Spider Sports Recap: Week of Feb. 17

Women’s Golf 

February 17: Old Friends Invitational: Rounds 1 and 2, Tampa, Florida

After the first two rounds in Tampa, the Spider women sat in fifth with a team score of 622 (+46). First-years Vicky Zhu and Muskan Uppal led the team, placing ninth and 16th, respectively, after 36 holes. 

February 18: Old Friends Invitational: Round 3, Tampa, Florida

The women’s golf team finished fifth overall, with a 54-hole team total of 943 (+79). In the first event of the spring season, three individual Spider golfers finished in the top 20 in the 38-golfer field. Zhu, who finished 14th at +16, made 40 pars, the most of any golfer in the tournament. Sophomore Emily Ward finished 16th, Uppal finished 20th, sophomore Naomi Mitchell finished 30th and junior Ally Steffen tied for 35th. 

Baseball 

Feb. 18: Loss 4-12 vs. James Madison University

In Richmond’s home opener, the Spiders gave up seven runs in the first three innings and could not recover, allowing 14 hits in the loss. Richmond starter, first-year Jeremy Neff, completed two innings, allowing six hits and two earned runs. The Spiders cut the lead to 7-2 in the bottom half of the third inning behind a sacrifice groundout by junior Dominic Toso and an RBI single by redshirt junior Drew Blakely. The next inning, the Dukes extended the lead back to seven. Though Richmond would homer twice in the later innings, it would not be enough. Six players earned at least one RBI for JMU, with their second baseman hitting two home runs. 

Feb. 22: Win 9-4 vs. Lehigh University

The Spiders won their first game of the season behind a five-run fifth inning. With the game tied at three in the bottom of the fifth, the Spiders took advantage of a leadoff walk and two-run error to take a 5-3 lead. Senior Justin Cook then hit a three-run home run to give Richmond a sizable 8-3 lead, and the Spiders never looked back. 

Feb 23: Win 4-1 vs. Lehigh University, Loss 5-8 vs. Lehigh University

The Spiders split the two games of the doubleheader to move to 2-5 on the season. Sophomore  Johnny Hipsman went 3-for-7 in the two games combined, and redshirt sophomore Mark Ready hit his first career home run in the loss.

Men’s Lacrosse

Feb. 18: Win 12-9 vs. Navy

The No. 17 men’s lacrosse team moved to 2-1 on the season with a win over Navy behind goals from six different Spiders, and 14 saves from redshirt junior goalie Jack Rusbuldt. First-year Richie Connell continued his remarkable start to the season, scoring four goals to bring his season total to 11. Connell scored three goals by halftime to give the Spiders a 4-3 lead heading into the locker room. After the break, Richmond took an 11-5 lead, but Navy had a second wind. The Midshipmen scored four straight goals to cut the lead to two, forcing Richmond to call a timeout. However, the Spiders remained steady, holding on for a 12-9 victory.

Feb. 23: Loss 5-13 at Notre Dame

Rusbuldt recorded a program-record 22 saves, but the Spiders fell to 2-2 on the season with a loss to Notre Dame. Connell scored the 12th goal of his rookie season and has now scored in every Spiders game this year. Junior Ryan Lanchbury added two goals and an assist.

Women’s Swimming & Diving

Feb. 19: Day 1, Atlantic 10 Championships, Geneva, Ohio

The Richmond women’s swimming and diving team was in fourth place after one day of competition. Sophomore Emma Yeakley placed 11th in the diving competition with a score of 241.20 to score six points for the team. The 200-medley relay team and the 800-freestyle team placed second and third, respectively, to close out the day.

Feb. 20: Day 2, Atlantic 10 Championships, Geneva, Ohio

After Day 2, the women’s swimming and diving team sat in fifth place with 156 points. In the 500 freestyle, first-year Claire O'Shaughnessy and sophomore Grace Palfreyman swam season bests. All swimmers in the finals of the 200 individual medley also recorded their fastest times of the season, with sophomore Maggie Purcell and senior Eliza Manning finishing fifth and seventh in the championship final, respectively. First-year Lauren Medlin finished eighth in the championship final of the 50 freestyle, and the 200-freestyle relay team finished third. 

Feb. 21: Day 3, Atlantic 10 Championships, Geneva, Ohio

Senior Hannah Gouger became the first swimmer to win the 100-yard backstroke four years in a row, and the Spiders moved into fourth place after a successful Friday showing. Purcell took home second place and junior Ellie Ronan finished seventh in the 400 individual medley. Junior Jordan Kohut took second and first-year Mattie Williams took sixth in the 100 backstroke. In 3-meter diving, senior Sydney Weiskopf finished 10th and senior Maddy Chao finished 15th. The 400 medley relay finished second to close out the night.

