Montgomery no longer at the helm for the Spiders

Jamie Montgomery will not be returning as the University of Richmond field hockey team’s head coach, according to a Nov. 6 statement from UR’s Athletics Department.

The press release stated UR will not renew her contract, which was up after this past season. 

“I’d like to thank [Montgomery] for her service and many contributions to Spider Field Hockey and all of Richmond Athletics,” Vice President and Director of Athletics John Hardt wrote in a statement. “Under [Montgomery’s] leadership, many field hockey student-athletes have been recognized for their athletic and scholastic achievements. I appreciate all she has done to support our student-athletes and wish her the very best going forward.” 

Montgomery was named head coach in 2018 and spent the last six seasons with the Spiders. The field hockey program sustained a 40-62 record under Montgomery’s tutelage. In her first season with UR, the Spiders finished with a 7-12 record, but made the program’s 18th straight Atlantic 10 Tournament. Montgomery’s squad qualified for the A-10 Tournament the next three seasons as well, in 2019, 2020 and 2021, respectively.

Montgomery did not respond to The Collegian’s request for comment. Additionally, three  former UR field hockey players either declined to comment on the announcement or did not respond to the request for comment.

Before coming to UR, Montgomery had coaching stops at Temple University, Bucknell University and Wake Forest University, where she played during her collegiate career. As a player with the Demon Deacons, Montgomery won two national championships. 

“[Montgomery’s] support for the Spiders was unwavering, and we wish her the best in her next role,” the field hockey team posted on its social media accounts. 

Over the course of this most recent field hockey season, which finished up with a 3-0 loss against the College of William & Mary Oct. 29, the Spiders went 7-11. 

“We had a great spring, a spring where the team really dove into what their values, their beliefs, their hopes are together as a group,” Mongtomery said back in August on the team’s first day of practice. “And I think that fed into a summer of good individual training and one that when the fall season rolls around, only gives you more confidence heading into an exciting and very home-heavy season.”

Unfortunately for the Spiders, after a 6-3 start through the first nine games of the season, with wins over James Madison University, Georgetown University, the University of California, Davis, Davidson College, the Queens University of Charlotte and Saint Louis University, respectively, UR lost eight of its remaining nine games. The team dropped six straight games to end the year, excluding the Spiders from the A-10 Tournament. 

Montgomery is the latest domino to fall in the recent turnover within UR athletics in the last year. She joins Marty Beall, who was head coach of the women’s soccer team from 2017 to 2023, and Tracy Woodson, who was the head coach of the baseball team from 2014 to 2023, all three of which have not had their contracts renewed. 

Beall was replaced by current women’s soccer head coach Adam Denton and Woodson by Mik Aoki, who will begin his first season as head coach of the baseball team this upcoming February.

As for the field hockey program’s now vacant head coaching spot, UR Athletics said its nationwide search for a head coach will commence right away. 

After missing a second straight A-10 Tournament, the Spiders will look to bounce back in the 2023-2024 season with some new players — as six players are graduating — and now, a new head coach. 

Contact sports editor Jimmy James at jimmy.james@richmond.edu.