University of Richmond Athletics
Men's Lacrosse
- Title:
- Associate Director of Athletic Public Relations (FOOTBALL, MLAX)
- Email:
- cgravius@richmond.edu
- Phone:
- 287-6313
Christian Gravius joined the University of Richmond Athletics Public Relations team as an assistant director in January 2022 before being elevated to associate director the following November. Gravius serves as the primary contact for football and men’s lacrosse and has also worked with the men’s and women’s cross country, women’s track and field, women’s lacrosse, and women’s swimming and diving programs during his time with the Spiders.
In his role, Gravius manages communications strategy and media relations for two of Richmond’s four revenue-generating sports, while also overseeing player and staff bios, record books, digital archives, and career statistics for the department’s two largest rosters. He also leads the ideation and execution of the department’s graphics and visual branding efforts, serving as a primary creative resource for Athletics PR and a key contributor to departmental storytelling and marketing initiatives.
Since 2022, Gravius’ communications efforts have supported a period of unprecedented competitive success and national visibility for Spider Athletics. During that span, Richmond football and men’s lacrosse have combined for seven NCAA postseason appearances, including four home NCAA Tournament games at Robins Stadium. Men’s lacrosse has risen to a national top-5 program, reaching as high as No. 1 nationally in 2026, while generating increased national media attention and fan engagement.
Under his leadership in communications and branding, men’s lacrosse has earned significant national visibility through features in USA Lacrosse Magazine, Inside Lacrosse, and ESPN Game On, including the April 2026 cover of USA Lacrosse Magazine — one of the sport’s premier national publications. Those efforts also helped drive unprecedented fan engagement and attendance growth for the program. During the 2026 season, Richmond set both the NCAA First Round attendance record and the program’s single-game attendance record during its NCAA Tournament matchup against Duke. The Spiders also established the program’s all-time single-season attendance record and finished second nationally in cumulative attendance, trailing only Syracuse, while ranking No. 1 nationally among programs that play in a traditional outdoor venue. With Gravius helping lead the program’s communications, branding, and promotional efforts, Richmond men’s lacrosse has evolved from a non-ticketed environment into one of the highest-attended and most energetic atmospheres in the sport.
As primary social media manager for the account, Gravius has played a key role in the growth of Richmond lacrosse’s digital and brand presence. The @SpiderMLAX Instagram account has grown from 18,000 followers in 2023 to more than 33,600 and rising in 2026, now ranking as the second-most followed University of Richmond-affiliated account behind only the main university account.
In addition to sport-specific communications, Gravius has led or contributed to a number of department-wide initiatives, including the development of Richmond Athletics’ in-house graphics packages, the creation of the department’s first brand/user guide, and the production of creative assets for all 16 varsity programs. These efforts have helped reduce reliance on external design services while improving brand consistency and overall visual identity across platforms.
In 2025, Gravius identified and implemented a permanent solution to a longstanding cross-departmental challenge involving football game program production, distribution, quality control, and turnaround time, creating a 70-page football yearbook from scratch— improving operational efficiency, consistency, and overall production quality.
In his oversight of Richmond's student game day workers, Gravius manages scheduling, staffing, and time approval for more than 100 events annually while also contributing to student development and experiential learning opportunities within Athletics PR. During his time, the department has expanded its engagement with experiential learning partnerships, including emerging collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University students.
Prior to Richmond, Gravius served as Communications Coordinator at Cornell University, where he covered eight varsity sports, including the nationally ranked women’s ice hockey program, during the department’s return to competition following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to Cornell, he spent two years as a Sports Information Graduate Assistant at South Dakota State University, primarily supporting cross country and track and field while also serving as the primary media contact for men's and women's swimming and diving and equestrian, and also supported SDSU's hosting of ESPN's College GameDay in 2019.
Gravius completed his undergraduate work at St. Bonaventure University in 2019, where he majored in journalism, minored in English, and was a member of the Bonnies cross country and track and field team. He earned his Master’s in Sport and Recreation Administration from South Dakota State University in 2021.
Outside of his duties at Richmond, Gravius has served as an adjunct instructor in the Richard T. Robertson School of Communication at Virginia Commonwealth University, works as a freelance graphic designer, and is the goalies’ coach for the varsity boys’ lacrosse team at Mills E. Godwin High School.
A native of Derby, N.Y., Gravius currently resides in Richmond.
