Richmond Spiders men's lacrosse

The Richmond Spiders men's lacrosse team represents the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia. Through the 2022 season, it competed in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference. After that season, the Spiders' full-time home of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) established a men's lacrosse league, with Richmond as one of the six inaugural members.[2] The Spiders play their home games at Robins Stadium and are currently coached by Dan Chemotti.

Richmond Spiders
Founded2014 (Varsity)
UniversityUniversity of Richmond
Head coachDan Chemotti (since 2014 season)
StadiumRobins Stadium
(capacity: 8,217)
LocationRichmond, Virginia
ConferenceA-10
NicknameSpiders
ColorsBlue and red[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2014, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Conference Tournament championships
2014, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023
Conference regular season championships
2015, 2017, 2018, 2021

History

Starting a program

In September 2012, the University of Richmond announced a reconfiguration of its athletics program, discontinuing its men's soccer and men's track and field programs at the conclusion of the 2012–13 season and the elevation of men's lacrosse from club to varsity status at the NCAA Division I level starting in 2014.[3] One month after revealing its plans to elevate men's lacrosse to varsity status, Richmond announced it had hired Dan Chemotti to lead the program.[4] Chemotti, a former player and captain at Duke University, came to Richmond at the end of a five-year stint as an assistant at Loyola University, which won the Division I national championship in his final year on staff.

In February 2013, Richmond announced it would join the Atlantic Sun Conference, now known as the ASUN Conference, as an associate member for men's lacrosse when the program began play in 2014. The 2014 season would be the first year of men's lacrosse sponsorship for the Atlantic Sun, with full members Jacksonville and Mercer being joined by associate members Furman, High Point, Richmond, and VMI.[5]

Up and running

Richmond began play in the 2014 season, hosting No. 7 Virginia in front of 4,249 fans at Robins Stadium. Richmond held a halftime lead over the Cavaliers but ultimately fell, 13–12.[6] Despite a strong showing against a high-quality opponent in their first-ever game, it took until the sixth game of the season for the Spiders to record the program's first victory, a 12–11 win over Vermont.[7]

Richmond went on to finish the regular season with a record of 4–10, but with an Atlantic Sun record of 2–3, the Spiders earned the fourth seed in the Atlantic Sun tournament held at the campus of No. 1 seed Mercer. Richmond upset Mercer in the semifinals, 14–6, before defeating No. 2 seed High Point, 8–7, to earn the Atlantic Sun's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship.[8] Richmond became the first first-year program in NCAA Division I history to qualify for the tournament.[9]

The Spiders traveled to Air Force for one of two play-in games, where Richmond fell, 13–5.[10]

The SoCon takes over

Just prior to the 2014 season, the Atlantic Sun Conference and the Southern Conference announced a partnership that would see the Southern Conference (SoCon) take over sponsorship of men's lacrosse as both Mercer and VMI joined the SoCon beginning in the 2014–15 academic year.[11] With the addition of Bellarmine University, the 2015 SoCon season included seven programs.

The 2015 season saw the Spiders finish the regular season with a 10–4 record, with three of the four losses coming to nationally ranked teams. Richmond finished a perfect 6–0 in SoCon play, earning a conference championship and the top seed in the Southern Conference tournament, which was held at Robins Stadium. Richmond defeated Furman in the semifinals but fell to High Point in double overtime in the championship game, ending the Spiders' season.[12]

2016 saw the Southern Conference add Air Force as its eighth men's lacrosse program. The Spiders once again finished the regular season with a 10–4 record, placing second in the SoCon with a 6–1 record. Richmond's lone conference defeat was a 9–8 loss to Air Force, which claimed the regular season conference championship with a perfect 7–0 record.[13] In the Southern Conference tournament once again held at Robins Stadium, the Spiders defeated No. 3 seed High Point before falling once again to Air Force, 9–8 in overtime.[14]

Richmond's fourth year as a program in 2017 saw the team finish the regular season with a record of 11–3 including a victory over defending national champions North Carolina and each of its three losses (Duke, Virginia, and Air Force) coming by a single goal. The Spiders finished 6–1 in SoCon play, earning a share of the regular season championship as part of a three-way tie with Air Force and Furman. Per the Southern Conference tie breaking criteria, Air Force received the number one seed in the conference tournament, while Richmond received the second seed and Furman the third seed. At the tournament, once again held at Robins Stadium, the Spiders defeated Furman in the semifinals before falling once more to Air Force, 9–6, to finish the season with a 12–4 record.[15] Just prior to the start of the conference tournament, Richmond announced it had signed head coach Dan Chemotti to a new five-year contract.[16]

