University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- chemotti@richmond.edu
- Phone:
- 662-3116
2025 marked Dan Chemotti's 12th season as the men’s lacrosse head coach at the University of Richmond. Chemotti is the program’s first-ever head coach and has guided the Spiders to unprecedented success.
The 2025 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and two-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, Chemotti has guided the Spiders to six NCAA Tournament appearances (2025, 2023, 2022, 2019, 2018, 2014), in the first 11 years of program existence, including back-to-back seasons as Southern Conference Tournament champions (2019, 2018) and the inaugural Atlantic 10 Men's Lacrosse champions. Richmond has won five regular season league titles in its first 11 years (no title awarded in 2020) and has been in the conference tournament championship game every season of program existence (2020 season impacted by COVID-19). Under Chemotti, the Spiders boast 17 All-Americans.
Chemotti has led Richmond to a 118-67 (.637) record as head coach, including nine years of 10 or more wins and the Spiders have won over 80 percent (54-12) of their conference games in program history. Chemotti and the Spiders earned the program's 100th victory on March 30, 2024 with a dominating 19-8 conference win at St. Bonaventure. The Spiders ranked in the top 15 overall in both average and cumulative attendance at home games in 2024 and 2025 — a testament to the on-field product Chemotti has created.
In 2025, Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Dan Chemotti led Richmond to the most successful season in program history. The Spiders posted a record-breaking 14–3 overall mark, including a perfect 5–0 run through Atlantic 10 play to claim their first-ever A-10 regular-season title and a second conference tournament championship in three years. Richmond earned its first NCAA Tournament victory, upsetting No. 8 North Carolina, 13–10, in Chapel Hill — a signature milestone under Chemotti’s leadership. The Spiders ranked as high as No. 5 in the national polls, the highest ranking in program history, and joined only two-time defending champion Notre Dame as the only 2025 NCAA Tournament teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense and defense.
Richmond also set a program record with a nine-game win streak and defeated four nationally ranked opponents — its most ever in a single season — including No. 7 Virginia, No. 13 Georgetown, No. 19 UMass, and No. 17 Saint Joseph’s. The Spiders’ only loss by more than one goal came in the season opener at Maryland. They dropped two one-goal contests to Cornell and took Duke to double overtime, further establishing themselves among the nation’s elite.
The Spiders finished the season ranked second in scoring margin, third in scoring defense, fourth in caused turnovers per game, eighth in clearing percentage, ninth in scoring offense, and 11th in points per game — a statistical profile that reflected their dominance on both ends of the field.
Individually, eight Richmond players were named All-Americans, and the team claimed five of the six Atlantic 10 postseason major awards. Standouts included Aidan O’Neil (Offensive Player of the Year), Max Merklinger (Midfielder of the Year), Zach Vigue (Goalie of the Year), Hunter Smith (Co-Defensive Player of the Year), and Chemotti himself as Coach of the Year. Richmond also placed 10 players on All-Conference teams.
Highlighting the program’s growing national footprint, close defenseman Mitchell Dunham was selected 21st overall by the Utah Archers in the 2025 PLL College Draft, becoming the first active Spider ever drafted into the Premier Lacrosse League.
Chemotti's 2024 Spiders reached the conference championship game for the tenth-consecutive season as Dalton Young, Lance Madonna, Zach Vigue and Jack Pilling were all named All-American Honorable Mentions. Young and Madonna earned back-to-back Atlantic 10 Offensive Player and Midfielder of the Year, respectively, and goalie Zach Vigue was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Goalkeeper of the Year. Jake Kapp (First Team), Hunter Smith (First Team), Jack Fabean (Second Team), Gavin Creo (Rookie Team) and Charlie Packard (Rookie Team) all took home All-Atlantic 10 honors. Chemotti lead Richmond to one of its highest offensive output seasons in program history in 2024. The Spiders 671 shots and 218 goals in 2024 are the most-ever by a Richmond team, and its 415 (2nd) shots on goal, .325 (2nd) shot percentage and 123 (3rd) assists rank among the best ever by a Richmond offense. Richmond held the nation's fifth-best scoring margin, outscoring opponents by an average of 4.25 goals per game while the Spiders scoring offense ranked 12th in the nation and first in the Atlantic 10 at 13.63. Richmond's .325 shot percentage ranked ninth in the nation, while its 21.31 points per game ranked 14th. The Spiders defense also continued to present itself as one of the nation's best in 2024. Vigue posted a career-high .556 save percentage and was third in the country in goals against average at 9.26 en route to helping Richmond be third in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 9.38 goals per game. Vigue finished the season ranked 12th in the nation and first in the A-10 with a .556 save percentage. Richmond's man-down defense was also one of the best in the country in 2024, ranking eighth at 0.745. Richmond's only losses in 2024 came to teams ranked within the nation's top 15. Under Chemotti, Dalton Young was named the Atlantic 10's only Tewaaraton finalist and he and Kapp were claimed by a pair of Premiere Lacrosse League clubs with Young going to the Denver Outlaws and Kapp to the New York Atlas.
