More than 300 students attended Spider Mayhem at the Weinstein Center Friday night to mark the beginning of the University of Richmond's basketball season. The pep rally featured men's dunk, 3-point and tuition half-court shot contests.
The University of Richmond women's soccer team is playing its first game in the Atlantic 10 semifinals at the University of Dayton on Friday, and is hoping to return home with a conference championship. This season has been the most positive one the team has had in the past four years, senior midfielder Liza Koch said.
So in a week that I was referring to as practically irrelevant, what with the LSU-Alabama showdown coming up this Saturday, much has changed in the landscape of college football.
Q: What were your expectations before the race? A: Our goal as a team was to defend our title as A-10 champions, but we also knew that there were about five other teams that could give us a good run for our money and that it was going to be an extremely competitive race.
Jonathan Benjamin, a junior point guard for the Spider basketball team, has spent his fall semester balancing schoolwork, a varsity sport and Official Visit ActiveWear, the clothing line he started during the summer of 2011. Benjamin said he had always wanted to start a creative clothing line for athletes since "generic gray sweatpants" usually characterized their wardrobes. "A lot of us like to get dressed up," he said.
On Senior Day, senior forward Katelin Peterson notched a hat trick and added an assist, accounting for all of University of Richmond's goals in its victory over La Salle University, 4-1. "Today, the team had an amazing victory," Peterson said.
The University of Massachusetts scored 21 points during the first quarter en route to a 28-7 victory Saturday afternoon.
There are many types of losses. There are losses like the ones suffered against Towson and New Hampshire, where Richmond lost in a shoot-out.
After only giving up only seven first-quarter points through its first seven games, University of Richmond allowed 21 to University of Massachusetts, resulting in the Spiders' fifth consecutive loss, 28-7. The loss is just Richmond's second by greater than three points (the other being to James Madison University, 31-7), but all five have come to opponents in the Colonial Athletic Association.
4th Quarter, 0:00- The game comes to a close on a three-yard loss by Turner. UMass hands the Spiders their fifth straight loss, 28-7. 4th Quarter, 0:20- Gray returns the UMass punt to near midfield as the game approaches its end. 4th Quarter, 2:49- Laub gets sacked twice in three plays, forcing a Spiders punt which is fair caught at the UMass 29. 4th Quarter, 3:58- Impressive one-handed catch by Finney on a lob pass from Laub.
January 7, 2010: Corp announces he is transferring from USC to the University of Richmond. September 4, 2010: Corp starts his first game as a Spider against the University of Virginia.
With Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder making his first start this past Sunday, it appears all the rookie quarterbacks expected to take over as his team's starter is in place (I'm banking on the Tennessee Titans sticking with Matt Hasselbeck over Jake Locker) for the season. Before you start to think this column is just another in a long line of recent nationwide columns about how the times are changing in the NFL as far as quarterbacks are concerned, how success is expected much earlier than the "old days" and blah, blah, blah...let me stop you.
Years ago, when my now 15-year-old sister was still in elementary school, she dressed as Johnny Damon for Halloween.
A few days before the MLB Amateur Draft, University of Richmond right fielder Mike Mergenthaler made a prophetic purchase at a Richmond Flying Squirrels game. "Him and [teammate Adam] McConnell went to a Squirrels [the AA farm team for the San Francisco Giants] game a couple days before the draft," Richmond coach Mark McQueen said.
Women's soccer head coach Peter Albright, junior goalie Allie Albright and freshman forward Timmy Albright are all competing under one roof at Richmond, even if they aren't living under the same one anymore. The Albrights are Richmond locals; Allie and Timmy attended Collegiate School where their mother Karen teaches and coaches track and field. Peter is starting his 16th season as head coach at Richmond and Allie is in her third season since joining the team in 2009.
The University of Richmond field hockey team continued its hot streak Sunday by beating Radford University, 1-0, for its seventh win in its last eight games. In a game filled with controversial calls, the Spiders' perseverance helped them get the win. "I think our team matured a lot today," Richmond coach Gina Lucido said.
The Maine Black Bears came back from a 16-0 deficit to score 23 fourth-quarter points and win, 23-22, Saturday afternoon.
The beginning to the denouement of Richmond's season started with a Spider touchdown. For a season that started with such promise, it was a fitting way to go down. After a touchdown run by Garrett Turner, which was set up by an interception by Cooper Taylor, kicker Wil Kamin's extra point was blocked - the second time that happened Saturday -- and returned for two points by Maine.
Leading 16-0 after three quarters, the University of Richmond was outscored 23-6 during the final quarter, losing to University of Maine, 23-22, on its Homecoming Game.
Final: Maine 23, UR 22. 4th Quarter, 0:16- A Black Bears defender knocks down the deep pass, giving his team the ball back.
