The 2024 Division I men's college lacrosse season kicks off February 2. As is our annual tradition, we’re featuring every team ranked in the USA Lacrosse Preseason Top 20 in the lead up to opening night. Check back to USALaxMagazine.com each weekday this month for new previews, scouting reports and rival analysis.
NO. 20 RICHMOND
2023 record: 11-5 (4-1 Atlantic 10)
Final ranking (2023): Unranked
Head coach: Dan Chemotti (94-57, 11th season)
Assistants: Paul Richards (defensive coordinator), Jason Archbell, Colin McGuire
There isn’t a single correct answer to who has the most appealing home schedule in Division I.
Richmond, though, belongs in the conversation.
Among those visiting the River City during non-conference play this season: Maryland, Virginia, Duke and Georgetown. Just a couple Memorial Day Weekend teams from last season, a team with two quarterfinal trips in the last three seasons and a mainstay championship contender a couple years removed from a perfect season.
That doesn’t even account for visits from capable Hobart and a Saint Joseph’s program that has firmly established itself as an annual contender to reach the NCAA tournament.
“Just with the way things worked out, we got lucky having the out of conference opponents that we do here at home,” Richmond coach Dan Chemotti said. “Traditionally, we try to play a couple of those away. I’d be lying if I knew exactly how that worked out. I appreciate those coaches reciprocating us after visiting them during past seasons. Geographically, we’re certainly set up to get some of those teams on our schedule on an annual basis.”
It’s not just a matter of convenience. Richmond is coming off consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and can be counted upon to be a strength-of-schedule asset. Plus, the Spiders might have their best team yet with nearly all of last year’s inaugural Atlantic 10 title team back for another run.
Chemotti knows one year isn’t just a hand off to another. But there were encouraging signs in the fall for the Spiders as they get ready for perhaps their highest-profile season yet.
“We also saw a lot of improvement from the first time to the last time on the field, and we’ve got high aspirations and expectations, so we just continue to challenge them to do things a little bit different each year,” Chemotti said. “We’re like everybody else. You’re also chasing that next bar, and as a program, we’re no different there.”
TOP RETURNERS
Lance Madonna, M, Sr. (29 G, 17 A)
Aidan O’Neil, A, So. (25 G, 12 A)
Dalton Young, A, Gr. (32 G, 41 A)
Richmond has an enviable bounty of proven offensive talent, and it starts with Young and Madonna. Young was the A-10’s attackman of the year, while Madonna earned top midfielder honors in the league. It’s not much of a secret who the first two names on opposing scouting reports are likely to be.
“Those guys are steering the ship,” Chemotti said.
O’Neil, meanwhile, was the Atlantic 10’s rookie of the year, and he’s transformed his body in the offseason. Now quicker and faster, he’s poised to be even more dangerous in his second season in the Spiders’ system.
KEY ADDITIONS
Gavin Creo, A, Fr. (Chaminade, N.Y.)
Nate Murphy, D, Fr. (South Riding, Va.)
Charlie Packard, M, Fr. (Hingham, Mass.)
College coaches are always fond of giving time to freshmen to work their way into the lineup. And with Richmond’s extensive experience in place, the Spiders’ newcomers will have the luxury of developing without being needed to plug immediate holes.
“It is a good group, but it’s going to be tough,” Chemotti said. “We return an awful lot.”
Murphy is a physically ready defenseman, and Packard’s ability to play both ways is a major plus. It’s not hard to imagine either as long-term impact guys. Creo is the arguably the most lauded member of Richmond’s recruiting class, but with three starting attackmen still in the fold, playing time is likely to be scarcer for him than it was for O’Neil last season.
“We only returned one starter at attack last year in Dalton, and Aidan came with a lot of praise and it was very warranted,” Chemotti said. “We threw him out there, and he got better as he played, and he played a lot. Gavin is not going to be thrown to the wolves quite the same, but we’ll try to find a place for him here and there, and he obviously has to earn that as well.”
NOTABLE DEPARTURES
Graduations: Derrek Madonna, M; Jake Saunders, D; Brandon Smith, M
X-FACTOR
Braden McClure, D, R-Jr. (7 GB, 8 CT)
The biggest on-field hole to fill is the role Saunders left behind. He was a first-team all-Atlantic 10 defenseman, and he finished his fifth season at Richmond with 35 caused turnovers.
An assortment of injuries limited McClure to eight games last season, but Chemotti said he was Richmond’s most consistent defensive player in the fall. Capable of playing on and off ball, the vocal leader is one of the Spiders’ captains in 2024.
“If he can be healthy consistently, I think everybody is going to see what his true ability is,” Chemotti said.
THE NARRATIVE
It’s remarkable to think about how quickly Richmond established itself as a quality program. It has posted a winning record in nine consecutive years; the only programs with longer streaks at .500 or better are Maryland, Duke, North Carolina, Denver and Yale.
Yet even with five NCAA tournament appearances in a decade, a postseason victory and the platform of a quarterfinals trip is missing — and is the next logical accomplishment for the Spiders.
“I feel like you have our meeting room bugged,” Chemotti joked.
It’s not as if Richmond didn’t come close in 2022, when it had possession and a one-goal lead with a minute to play in a first-round game at Penn before the Quakers scored after forcing a turnover and then won in overtime. Last year brought no such what-ifs. Richmond lost 17-8 at Virginia.
Nonetheless, the first step to winning a postseason game is to earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. Keep knocking on the door and opportunities will present themselves. For now, the Spiders wear a label that’s both impressive for a school so new to the sport and one it would like to shed promptly: The best program in Division I without an NCAA tournament victory.
“I think it’s something we can accomplish,” Chemotti said. “It’s certainly no given we’re going to go to the NCAA tournament. But it’s a conversation that’s been had with the team. If we want to take the next step as a program, we have to win a game in the NCAA tournament.”
ENEMY LINES
WHAT RIVALS ARE SAYING ABOUT THE SPIDERS
“Chemotti always does a really good job with that team. By the end of the year, they really figure out who they are and what they want to do. Danny always does a really good job. They have one of the better attackmen that we’ll see. They do a good job collectively and know who they are. Defensively, they make you earn everything.”
“They’re excellent. You’ve got Dalton Young and Madonna, and it’s an older group and they’re going to beat people this year, without a doubt. You know when you play them, you have to be prepared. Danny and those guys are awesome. Those guys do a great job as a staff. They played a lot of guys nobody really knew about at the midfield as a supporting cast, and now they have a year of experience. I think they’re going to be really good.”
Richmond’s offense faces the challenge of replacing Derrek Madonna’s role. Madonna took 12 percent of the team’s shots last year. That said, with 87 percent of offensive production returning, the Spiders have a substantial base to build upon. The task at hand is finding a player who can not only fill Madonna’s shoes but potentially exceed his so-so individual efficiency and elevate the team’s offense.
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