The year that was and will be

The school year is quickly coming to an end, but there is just enough time left to look back on the year that was and what it could mean for the year that will be.

First, let's look back at the year for University of Richmond athletics.

Upon returning to school in August, the first two big sports stories of the year were hardly encouraging. First, there was news of recruiting violations by both of Richmond's basketball teams for illegally text-messaging recruits. Then, there was word of a former tennis coach being indicted on child pornography charges. Both of these stories broke less than a month into first semester. Welcome to Richmond, class of 2012!

At that point, as the assistant sports editor for The Collegian, I was embarrassed. These two stories may not have been a big deal to many students on campus, but both stories made national news. Richmond made a name for itself for all the wrong reasons.

As the fall season wore on, the men's soccer team struggled and the women's team, which had been off to its best start in school history, failed to qualify for the postseason. Field hockey reached the Atlantic 10 championship, but lost during the title game.

Then there was the football team. After starting the season with a win over Elon, the team missed some good opportunities and lost at the University of Virginia. Then, after wins against Towson and Maine, the Spiders went into Villanova as the No. 1 ranked team in the Football Championship Subdivision, and lost. Two weeks later, a last-second punt return by James Madison sank the Spiders again and the 2007 Colonial Athletic Association champs were in danger of missing the postseason.

Ahead 20-0 at halftime of the must-win season finale at William & Mary, the Spiders appeared to be postseason bound. Then, as I watched helplessly from the press box, William & Mary scored 20 unanswered points to tie the game, send it to overtime and put the Spiders' hopes on hold.

Remarkably, the team withstood the Tribe's second-half charge, settled down and won the game in overtime to secure a berth in the FCS playoffs. The rest of the story can be told by the enormous rings now engulfing some of the largest fingers on campus.

The national title put Richmond on the big stage for the right reason. Before it had to enter the real world, or at least leave the bubble, Richmond's class of 2009 witnessed the school's first national championship in any sport. It won't show up on resumes or transcripts, but the football team's triumph provided the entire university with a season it would not soon forget.

Then came basketball season. During the first half of its first big-time game, the men's team led Syracuse by seven on the road, during a game that was shown on national television. Then, as was all too often the story this season, the Spiders couldn't hold on to the lead.

After a home loss to Saint Joseph's in late January, the St. Joe's coach called out Richmond's students for failing to come out to home games, sparking discussion across campus and throughout Richmond. Even after the school had become united around the football championship, controversy hit again.

But, the men's team did the best it could to recover, winning five of its last six conference games and reaching the quarterfinals of the A-10 tournament and the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational.

The women's team, which suffered from several injuries and included only two seniors, nearly qualified for the NCAA tournament. The team lost to Charlotte during the A-10 championship game and failed to earn an at-large bid to the tourney, but showed its tremendous potential and its ability to persevere.

And women's swimming, a team that many students at Richmond probably don't even know about, won its eighth-straight A-10 championship. Senior Lauren Beaudreau then went to the NCAAs and broke multiple school records.

Sure, women's swimming isn't a high profile sport, but its success shows the depth and talent of the Richmond athletic program as a whole. Even the teams that don't draw crowds accomplish some amazing things.

Then, more controversy hit during the spring, with the resignation of women's lacrosse coach Sue Murphy after the discovery of an unauthorized outside fund. Again, instead of being in the news for success, the athletic department made headlines for improprieties.

And the baseball team, which started 7-0, lost 10 straight games. But the team, which features only four seniors, have recovered to the tune of a .500 record with plenty of time left for a turnaround.

It's been an up and down year for Spider athletics to say the least, but based on this year, the 2009-10 school year could be one to remember. Even with the controversy that has reared itself this year, Richmond's teams, for the most part, have been successful. And the best part is, many of the athletes that led the Spiders this season will be back again next season.

Eric Ward, Kevin Grayson and Eric McBride will return to the football field for the defending national champs.

David Gonzalvez, Kevin Anderson and a healthy Dan Geriot will be back for the men's basketball team, while A-10 first teamer Brittani Shells and all but two of her teammates will be back for the women's team.

As the on-campus stadium continues to grow, so does Richmond's potential to establish itself as a legitimate Division I athletic stronghold. The money is there, the athletes are there and the winning will come. The challenge will be to make sure that the Spiders stay in the spotlight for the right reasons.

If the athletic department has learned from its mistakes this year, it should be ready for one of its best next year. Yes, that's right, you should be excited about Richmond sports.

I know the discussion of student attendance and support for athletics happened only months ago, but as we prepare to leave the shores of Westhampton Lake for the summer, we should be ready to support our teams when we come back in August.

So, as I sign off for the next few months, I hope you all enjoy your time off. As long as the athletic department responds appropriately to its downs this year, next year's ups should be a lot of fun.

Contact Sports editor Reilly Moore at reilly.moore@richmond.edu