A-10 homecoming
The Spiders men's lacrosse team during a match in 2019

Since at least the mid-2010s, Richmond's full-time home of the A-10 had been working toward establishing a men's lacrosse league. In the 2022 season, the conference had four full members that sponsored men's lacrosse (Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, and UMass), two short of the number required for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.[17] In February 2022, USA Lacrosse Magazine reported that the A-10 was evaluating Fairfield, High Point, and Hobart for associate membership in order to reach the required membership total.[18] On May 23, 2022, the A-10 announced that it would establish a men's lacrosse league in the 2023 season, with the four full members joined by High Point and Hobart.[19]

Season results

The following is a list of Richmond's results by season as an NCAA Division I program:

Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Dan Chemotti (Atlantic Sun Conference) (2014–2015)
2014 Dan Chemotti 6–112–34thNCAA Division I Play-In Round
Dan Chemotti (Southern Conference) (2015–2022)
2015 Dan Chemotti 11–56–01st
2016 Dan Chemotti 11–56–12nd
2017 Dan Chemotti 12–46–1T–1st
2018 Dan Chemotti 11–66-1T–1stNCAA Division I First Round
2019 Dan Chemotti 10–75–2T–3rdNCAA Division I First Round
2020 Dan Chemotti 4–31–0††
2021 Dan Chemotti 7–65–1T–1st
2022 Dan Chemotti 11–54–12ndNCAA Division I First Round
Dan Chemotti (Atlantic 10 Conference) (2023–future)
2023 Dan Chemotti 11–54–12ndNCAA Division I First Round
Dan Chemotti: 94–57 (.623)45–11 (.804)
Total:94–57 (.623)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

†NCAA canceled 2020 collegiate activities due to COVID-19.

All-American awards

First team
  • Brendan Hynes (2017)[20]
  • Benny Pugh (2017)[20]

References
  1. "Palettes – University of Richmond". Retrieved December 5, 2022.
  2. "Atlantic 10 Conference Adds Men's Lacrosse as 22nd Championship Sport" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference !date=May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  3. "Richmond Athletics Announces Sports Reconfiguration". Richmond Athletics. 21 September 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  4. "Chemotti Tabbed To Lead Men's Lacrosse Program". Richmond Athletics. 29 October 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  5. "Richmond Joins Atlantic Sun For Men's Lacrosse". Richmond Athletics. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  6. "Goldberg Nets Hat Trick As Men's Lacrosse Debuts". Richmond Athletics. 8 February 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  7. "Spiders Record First Win, 12-11 Over Vermont". Richmond Athletics. 8 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  8. "MLAX Heading To NCAA Tournament". Richmond Athletics. 3 May 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  9. O'Connor, John (15 March 2016). "Spiders' lacrosse sprinted through growing pains". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  10. "Magical MLAX Ride Ends At Air Force, 13-5". Richmond Athletics. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  11. "SoCon, A-Sun Partner to Enhance Lacrosse". Southern Conference. 9 January 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  12. "Men's Lacrosse Falls 9-8 In 2OT For SoCon Crown". Richmond Athletics. 2 May 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  13. "Ferocious Spider Comeback Falls Just Short On Senior Day". Richmond Athletics. 23 April 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  14. "Tien's Game-Winner Lifts Air Force to SoCon Title". Southern Conference. 7 May 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  15. O'Connor, John (6 May 2017). "Air Force scoring spasms deck Richmond in SoCon men's lacrosse title game". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
  16. O'Connor, John (3 May 2017). "UR lacrosse coach Dan Chemotti gets new five-year contract". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  17. O'Connor, John (April 8, 2022). "Spiders taking SoCon men's lacrosse path for final time. A-10 league expected". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  18. Fallis, Jeremy (February 2, 2022). "Conference Realignment's Fury Leading to Division I College Lacrosse Changes". USA Lacrosse Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  19. "Atlantic 10 Conference Adds Men's Lacrosse as 22nd Championship Sport" (Press release). Atlantic 10 Conference. May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  20. "Hynes, Pugh Earn First Team All-American Honors". Richmond Athletics. 14 May 2017. Retrieved 15 May 2017.
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