Feb. 22: Day 4, Atlantic 10 Championships, Geneva, Ohio

The Spiders took fourth in the Atlantic 10 Championships with a score of 453.5 points. Gouger made history once more, winning the 200 backstroke for the fourth year in a row. With her win in the 100 backstroke earlier in the competition, she becomes only the third swimmer in Atlantic-10 history to win two events every year of her four-year collegiate career. Purcell won the 200 breastroke, earning an NCAA ‘B’ cut time, and senior Lexie Gilbert and first-year Jenna Miller took home season bests in the event. Ronan finished sixth in the 200 backstroke, and Medlin and Manning finished second and fifth, respectively, in the 100 freestyle. The 400 freestyle relay took second to close out the meet.

Women’s Lacrosse

Feb. 19: Win 18-5 vs. Campbell

In their home opener, the Richmond women’s lacrosse team held the Camels scoreless in the second half to go to 3-0 on the season. First-year Arden Tierney scored six of the team’s 18 goals and tallied a team-high seven draw controls. Redshirt junior Sam Geiersbach has recorded a hat trick in all three games, and also dished out three assists against Campbell. The two teams traded goals in the first half before Richmond broke it open after the break. 

Feb. 22: Win, 22-9 vs. College of William & Mary

Women’s lacrosse moved to 4-0 behind six goals, 10 draw controls, and an assist from Tierney. She is leading the nation’s first-years in goals. First-year Lindsey Frank dished out six assists, one shy of the program record of seven, and senior Madison Ostrick scored a hat trick. The Spiders took a commanding 8-1 lead early in the first half with seven straight goals and would close the game with six consecutive goals. 

Women’s Basketball

Feb. 19: Win 75-70 at George Mason University

Behind 24 points from sophomore Claire Holt and 21 points from senior Jaide Hinds-Clarke, the women’s basketball team picked up a road win and advanced to 13-14 overall, 6-7 in the Atlantic 10. The visitors got off to a quick start, holding the Patriots scoreless as they mounted an early 15-2 lead. Leading 33-28 at the half, the Spiders went on a third-quarter run fueled by Hinds-Clarke, but the Patriots responded with a late-game surge, cutting the margin to as little as one point but never taking the lead. Clutch free throws by Holt sealed the win.

Feb. 23: Win 72-58 at St. Bonaventure University

Hinds-Clarke scored a career-high 22 points and added 12 rebounds for her 14th career double-double in the win against St. Bonaventure. The team improved to .500 on the season at 14-14. The 14-point win represents the biggest margin of victory for the team this season.

Men’s Basketball

Feb. 19: Win 65-50 vs. George Mason University

The men’s basketball team reached the 20-win mark and advanced to 10-3 in A-10 play with a home victory over the Patriots. Richmond took an early 17-7 lead and never looked back, leading by as much as 17 throughout the game. Defensively, Richmond was excellent, causing 19 turnovers and holding the visitors to 50 points, the fifth straight Spider opponent to fail to reach 60 points. Five Spider players scored seven or more points, and redshirt junior Grant Golden led the way with 21 points. 

Feb. 22: Loss 71-75 at St. Bonaventure University

The men’s basketball team’s momentum was halted by the Bonnies, who ended Richmond’s five-game win streak and dropped the Spiders to 10-4 in A-10 play. A slow shooting start gave the Bonnies a 14-4 lead, and the Bonnies forced seven Richmond turnovers to ensure the Spiders never clawed within five in the first half. Richmond’s struggles from beyond the arc allowed the Bonnies to open up a 62-46 second-half lead before the Spiders mounted a comeback. With less than 3 minutes remaining, junior Jacob Gilyard cut it to single digits with a three-pointer, and a chaotic sequence, highlighted by a flagrant foul, allowed the Spiders to pull within three. However, it was not enough, as St. Bonaventure remained steady at the free-throw line. 

Men’s Cross Country

Feb 21-22: JDL DMR Invitational, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

In the first invitational of their spring season, the men’s cross country team recorded five top-10 finishes, including sophomore Noah Campbell’s victory in the 5000-meter run. First-year Jake Schindel posted a second-place finish in the 1000-meter run, and senior Will Alpaugh was not far behind, finishing a close third. First-year Tanner Crochet and sophomore Peter Borger finished sixth and tenth, respectively, in the 3000-meter run. First-year Riley Fletcher ran a time of 4:28.22 in the mile. 

Men’s Tennis

Feb. 22: Loss 1-6 at Furman University

The Spiders struggled throughout the competition, as they were no match for the Furman Paladins. Richmond battled but lost every doubles match, with Furman clinching the point early on. Sophomore Campbell Erwin battled in singles but ultimately came up short with a score of 6-2, 2-6, 6-1. With a 6-3, 6-4 win in No. 1 singles, senior Matt Fernandez earned Richmond’s lone point. 

Feb. 23: Loss 3-4 at Wofford College

Richmond fell to 3-5 with a loss against Wofford. The team won its first three doubles matches, but Erwin and senior George Lovitt were the only Spiders to win their singles matches, leading to a 4-3 loss. The Spiders host the Citadel on Friday, Feb. 28.

Contact sports writer Cassie Coughlan at cassie.coughlan@richmond.edu