| Richmond Spiders | |
| University | University of Richmond |
|---|---|
| Conference(s) | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| NCAA | Division I |
| Athletics director | Jim Miller |
| Location | Richmond, VA |
| Varsity teams | 19 |
| Football stadium | E. Claiborne Robins Stadium |
| Basketball arena | Robins Center |
| Baseball stadium | Malcolm U. Pitt Field |
| Mascot | WebstUR |
| Nickname | Spiders |
| Fight song | |
| Colors | UR Blue and UR Red[1]
|
| Homepage | www.richmondspiders.com |
The Richmond Spiders represent the University of Richmond, a member of the NCAA's Division I and a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference for all sports except football and women's golf, which participate as members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
From 1876 through 1893, Richmond's sports teams were known as the "Colts", reportedly for their play as an "energetic group of young colts." But in 1894, a baseball team comprising Richmond students and city residents took on the "Spiders" name after Ragland Chesterman of the Richmond Times-Dispatch used the term to refer to pitcher Puss Ellyson's lanky arms and stretching kick. To this day, Richmond is the only university in the United States with the spider as its official nickname.[2]
University of Richmond Stadium has served as the home of Spider football since 1929, located a few miles from campus. On September 16, 2009, it was announced by the university that the on-campus stadium (formally First Market Stadium) has been renamed the E. Claiborne Robins Stadium in honor of E. Claiborne Robins, Sr. and his historic philanthropy to the school.[3] The university is currently expanding Robins Stadium (currently home to the soccer, lacrosse, and track and field programs) to accommodate football as well.
The Robins Center arena serves as home to the men's and women's basketball programs. Other facilities at the Robins Center include the natatorium, home of the women's swimming and diving program, as well as offices and support facilities for most of the Spider athletic programs.
The University of Richmond's baseball team ended the 2007 season with a record of 32-28 and finished third in both the Atlantic-10 regular season schedule and championship tournament. A number of Spider alumni have played in the major leagues, including All-Stars Brian Jordan and Sean Casey and 1957 World Series Most Valuable Player Lew Burdette. Other notable Spiders in the major leagues include Andy Allanson, Mike Smith, and Tim Stauffer. 23-year head coach Ron Atkins stepped down at the conclusion of the 2007 season and is being succeeded by Mark McQueen, former pitching coach at UR and Virginia Commonwealth University who returned to the Spiders in 2006 as associate head coach. The Spiders' home field is Malcolm U. Pitt Field, named for legendary Spider baseball, basketball and football coach Malcolm Pitt.
The University of Richmond Women's Basketball team is on its second-straight 20-win season, and are back in the WNIT for the second-straight year and are about to play Syracuse.. They have the leading scorer in the conference, Brittani Shells, who has been nominated for the Nancy Lieberman award. The team lost to eventual champion #5 Xavier in the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals, and are currently with a 20-12 record. Michael Shafer is in his fifth year as head coach of the Spiders and has posted a 83-73 coaching record. His assistant coaches are Ginny Doyle, Mike McGuire, and former Spider standout Ebony Tanner Moore.
The Spiders Men's Cross Country and Track and Field teams are coached by Steve Taylor, who has been the coach since 2001. In 2006, the Spiders Cross Country team finished fourth in the Atlantic Ten Cross Country Championships out of fourteen schools. At the Atlantic Ten Indoor Track and Field, the team finished 7th, and at the Outdoor championships, the team finished 10th. In 2010, the men's team won the Atlantic 10 Championship as a team for the first time ever. They went on to place fourth at the NCAA Southeast Regional meet to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA National Championship. Seeded in 28th place, the Richmond Spiders placed 24th at the NCAA National Championship beating, among others, top-ranked Notre Dame, Texas, Louisville, Penn State, and Georgetown.
The Richmond Spiders Women's Cross Country and Track and Field teams are coached by Lori Taylor. In 2006-2007, she guided the Spider women to a second place finish in the Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track. In 2008, she coached the Spider women to a conference championship in Cross Country. In 2010 the conference championship again went the Spider women, making it their second championship to date. The home of the Spiders XC/Track program is the Fred Hardy Track, on the University of Richmond's campus just north of the Robins Center.
The University of Richmond's women's field hockey team finished the 2006 season with a record of 17-5 and captured their fifth straight Atlantic 10 Conference championship and NCAA Division I tournament berth. The history of the program dates to 1920, and it has been ranked as high as tenth among Division I programs in recent years. After six years with the Spiders, head coach Ange Bradley moved to Syracuse University at the conclusion of the 2006 season, and former Indiana University assistant coach Gina Lucido has taken the helm of the Spiders program. The team's home field is Crenshaw Field.