In 2023, Chemotti guided the Spiders to its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance and the first-ever Atlantic 10 title after taking down rival High Point, 15-8, in the title game at Robins Stadium. The win marked the third conference Chemotti has led Richmond to titles in (Atlantic Sun, Southern, Atlantic 10). Richmond went a perfect 9-0 at home for just the second time in program history and nine Spiders were named to All-Atlantic 10 teams including the Offensive (Dalton Young), Midfield (Lance Madonna) and Rookie (Aidan O'Neil) Players of the Year as well as four All-Rookie selections. Dalton Young and Lance Madonna were also named All-American Honorable Mentions by USA Lacrosse Magazine.
2022 saw Richmond win it's third SoCon title and name nine players to the All-Conference teams including three First Team selections. The Spiders finished the year ranked in the top 10 nationally in six categories and earned the program's first-ever win over in-state foe, No. 2 Virginia. The 17-13 win came as the highest-ranked victory in program history, surpassing a win over No. 6 Notre Dame in 2019.
Chemotti led Richmond to a share of the Southern Conference regular season title and the number one seed in the SoCon Tournament in 2021. The Spiders swept the postseason SoCon awards with Ryan Lanchbury (Offensive Player of the Year), Sean Menges (Defensve Player of the Year), Dalton Young (Freshman of the Year) and his own SoCon Coach of the Year award. The Spiders placed a SoCon record 11 players on the two All-Conference teams, including six named First Team All-Conference and five earning Second Team All-Conference accolades.
In the shortened 2020 season, the Spiders finished the year ranked No. 18 in the country with a 4-3 record. The Spiders' three losses all game to nationally ranked opponents in No. 4 Maryland, No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 13 Duke.
In 2019, the Spiders booked their third NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and second-straight by winning the SoCon Championship with a 15-7 victory over No. 11 High Point on the road. The Spiders dominated the Panthers in the championship game and goalkeeper Jack Rusbuldt was named the Most Outstanding Player after allowing 13 goals in the two SoCon games.
Richmond advanced to the NCAA Tournament with the automatic bid and played at No. 4 Duke in the first round. The Spiders gave the Blue Devils all It wanted, out-scoring Duke 4-0 in the fourth quarter before running out of time and falling by a 12-11 margin. Richmond finished the season ranked No. 18 in the country in the final polls.
Sophomores Ryan Lanchbury and Mitch Savoca earned All-America honors last season, becoming the third and fourth All-Americans in program history. Lanchbury set the Richmond single-season scoring record with 72 points and 52 goals. His 52 goals also set the SoCon single-season goal scoring record. He is currently sixth in the nation in goals and 14th in the country in points.
The Spiders placed five members on the First Team All-SoCon squad in 2019. Ryan Lanchbury, Teddy Hatfield, Mitch Savoca, Jason Reynolds and Sean Menges picked up the honors. The Spiders' five First Team All-SoCon selections ties the school record set in 2017, which is also the most in SoCon history, happening for the fourth time in the league's five-year history of men's lacrosse. Additionally, Richmond added to its SoCon-record of 21 First Team All-Conference selections in program history, nine more than the second place team in league history (Air Force, 12 selections).
In 2018, the Spiders won the SoCon regular season championship with an 11-6 overall record and a 6-1 mark in league play. Richmond was a perfect 9-0 at home at Robins Stadium last season, including winning the 2018 SoCon Tournament championship. The Spiders won the tournament title in impressive fashion as Teddy Hatfield scored the game-winning, overtime goal to defeat Jacksonville and send Richmond to its second NCAA Tournament in program history.
