University of Richmond Athletics
AD Update from John P. Hardt
Greetings Spiders,
It has been an exciting spring semester full of championships at Richmond! No matter how long you've been following the Spiders, chances are you've never seen a season like this. Richmond has captured six conference titles in the last month, its most in any single fall, winter, or spring sports season in the 21st century. Men's and women's lacrosse started our run of conference crowns by winning the Atlantic 10 regular season titles in impressive fashion, with both teams going unbeaten in A-10 play. For a second straight year, women's golf triumphed at the Atlantic 10 Championship in Orlando, and exactly one week later, on the very same 18th green, the men's team won its first A-10 title since 2017. Across town at the USTA National Campus, men's tennis stunned No. 1 seed and eight-time defending champion VCU in the semifinals and outlasted Dayton in the finals to claim its first Atlantic 10 championship in 20 years. The men's lacrosse team won a second straight Atlantic 10 Tournament last weekend, beating Saint Joseph's 8-6 in Robins Stadium. Those same grandstands will be packed full of Spider pride Saturday night, when men's lacrosse, the No. 4 national seed, hosts Duke in the first NCAA Tournament lacrosse game to ever take place on Richmond's campus. I hope you'll join me there.
Richmond student-athletes have also put in a championship effort in the classroom, as the most recent data released by the NCAA this week revealed that seven Spider teams have achieved perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, matching the most for UR since the program was instituted in 2003! Congratulations to the field hockey, men's cross country, men's golf, soccer, women's basketball, women's golf, and women's swimming and diving programs on registering the highest possible APR score, and thank you to the faculty, coaches, and academic staffers who work hard to make such achievements possible.
Even in a season of unparalleled athletic and academic performance, it's possible that the most important results from the spring semester came in early April, when Spider Nation came together to raise more than $2.07 million to support Spider student-athletes! This type of commitment means so much to Richmond Athletics. It allows us to improve how we practice and how we train. It allows us to test ourselves against the very best opponents, regardless of location. It helps us recruit and retain the type of people who can meet the standard set by generations of Spider student-athletes who came before them. And it leads directly to the type of outcomes we've seen over the last few weeks, as Spiders continue to reach new academic and athletic heights.
Take care, be well, and … Go Spiders!
John P. Hardt
Vice President & Director of Athletics
athleticdirector@richmond.edu
Catch up on the latest highlights from Spider Athletics below.
ANOTHER BANNER FOR MEN'S LACROSSE
Men's lacrosse completed a perfect Atlantic 10 season with an 8-6 win over Saint Joseph's in the A-10 Championship final at Robins Stadium. The Spiders secured their second straight A-10 tournament title and, in the process, earned the right to host the first NCAA Tournament game in program history. Richmond, the No. 4 seed, will take on Duke Saturday at 7:30 PM at Robins Stadium. Tickets are available on RichmondSpiders.com.
A PROGRAM FIRST FOR WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Women’s lacrosse captured its first outright regular season title after going 9-0 against Atlantic 10 opponents during its conference schedule. The Spiders finished the year 13-4 after dropping a one-goal decision to host Davidson in the semifinals of the A-10 Championship, their best record since 2023. Alexis Morton was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, Abby Francioli was selected as the A-10 Goalkeeper of the Year, and Anne Harrington was picked as the Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for the first time after leading the Spiders to a third conference title in the last four seasons.
BACK-TO-BACK FOR WOMEN'S GOLF
Women's golf repeated as Atlantic 10 champions with a dominating performance at Evermore Resort in Orlando late last month. The Spiders combined to shoot 51-over par (915) over three rounds, 28 strokes better than their nearest competitor! Richmond's five golfers finished first, third, fourth, fifth, and fifth (a tie) as junior Maya Beasley ran away with individual medalist honors at 5-over par (221). The program has now won six conference championships, all since 2016! The Spiders will head to North Carolina next week to compete in the NCAA Regionals at Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill.
FINAL ROUND COMEBACK
Men's golf equaled the best round in program history when it was needed the most as the Spiders shot 15-under par, equaling its 18-hole record, to come from behind in Round 3 and capture the Atlantic 10 title! Richmond roared past 36-hole leader George Mason to finish at 14-under par at Evermore Resort, 10 strokes clear of the Patriots. A pair of lefty underclassmen shot 6-under 66s to match the lowest individual conference championship rounds in Spiders history, with sophomore Carson Baez going on to finish in third place and freshman Lucas Rizo-Patron capturing individual medalist honors with a total score of 13-under par (203). Junior Quin Polin carded a 4-under 68 in the final round to join his teammates in the top five, finishing fourth at 5-under par (211). Richmond, Atlantic 10 champions for the first time since 2017, will compete in the NCAA Regionals in Winston-Salem on May 18-20.
