Greetings Spiders!
Hello from the Robins Center, home to the 2024 men's and women's basketball Atlantic 10 regular season champions!
BASKETBALL ATOP THE A-10
With one game left in the regular season, coach Chris Mooney and the men's basketball team have already secured the program's first A-10 regular season title since joining the conference in 2001. Wednesday's win over Saint Joseph's was UR's program-record 15th conference win of the season and gave the team a chance to cut down the nets and celebrate its success in front of friends, families, and a fan base that has been spectacular in its support of the Spiders all season long. After wrapping up the regular season at George Mason Saturday, the next stop for the Spiders is Brooklyn, where they will be the No. 1 seed in next week's Atlantic 10 Championship. For those of you in the arena Wednesday or at any point throughout the season, thank you for making the Robins Center the best place to play in the Atlantic 10!
Women's basketball is the No. 1 seed in this week's A-10 Championship after going 16-2 in conference play and winning the Atlantic 10 regular season title for the first time. Aaron Roussell was named A-10 Coach of the Year earlier this week, while Addie Budnik won A-10 Defensive Player of the Year, Rachel Ullstrom won Sixth Woman of the Year, and Grace Townsend and Maggie Doogan were named First Team All-Conference. It was a special moment Saturday, when the entire team marched to midcourt during a timeout in the second half of the men's basketball game vs VCU to receive a standing ovation from the sellout crowd just hours after securing the A-10 title. These Spiders deserve all the recognition they have received and more, and I hope Richmond fans will take the opportunity to support them as they compete in the A-10 Tournament at the Henrico Sports & Events Center starting on Friday.
CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
The titles for our men's and women's basketball programs continue an unprecedented run of competitive excellence for Richmond Athletics. Over the last 12 months, UR has won conference championships in men's basketball, women's basketball, football, men's lacrosse, women's lacrosse, and women's golf. And there is every indication that the Spiders have more in store.
Indoor track & field and swimming & diving can build upon their strong finishes to the 2024 season, as both placed second in the A-10 at their respective conference championships last month. Men's tennis has won eight of its nine matches this spring and is off to a 3-1 start in the Atlantic 10. Baseball has won five of its last six games as coach Mik Aoki continues to make his mark on the program in his inaugural season with the Spiders.
And even though we are only a few weeks into the spring season, our three defending champions from last spring have shown that they will be threats to repeat in 2024. The women's golf program won the 15-team RiverTowne Invitational in Charleston, S.C. in late February with a 54-hole total of 5-over par, shaving five strokes off the program record for lowest tournament score. Congratulations to coach Calle Barlow and her team on a record-setting performance!
Despite playing one of the nation's most challenging non-conference schedules, men's lacrosse is off to a 3-2 start, with its two defeats coming to No. 6 Maryland and No. 3 Virginia by a combined margin of five goals. The team has climbed as high as 14th in the national rankings, and its next two home games are against powerhouse programs Duke (March 16) and Georgetown (March 23). I hope you'll join me in Robins Stadium to cheer on the Spiders.
Women's lacrosse is 4-2 through six games, having posted four lopsided wins and suffering its only setbacks against nationally ranked Navy and Virginia. The Spiders will start their A-10 season Saturday and play their first Robins Stadium conference game vs Davidson on March 16, part of a doubleheader with men's lacrosse. UR will be looking for its fourth conference title in the last six years at the A-10 Tournament in Pittsburgh during the first week of May.
SPIDERS MAKE THE GRADE
While the on-field accomplishments of our Spiders are remarkable on their own, they are even more impressive knowing that our student-athletes compete while pursuing a rigorous course of academic study. Those who excel scholastically are every bit as deserving of recognition as those who excel in athletics. That's why I was so happy to be able to honor 108 student-athletes with cumulative GPAs of 3.5 or greater at last month's Scholar Athlete Breakfast.
The Spiders swimming & diving program received the Women's Team Academic Award for its combined 3.82 team GPA, tops among UR's women's programs and second highest among all Division I swimming & diving teams. Cross country won the Men's Team Academic Award with a 3.62 team GPA over the previous two semesters. This is the second straight year we've had more than 100 student-athletes honored. They are a special group who succeed at the highest levels of academics and athletics, and I'm so proud they're Spiders.
GIVING DAY GOALS
I'm fortunate to lead a group of talented, hard-working coaches, staff, and student-athletes. But I also recognize that six conference championships in 12 months and more than 100 student-athletes with GPAs above 3.5 are not just a result of natural ability and determination. The loyalty and generosity of so many has allowed us to invest in our teams, our students, and our programs designed to assist them with everything from leadership to nutrition to mental health and more.
One of the most important 36-hour stretches of the year for Spider Athletics will be from noon on Wednesday, April 3 to midnight on Thursday, April 4. That's when the University of Richmond will hold its sixth annual #URHere Giving Day. As successful as the last 12 months have been, we have greater goals for Richmond Athletics, and achieving them will require a greater level of resources. We want to ensure that our Spiders have an unrivaled student-athlete experience and all the support they need to become their very best selves athletically, academically, and, at the end of their time on campus, professionally. That fundamental objective is behind our goal for this year's Giving Day: $1,000,000.
$1,000,000 represents a considerable increase from last year's record results during Giving Day, but I've challenged all of Richmond Athletics to find a way to make our goal a reality. After a record-setting year in competition and in the classroom, it's what our Spiders need and deserve. I hope you'll join me in supporting Spider Athletics in this month's A-10 Basketball Championships, next month's #URHere Giving Day, and throughout the semester.
Take care, and…. Go Spiders!
