University of Richmond Athletics
Barrick Earns A-10 Coach of the Year as Four Spiders Collect All-Conference Honors
05/11/2026 | Men's Tennis
RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond men's tennis head coach Houston Barrick was named Atlantic 10 Conference Coach of the Year, while four Spiders earned All-Conference honors and Cole Brashear collected A-10 All-Academic recognition, the league announced Monday.
Barrick becomes the first Richmond coach to earn Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors since Ben Johnson in 2017. Under Barrick's leadership, the Spiders posted a 17-9 overall record and a 2-2 mark in conference play before capturing the Atlantic 10 Championship title as the No. 5 seed and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. Richmond closed the season on a 10-match winning streak and defeated George Mason, VCU and Dayton in the Atlantic 10 Championship, before falling to No. 13 South Carolina in the NCAA Tournament.
The championship run included one of the biggest victories in program history, as Richmond defeated top-seeded VCU in the semifinal round to snap a 37-match losing streak against the Rams and end VCU's streak of eight consecutive Atlantic 10 titles.
Davis Wiley and Cole Brashear earned Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team honors, while Charlie Burdell and Paxton Pritchard were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Brashear also earned a spot on the Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team, becoming the first Spider to receive the honor since Alex Werninck in 2021.
Wiley earned First Team honors after competing exclusively at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles throughout the dual season. The senior finished with a 16-8 singles record and a 17-5 doubles mark alongside Brashear on court one. Wiley posted a 12-match singles winning streak during the season and went 16-7 against opponents' top singles players. He also earned Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honors three times during the spring.
The recognition marked Wiley's second consecutive All-Conference honor after earning First Team honors in 2025 and Second Team recognition in 2024.
Brashear turned in one of Richmond's strongest all-around seasons, finishing 12-4 in singles play while primarily competing at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions. He elevated his play during the Atlantic 10 Championship, clinching both the semifinal victory against VCU and the championship win over Dayton. Against the Rams, Brashear secured a three-set victory at No. 6 singles to seal Richmond's 4-3 upset. He followed with another clutch three-set victory 2-6, 7-6(1), 7-5 against Dayton's Rishi Dore to clinch Richmond's NCAA Tournament berth.
Brashear also teamed with Wiley to form one of the conference's top doubles pairings, posting a 17-5 overall record on court one.
Burdell earned Second Team honors after compiling a 13-8 singles record while primarily competing at No. 2 singles. He added a 13-6 doubles record across multiple pairings, including a dominant 7-1 mark alongside Grant Cohen. Burdell delivered key wins throughout the season against opponents from VCU, Davidson and Georgetown while helping anchor Richmond's lineup during its Atlantic 10 Championship run.
Pritchard collected Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team honors for the third straight season after finishing 9-8 in singles play while competing primarily at No. 3 singles. He closed the year on a four-match winning streak with victories over Coppin State, Fordham, VCU and Dayton, helping power Richmond's late-season momentum entering postseason play.