The University of Richmond's men's golf team finished fourth in the 2007 Atlantic 10 Conference championship tournament. The Spiders have captured three conference championships and qualified for four NCAA Regional Championships, as well as the 1999 NCAA National Championship. The current head coach of the Spiders is Adam Decker.
The University of Richmond's women's golf team competes as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association and finished fourth in the 2007 championship tournament. The program came into existence in 2002, and since that time the Spiders have finished no lower than fourth in any of the five CAA championship tournaments in which they have competed. The current head coach of the Spiders is Jill- Briles Hinton.
The University of Richmond's women's lacrosse team finished the 2007 season with a record of 14-6 and has captured three consecutive Atlantic-10 championships and NCAA Division I tournament berths. The history of the program dates to 1957, although it did not compete on the NCAA Division I level until 1992. The program has been ranked as high ninth among Division I programs. The head coach of the Spiders is Stephanie Samaras Mantziaras and the assistant coach is Kelly Kasper Carter. The team's home field is Robins Stadium.
The history of the program dates to 1975, and the Spiders have won or shared three conference title and advanced to three NCAA Division I championship tournaments. The head coach of the Spiders is Clint Peay and the team's home field is First Market Stadium. Notable Spiders that have played professionally include defender Craig Ziadie, who was selected 28th overall by D.C. United in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft, and goalkeeper Shawn Alexander, who was selected in the first round of the 2002 USL A-League draft.
The history of the program dates to 1996, and the Spiders have won the Atlantic 10 conference title once (2002) and advanced to two NCAA Division I championship tournaments. In 2002, the Spiders advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament before falling to the University of Portland, the eventual national champion. The head coach of the Spiders is Peter Albright and the team's home field is First Market Stadium. Spider standout defender Jaclyn Raveia was selected by the Carolina Courage in the second round of the 2001 Women's United Soccer Association supplemental draft.
The University of Richmond's women's swimming and diving team has captured the Atlantic-10 championship each of the last seven years, dating back to UR's entrance into the conference. In addition, the Spiders have won seven consecutive A-10 Coach of the Year and Most Outstanding Performer awards, as well as five Most Outstanding Rookie Performer awards. The Spiders have qualified at least one swimmer for the NCAA Division I championship meet in each of the past five seasons. The head coach of the Spiders is Matthew Barany and the team's home pool is the Robins Center Natatorium.
The University of Richmond's crew team was founded in 1891. Over the years the team has come and gone several times. The modern team came about in the late 1980’s. In 2009 there were over 45 members on a co-ed team. The team competes in regatta such as The Head of the Charles, Head of the Schuylkill, Head of the South, Head of the Occoquan, Clemson Sprints and Rockets Landing Regatta among others.
The University of Richmond's men's ice hockey team plays in the Blue Ridge Hockey Conference (BRHC) of the American Collegiate Hockey Association ( ACHA ). The University of Richmond's hockey team won the BRHC Playoff Championship four times in a row (2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 seasons). They have also gone to the ACHA National Championship tournament multiple times. The team is coached by Kevin Silver.
The University of Richmond men's lacrosse team plays in the Tidewater Division of the National College Lacrosse League (NCLL). In 2007, the team recorded wins against Duke (7-3), Hampden-Sydney (10-2), and Georgetown (5-4). The team also participated in the Beltway Bash, hosted by the University of Maryland's club lacrosse team. Richmond men's lacrosse team is coached by Fred Plaisted and the team's current president is Dan Colosimo.
The University of Richmond's men's rugby union team plays in the Virginia Rugby Union Division II. In 2007, the team finished in 2nd place, losing to eventual national champion Radford University in the VRU championship game. In each of the past three seasons the Spiders have placed high enough to advance to the first round of playoffs in the Mid-Atlantic Rugby Football Union. In 2008, the Spiders lost to East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. In 2006 and 2007, they lost to Salisbury University of Maryland. In 2011, the team finished in 2nd place, losing to Longwood University. Division opponents of the UR Men's team are James Madison University, the University of Mary Washington, Radford University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Virginia Military Institute. The team is coached by Carl Schmitt, Matt Willson, and Sam Hall. The University of Richmond's women's rugby team is also gaining popularity.
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