A-10 CHAMPIONS! Spiders Rally Past Dayton to Capture 2026 Atlantic 10 Title

Saturday, April 25

Orlando, Fla.

10 a.m.

University of Richmond

No. 3 Dayton

A-10 CHAMPIONS! Spiders Rally Past Dayton to Capture 2026 Atlantic 10 Title

04/25/2026 | Men's Tennis

Box Score Results (PDF)NCAA Selection Show Info A-10 Recap Photo Gallery

Cole Brashear battles back to clinch championship as Richmond secures first conference crown since 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. – Cole Brashear delivered the moment of the tournament for the University of Richmond men's tennis team Saturday morning, storming back from a set down to clinch a thrilling 4-3 victory over No. 3 Dayton and secure the 2026 Atlantic 10 Championship title at the USTA National Campus.

With the win, the No. 5 seeded Spiders improve to 17-8 on the spring season and earn the program's first Atlantic 10 title since 2006. Richmond also claimed A-10 championships in 2002, 2005 and 2004 and previously captured conference titles as a member of the CAA in 1992, 1993 and 1995. The title marks the first conference championship for head coach Houston Barrick in his ninth season at the helm.

Brashear sealed the historic win on court six, rallying past Dayton's Rishi Dore 2-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 to secure the decisive fourth point and complete Richmond's run through the bracket as a No. 5 seed. The Spiders became the first No. 5 seed to win the A-10 title since 2012, when No. 5 George Washington defeated No. 2 Xavier.

Saturday's victory also marked Richmond's first appearance in the A-10 Championship match since 2021.

How It Happened
Dayton claimed the early advantage by taking the doubles point with wins on courts one and two. Grant Cohen and Charlie Burdell picked up a 6-3 victory on court three, but the Flyers secured the opening point to take a 1-0 lead heading into singles.

The Flyers extended their lead early, as Kyle McNally defeated Davis Wiley 6-3, 6-3 on court one, followed by Mikkel Zinder's 6-4, 6-2 win over Charlie Burdell on court two to make it 3-0.

With the match on the line, the Spiders responded with four straight singles victories to flip the script. Otto Sewell put the Spiders on the board first with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory on court five. Dylan Atkinson followed with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) win on court four, and Paxton Pritchard evened the match at 3-3 with a 6-3, 7-5 victory on court three.

All eyes then turned to court six. Cole Brashear battled back after dropping the opening set, forcing a second-set tiebreak before closing out a 2-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5 victory over Rishi Dore to clinch the Atlantic 10 title for Richmond.

Tennis Match Results
No. 5 Richmond vs No. 3 Dayton
4/25/2026 at Orlando, Fla.
(USTA National Campus)

No. 5 Richmond 4, No. 3 Dayton 3

Doubles competition

Kyle McNally / Eric Suk (Dayton) def. Davis Wiley / Cole Brashear (Richmond) 6-3
Mikkel Zinder / Dylan Jaen (Dayton) def. Paxton Pritchard / Sam Rathmanner (Richmond) 7-6 (1)
Grant Cohen / Charlie Burdell (Richmond) def. Sturle Hoff Skigelstrand / Rishi Dore (Dayton) 6-3

Singles competition

Kyle McNally (Dayton) def. Davis Wiley (Richmond) 6-3, 6-3
Mikkel Zinder (Dayton) def. Charlie Burdell (Richmond) 6-4, 6-2
Paxton Pritchard (Richmond) def. Sturle Hoff Skigelstrand (Dayton) 6-3, 7-5
Dylan Atkinson (Richmond) def. Dylan Jaen (Dayton) 6-3, 7-6 (3)
Otto Sewell (Richmond) def. Alfons Ridstrom (Dayton) 6-3, 6-0
Cole Brashear (Richmond) def. Rishi Dore (Dayton) 2-6, 7-6 (1), 7-5

Match Notes
No. 5 Richmond 17-8
No. 3 Dayton 14-10
Richmond wins its first Atlantic 10 title since 2006
The Spiders become the first No. 5 seed to win the A-10 Championship since 2012
Houston Barrick earns his first conference title as head coach
Richmond earns the Atlantic 10's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 1, 2); Singles (5, 1, 2, 4, 3, 6)

Updated Spring Records
Singles
Davis Wiley 16-6
Charlie Burdell 13-7
Paxton Pritchard 9-8
Sam Rathmanner 6-5
Otto Sewell 11-8
Cole Brashear 12-3
Nathan Germino 6-3
Grant Cohen 4-1
Drew Holland 2-0

Dylan Atkinson 6-3
Doubles
Brashear/Wiley 17-5
Rathmanner/Pritchard 9-10
Sewell/Burdell 5-4
Burdell/Cohen 7-1
Burdell/Germino 1-0
Holland/Rathmanner 1-0
Cohen/Germino 1-0

Up Next
Richmond will await its postseason destination during the NCAA Men's Tennis Selection Show on Monday, April 27 at 4 p.m. The 64-team, single-elimination tournament begins Friday, May 1 at campus sites across the country, with the championship set for May 17 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia.

Gallery: (4-25-2026) Men's Tennis vs Dayton (A-10 Final)