The Spiders had their name called in the NCAA Selection Show and made it out of the play-in game for the first time in program history. Richmond went on the road and battled No. 2 Albany in the first round.
The Spiders had six members named to the All-Conference team last year. Joining the First Team, is senior LSM Austin Cates, redshirt-senior attacker Mitch Goldberg, junior attacker Teddy Hatfield and freshman defenseman Jason Reynolds. Freshman midfielder Mitch Savoca is lone Spider representative on the Second Team but in addition, joins fellow newcomer Ryan Lanchbury on the All-Freshman Team.
2017 was a historic season for the Spiders, posting a program record 12 victories and reaching as high as No. 11 in the national polls. For the second straight year, Richmond knocked off a national power, taking down defending national champion UNC, 6-5, in Chapel Hill. In addition, two Spiders earned First Team All-American honors for the first time when Brendan Hynes and Benny Pugh were recognized. Pugh and Hynes also became the first Spiders to ever be drafted into the professional ranks, both being drafted in the Major League Lacrosse draft.
The Spiders saw success again in 2016, their second season in the Southern Conference, posting an 11-5 overall record and a 6-1 mark in conference play. After jumping out to a 4-1 start, the Spiders logged the biggest win in program history, taking down No. 9 Duke on the road, 12-10. The win and another victory over Jacksonville would give the 6-1 Spiders the best start in program history, propelling the team to a No. 18 ranking, the highest in program history.
Shortly after, Mitch Goldberg was named to the prestigious Tewaaraton Award Watch List. The team finished third nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 7.44 goals per game, and first in caused turnovers and clearing percentage for the second year in a row. Junior Brendan Hynes ranked second in the nation in caused turnovers, while junior Ryan Dennis ranked ninth nationally in the same category. Seven Spiders earned postseason honors, led by Hynes and senior Alex Hatem, who were named to the SoCon First Team.
In 2015, the Spiders finished 6-0 in the new league and boasted the nation's second-most stingy defense. The Spiders allowed just 7.44 goals per game, within less than half a goal per game from the nation's leader. Richmond also lead the country in clearing percentage and finished fourth in the country in scoring margin, winning on average by more than four goals per game.
The Spiders boasted the league's Defensive Player of the Year in Brendan Hynes, while goalie Benny Pugh was second nationally in both save percentage (.590) and goal-against average (7.42) for the year. On the offensive side, the second-year program scored 20-or-more goals three times, finished 15th nationally in scoring offense (11.75) and 11th in assists per game (7.25). Richmond earned its first national ranking for the season, appearing at No. 20 in a national poll. UR was among teams receiving votes for the majority of, and in the final poll of, the season. Richmond got above .500 after just two seasons, sitting at 17-16 overall in just two years as a varsity program.
Chemotti did what no other coach in the history of Division I lacrosse was able to accomplish; he took a first-year program to the NCAA Tournament in 2014. He followed that by taking the Spiders to an undefeated league season in the newly-formed Southern Conference in 2015.
After helping lead the Loyola University Maryland men's lacrosse team as offensive coordinator to the 2012 Division I National Championship in 2012, Chemotti was named head coach of the Richmond men's lacrosse team in October of 2012. He spent that school year recruiting and putting in place the tenets of the program which began play in the 2014 season, and it led to the young squad earning an Atlantic Sun Conference championship and berth into the newly-expanded NCAA Tournament.
The Spiders jumped into their inaugural season by hosting No. 7 Virginia on February 8, 2014. Over 4,000 fans packed into Robins Stadium to see the beginning of a magical season. The Spiders did not come away with a win that day, but battled the Cavaliers to a 13-12 loss, which set the tone for things to come.
Despite losing the first five games of the season, the Spiders kept things positive, and finally broke through for a win against Vermont in Durham, North Carolina on March 8. That was the start of a run of four wins in eight games, including a pair of Atlantic Sun Conference games that propelled the young squad into the four-team Atlantic Sun Championship Tournament.