MEN'S TENNIS DIGS DEEP FOR A-10 TITLE
Men's tennis snapped a two-decade title drought with a historic run to the A-10 title in Orlando. The No. 5-seeded Spiders shocked top seed and eight-time defending champion VCU 4-3 in the semifinals for their first win over the Rams since 1990! Needing another upset in the championship match, the Spiders battled back from a 3-0 deficit to No. 3 seed Dayton, winning four straight points to secure their first A-10 championship since 2006. Junior Cole Brashear posted the deciding point in both matches, ending each match on the bottom of a pile of happy Spiders. Richmond dropped a decision to South Carolina in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the season 17-9, its most wins and best record since going 18-6 in 2018-19.
Pressure was high. Stakes were higher. RICHMOND FINISHED IT. ?? @spidermten @SpiderAthletics #A10MTEN #A10FIFTY pic.twitter.com/OOvoz2ZFMN
— Atlantic 10 Conference (@atlantic10) April 27, 2026
THREE GOLDS FOR TRACK & FIELD
Richmond earned three gold medals at the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, with Molly Wise (long jump), Caroline Donohoe (800m), and Brooke Reif (1,500m) finishing atop the podium. It was Wise's third straight A-10 long jump title. Hallie Muniz won a silver medal in the 1,500m and 5,000m races, and UR added a silver medal in the 4x800m relay and a bronze in the 4x400m relay. As a team, the women finished sixth.
BASEBALL STREAKING
Spider baseball won its sixth straight Atlantic 10 series last weekend, taking two of three games from Davidson. After Friday's win over George Washington, Richmond is now 15-10 in A-10 play, fourth in the conference with five games remaining. UR will play its final two home games of the season Saturday and Sunday at 1 PM against GW as the Spiders look to secure their spot in the 2026 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship.
SPIDERS WIN!
— Richmond Baseball (@SpiderBaseball) May 3, 2026
Final from Wilson Field: Richmond 10, Davidson 9
Justin Gay strikes out three to close out the win! Dom Ruggiero collects his first victory in relief!
UR improves to 27-20 on the year and 14-10 in #A10Base action! #OneRichmond @SpiderAthletics pic.twitter.com/sh9JyAqyJm
WELCOME COACH KRESGE!
A crowd of more than 250 crammed into Spider Hall in the Queally Athletic Center to officially welcome new women's basketball coach Alisa Kresge to Richmond on April 29. Kresge, who comes to Richmond after leading Vermont to three NCAA Tournaments in the last four seasons, answered questions from Voice of the Spider Bob Black, introduced her staff, and welcomed back returning players, including All-Conference guard Ally Sweeney, during the event.
NEW FACES FOR MEN'S BASKETBALL
Richmond has signed six new Spiders for its 2026 transfer class, adding all-conference level talent from across Division I. Center Amon Dörries joins UR after scoring the most points by a freshman in Bucknell history. Forward Andrew Ball helped lead Monmouth to a spot in last year's CAA Championship game. Guard Dominick Stewart started 24 games for Penn State last season. Guard Derin Saran has led UC Irvine to a pair of Big West regular season titles. And two new Spiders, Jamie Kaiser Jr. and Jack McCaffery, are former top-100 recruits who played together at Butler last season.
FOOTBALL'S SPRING SENDOFF
Spider football announced its five 2026 captains at the conclusion of its annual spring game: defensive back Jordan Allen, defensive end Camden Byrd, tight end Sean Clarke, linebacker Carter Glassmyer, and quarterback Ashten Snelsire. Team Red defeated Team Blue in the intrasquad scrimmage, with QB Joe McCauley's 57-yard scramble providing the game's only touchdown.
Spring ball ?
— Richmond Spiders Football (@URSpidersFB) April 13, 2026
?? https://t.co/1XDyPSeX4Z#OneRichmond pic.twitter.com/kVtynVLgD7
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
As a part of the University of Richmond's EnCompass Program, eight Spider student-athletes are currently in the middle of a week-long trip to Chile, where they have immersed themselves in the culture, history, and cuisine of the nation. The group has visited museums, monuments, local markets, soccer matches, and more as the student-athletes take advantage of one of the rare breaks in their sport and studies schedule for a once-in-a-lifetime international experience.
