UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. –  The University of Richmond Department of Athletics welcomed nearly 130 alumni and friends to campus for the 2015 Cross Country and Track & Field reunion held on October 31 as part of Homecoming Weekend.

The history of the cross country and track & field programs is remarkable. For 13 consecutive years, the men’s and women’s cross country teams and women’s track & field team have earned NCAA All-Academic Team recognition for maintaining a cumulative GPA above 3.0. 

On the field of competition the program boasts two Olympians, over 60 All-American performances, over 100 NCAA Championship performers and hundreds of All-Conference performances. Since 2006, Spider cross country and track & field student-athletes have represented team USA during international championship competitions on 18 occasions.

In addition, the Spiders hosted the 10th Annual Fred Hardy Invitational in late March, which featured 23 college and university programs from as far away as California. In 2004 the athletics department became the first in the NCAA to live stream the entire two day event for the world to view. This tradition has continued and in 2011 SpiderTV provided live a live video stream of the Spider Alumni Cross Country Open.  Then in 2013 and 2015, for the first time in history, provided full live video coverage of the Atlantic 10 Conference Cross Country Championships which the Spiders hosted.

“It’s really amazing to see so many alumni and friends and have the opportunity to hear the stories along with the history”, said head men’s coach Steve Taylor. “Fifteen years ago when Lori and I arrived in Richmond one of our first objectives was to learn the history. We believe it’s critical to the growth of any program that not only the coaches but also all the new athletes know who came before them and paved the way for their success. Bill Jordan, who coached alongside Coach (Fred) Hardy, continues to be such a remarkable resource. He is largely responsible for making this year’s reunion a reality and we simply can’t thank him enough for all that he has done for the University of Richmond, our Department of Athletics and our men’s and women’s programs.  As a UR Alumnus, retired faculty and retired coach is loyal and dedicated commitment is a perfect example for us all.”

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