Richmond Athletics and men’s lacrosse head coach Dan Chemotti have agreed to a contract extension, Vice President and Director of Athletics John P. Hardt announced on May 29. The long-term agreement ensures that Spider men’s lacrosse will remain under Chemotti’s leadership, though additional terms were not disclosed.
“Dan Chemotti has elevated Richmond men’s lacrosse into one of the premier programs in the country while leading with integrity, humility, and an unwavering commitment to the development of our student-athletes,” said Hardt. “Under Dan’s leadership, the Spiders have achieved remarkable competitive success, but what stands out just as much is the caliber of young men who come through his program. They are scholars, leaders, and teammates who represent the University of Richmond with character and pride every day. Dan has built a culture that wins the right way, and we are thrilled to have him continue leading Spider lacrosse into the future.”
Chemotti is the only head coach in Richmond men’s lacrosse history and has led the team to seven NCAA Tournament appearances over 12 full seasons. In 2026, Richmond won both Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament championships while reaching No. 1 in national polls—the first time any University of Richmond program earned a top ranking at this level.
“I am deeply grateful to John Hardt and President Hallock for their belief in our program,” said Chemotti. “I will always stress that our ascension in the lacrosse rankings is a group effort. Fourteen years ago, our mission began with and continues to focus on developing leaders on and off the field, and we’ve used discipline, toughness, and a competitive spirit to cultivate a culture of growth and brotherhood.
“We’re proud of the results so far but will continue to strive for greatness in order to honor the commitment of our players, our alums, their families, our staff—including loyalty from Associate Head Coach Paul Richards—and support from an administration that has invested in our pursuit of excellence. I’m honored to continue leading this program and excited for what lies ahead for Spider Lacrosse.”
Chemotti is a four-time conference coach of the year—twice each in both Atlantic 10 Conference and Southern Conference—and joined Richmond in October 2012 when building its new men’s lacrosse program, which began play as part of Atlantic Sun Conference two years later. Under his direction UR won its inaugural A-Sun title; he became Division I’s first coach ever whose team reached NCAA Tournament during its debut season.
Since then UR has compiled a record of 132-68 overall (60-12 conference), reached its league championship game twelve consecutive times—the nation’s longest active streak—and claimed thirteen combined conference championships (six regular season titles; seven tournament crowns). The team finished second nationally this year in cumulative attendance (28,740) as well as sixth by average attendance (2,613). Earlier this month they hosted their first-ever NCAA Tournament game before an audience numbering 6,805 at Robins Stadium—the largest crowd recorded for any first-round contest.