The Spiders beat both the top seed and host Mercer and second-seeded High Point, avenging two regular-season losses and stringing together back-to-back wins for the first time in team history, and the one time that it mattered, as they earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA. That feat drew a trip to Colorado Springs and a road game at Air Force in the NCAA Tournament.
During his five seasons with the Greyhounds, Chemotti was a part of four NCAA Tournament berths and at least a share of three ECAC conference titles at Loyola. Chemotti also saw 30 players earn all-conference honors and 12 be named All-Americans during his time there.
Chemotti's powerful offense helped lead the Greyhounds to and 18-1 mark and their first-ever national championship in 2012. The Loyola offense ranked eighth in goals per game (12.05), ninth in EMO at .444% and fifth in turnovers per game at 12.84. A versatile and diverse offense, the Greyhounds saw eight players rack up 10 or more goals, three tally more than 20 and three reach the 50-goal barrier in 2012.
The offense of which Chemotti was the architect afforded Loyola players the ability to shoot quickly, whether in transition or settled offense, and garner a high volume of shots. Despite the high number of shots, Loyola's shot percentage did not drop. In fact, the Greyhounds' shot percentage rose from .249 in 2011 to .299 during the team's 18-1 run to the NCAA Championship.
Two members of Chemotti's offense, Sawyer and midfielder Davis Butts, earned All-ECAC First Team honors in 2012, and Lusby was named to the Second Team. Sawyer was a USILA Second Team All-American, and Lusby and Butts earned All-America Honorable Mention.
In 2010, a pair of Loyola attackers, Collin Finnerty and Cooper MacDonnell, were named to the All-ECAC First Team, and MacDonnell picked up ECAC Offensive Player of the Year honors and was named All-America Honorable Mention. In addition to those honors, Finnerty, MacDonnell and Matt Langan split ECAC Offensive Player of the Week honors five times, and freshman attacker Patrick Fanshaw earned ECAC Rookie of the Week laurels once.
During the 2009 season, Chemotti's attack produced three players with 30 or more total points - Shane Koppens (41), Cooper MacDonnell (38) and Collin Finnerty (37) - a mark not accomplished by a Loyola trio since 2003.
The Greyhounds led the ECAC in goals per game (10.43), a category they finished 17th in all of NCAA Division I during 2009. Koppens led the conference in points per game (3.42) and finished his Loyola career 12th in the nation in the category.
In 2008, the Greyhounds captured the ECAC title behind an explosive offense that ranked second in goals per game and points per game (13.43), and first in shooting percentage, in the league.
Under Chemotti's direction in 2008, Koppens was named ECAC Offensive Player of the Year after finishing as the league's top scorer. In Chemotti's three years calling the offense, nine offensive players have been awarded with post season All-ECAC honors (four first-team and five second-team).
In 2007 the Loyola offense ranked 17th nationally in team offense and finished the season with a .640 assist percentage.
A 2002 graduate of Duke University, Chemotti led the Blue Devils to back-to-back ACC Championships during his junior and senior seasons. During his career in Durham, N.C., the Blue Devils reached the NCAA Tournament all four years, advancing to the NCAA Quarterfinals three times. He was selected a team captain his senior year, and was awarded the school's Roy Skinner Award for Dedication and Sacrifice.
Following graduation, Chemotti worked as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College from 2002-2004, working primarily with the offense and the face-off men. In 2004, the Big Green's offense ranked third nationally in assist percentage and 15th nationally in team offense, and in 2003, Dartmouth's face-off percentage was good enough to finish ninth in the country. Chemotti then worked as an assistant at St. John's for two seasons, 2004-2006, before moving to Loyola for the 2006-2007 academic year.
In addition to coaching, Chemotti played lacrosse professionally as a midfielder for the New Jersey Pride and Washington Bayhawks of Major League Lacrosse. He was a member of the Pride from 2003-2008 and the Bayhawks in 2009. Serving as a two-way midfielder for the Pride and Bayhawks, Chemotti has amassed 54 points and 143 ground balls in 69 career games. Chemotti also played one season (2003) in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) for the New Jersey Storm.
Chemotti, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., played high school lacrosse for West Genesee in Syracuse, where he was named an All-American and the Central New York Player of the Year in his senior campaign. He led the Wildcats to a Class A New York State Championship his senior season and to a runner-up finish his junior season.
