52. Midnight Munchies
This beloved finals week tradition goes back to the 1980s. It’s an invitation, via comfort food, to destress during the darkest hours of the toughest time of the semester.
How big a deal is it? When the Sirens a cappella group launched, they picked spring 1994 Midnight Munchies for their debut gig.
53. Wearing “Richmond” across your chest
Fewer than 7% of high school athletes go on to compete in college sports. For female basketball players like me, this figure drops to less than 2% at the Division 1 level. These numbers are reminders of the resilience, dedication, and determination it takes to reach this level.
Being a Spider athlete gave me a strong sense of pride and responsibility. It meant understanding that I represented not just the University of Richmond but a community larger than myself. To wear “Richmond” across my chest was to carry that legacy for those who came before me and inspire those who would follow.
As student-athletes, we share this common bond. Constantly sacrificing our bodies and consistently pushing our limits, we strive to achieve excellence on the court, in the classroom, and within our community. The four years we spend on this journey, discovering who we are and the impact we want to leave, are some of the most challenging. Yet the bonds built and the support Richmond provides make it worthwhile.
These experiences and values remain with us as former players, shaping our character and guiding our paths long after that final whistle. Richmond is not just a name on a jersey; it’s a highly respected institution, renowned for its academic excellence.
When I’m asked where I went to school, I answer proudly: “I am a Richmond Spider.”
—Kristina Puthoff-King, ’14. She played for the Spiders 2010–14.
54. Collective power
You’ve no doubt heard about gift matching. How about gift doubling? Or even tripling?
Such Spider-to-Spider incentives are the norm when the community comes together each spring during UR Here Giving Day. It’s all about the power of collective giving.
The UR Here name highlights a truth: When you give to Richmond, no matter where you are, you are here standing shoulder to shoulder with students and their professors, coaches, and mentors. In 2023, more than 3,200 donors raised more than $1.6 million in 36 hours for scholarships, campus clubs, athletic teams, and more. This year’s UR Here Giving Day takes place April 3–4.
55. Being in the Goldilocks zone
Sizewise, Richmond is at a true sweet spot in higher education: Small enough to maintain intimate classes and personalized attention, large enough to support wide exploration, world-changing research, and D-I athletics
56. Spider stories
Whether you come across them via UR Now, @urichmond on social media, in this magazine, or elsewhere, Spider stories are the best kind of stories. Share yours via magazine@richmond.edu.
57. We play to win
If it’s more fun when you win, Spider athletes are having a lot of fun.
Women’s tennis lifted our first national championship trophy, for the Division II AIWA title, in 1982. In 2008, Spider football secured UR’s first NCAA Division I national championship trophy. Spider teams have hoisted 73 — scratch that, 75 as of March 6 after men's and women's basketball swept the A-10 regular season championships — conference championship trophies since 2000.
58. Spiders step forward
Hundreds of alumni serve their fellow Spiders every year. They help recruit students, host regional and recent grad events, lead constituency groups like URBAN and LGBTQ+ Spiders, serve on reunion committees, lead and advise on boards, provide career opportunities, write class notes, and so much more. Alumni volunteers embody and build Richmond’s strength as a community.
59. Spider Board gets down
The spring concert in 2023 was a night to remember. Last year, 2,000 of us gathered under the stars on Boatwright Beach (No. 75) and danced to the rhythm in a full-blown mosh pit.
Spider Board is the student-run organization behind this and other events throughout the year. “Our goal is to bring people together and develop a sense of community,” said Sydney Boehman, ’25, Spider Board’s president. Whether cutting loose before finals or opting for a paint-and-sip night in, Spider Board knows how to draw a crowd.
—Sophia Demerath, ’26
60. We slay March giants
We have nine wins as a 12 seed or lower in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. No other school has more than four. As a 12 seed, we’re aperfect 4-0.
And we were the first No. 15 seed ever to beat a No. 2 seed.
61. Our big, fat Greek theater party
Each year, graduating Spiders can make a parting gift to honor their time at UR and benefit future students. Led by a senior student committee, the Senior Legacy Campaign encourages undergraduate students to donate any amount to any area they choose before graduation. Popular designations include a favorite school, athletic team, department, or campus initiative.
“The campaign isn’t about how much is raised — it’s about each senior supporting what they love most at the university,” said Becky McKinney, associate director of annual giving. “We are thrilled to average 60 to 70% participation every year as part of this beloved tradition.”
Students who donate are invited to seniors-only events, including the annual toga party at the Luther H. Jenkins Greek Theater. Spiders relive this experience as alumni by attending the Reunion Greek Theater Party. The Office of Annual Giving hosts it each year to thank all UR donors during Reunion Weekend.
—Kyra Molinaro
62. Friends for life
During senior year, roommates Suezy Keller, ’06 (above left), and Ashley Bolding, ’06, had an idea just before Thanksgiving break: We should try to cook a turkey. They did, right there in their University Forest apartment on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. They invited friends and knocked on neighbors’ doors. Come one, come all.
Then, a year after graduation, they did it again. And again. They’ve kept it going ever since. The 2023 gathering included 18 alumni and their families. These days, they’ve got spouses and multiple kids tables — “the next generation of Spiders running around like banshees,” Keller calls them.
“We just kept doing it because it’s the way we want to start the holidays,” Keller says. “The Spider community is so special because of the way we connect with each other. I think it comes from being a school that’s the perfect size and the perfect environment for building a caring community of people.”
Later this year, they’ll gather for the 20th time.
@urichmond The one, the only, #triceragoose ✨ #iykyk #urichmond
♬ original sound - University of Richmond
63. Triceragoose
There’s a sticker currently for sale in the Spider Shop with a picture of Triceragoose. The text on it reads, “Peace was never an option.”
Generations of students have given the mercurial matron of the lake a long look and a wide berth. Why? Respect.
“Her lore is unprecedented, she’s so mysterious, and everyone seems to have various theories surrounding her,” says Sadie Nolan, a sophomore from California. “Where did she come from? Why is she so angry? What iteration of Tricera is she? What has happened to previous iterations of Tricera?”
In true Richmond spirit, Nolan has her own take. “Her infamy is a hallmark of our campus culture, but in my opinion, she is just misunderstood.”
64. Westhampton Lake
65. The Gazebo
You know the legend: Kiss someone there, and that’s who you’ll marry. A mid-’90s grad speaks for many when she says she knows it’s not always true — and that she prefers to be anonymous about exactly why she knows. Let’s just say the best part was the play-by-play the next day with friends in D-Hall.