Newly D-1 men's lacrosse team will join Atlantic Sun conference

The Richmond men's lacrosse team will play as a member the Atlantic Sun Conference when it begins Division-I play next spring, Richmond Director of Athletics Keith Gill announced on Monday.

In a press conference held alongside new men's lacrosse coach Dan Chemotti, Gill made the announcement that Richmond would become the sixth member of the Atlantic Sun for men's lacrosse.

"We are very excited to be joining such a great group of southern schools," Gill said. "We felt that the combination of school affiliation and the beginning of our lacrosse program made the Atlantic Sun a great fit for us."

Richmond will become an affiliate member of the Atlantic Sun for only the men's lacrosse program, Gill said. The Spiders will join Mercer, Jacksonville, Furman, High Point, and VMI in conference play next spring.

"Joining the Atlantic Sun and having the chance to play for an automatic qualifier is a huge step for this program," Chemotti said. "Kids want to play in the tournament, and now we can provide that."

Gaining conference affiliation will allow Richmond to contend for the automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament, which is given to the conference champion.

When asked how many players on the current roster would be viable options to play next spring, Chemotti said that he was unsure, but was excited about where the program stood currently.

With Richmond and VMI both in the Atlantic Sun Conference, there is potential for a future rivalry, Chemotti said. VMI and Richmond have played in football four of the past five seasons and are scheduled to play again in August.

Contact reporter JR Riddick at jr.riddick@richmond.edu