, Richmond
Fiona McGovern, St. Bonaventure

MIDFIELD
Allie Hartnett, Davidson
Jordan Dean, Massachusetts
Grace Muldoon, Richmond
Bonnie Yu, Saint Joseph's

DEFENSE
Noelle Cegielski, Davidson
Audra Tosone, Massachusetts
Hannah Custer, Richmond

GOALIE
Jorden Concordia, Saint Joseph's

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