Queallys give $10 million to build a dedicated lacrosse facility at Richmond

The University of Richmond’s lacrosse programs are coming off the best stretch in their history, and now they’re getting a building to match. Paul and Anne-Marie Queally, both members of the Class of 1986, have committed $10 million toward a new facility built specifically for the men’s and women’s teams.

The donor-funded project is slated to open in the summer of 2029 at the north end of Robins Stadium. Plans call for locker rooms, strength and conditioning space, meeting rooms, and offices, all designed around what the two programs need day to day. Construction planning is set to begin soon.

A pattern of athletics and academic giving

This isn’t the couple’s first major investment in Richmond. They previously led the creation of an endowment that helped launch the Spider men’s lacrosse program, and they provided the lead gift for the Queally Athletics Center, a practice facility for men’s and women’s basketball. Their names also appear on the Queally Center for Admission and Career Services and Queally Hall at the Robins School of Business.

“This latest gift builds on the Queallys’ unwavering commitment to advance competitive excellence in Spider Athletics,” said John P. Hardt, vice president and director of athletics. “The tremendous momentum of our lacrosse programs has captured the attention of the entire country, and this new facility, made possible thanks to Paul and Anne-Marie’s generosity, will serve to further strengthen both our nationally recognized men’s and women’s lacrosse programs.”

A season that put Richmond lacrosse on the map

The timing follows a year unlike any the programs have had. The men’s team went undefeated in Atlantic 10 play, taking both the regular season title and the conference tournament, and climbed to No. 1 in the national rankings in April. That’s the first time a Richmond program has held the top spot since football in 2009, and the first time any Spider program has ranked No. 1 at the highest level of collegiate competition.

The postseason brought another first. On May 9, a crowd of 6,805 packed Robins Stadium to watch Richmond face Duke in the opening round of the NCAA tournament. It was the program’s first NCAA home game, the most-attended Richmond lacrosse game on record, and the highest-attended first-round game in the history of the Division I men’s tournament.

The women’s team had its own breakthrough, finishing 9–0 in conference play to win the A-10 regular season title outright for the first time.

For the university, the donation lands as both an athletics milestone and a continuation of a long relationship with two of its more active supporters.

“This is another extraordinary gift to the University from Anne-Marie and Paul Queally. They have contributed in so many ways to make Richmond an even better place,” said University of Richmond President Kevin F. Hallock. “Their gifts in support of athletics, academics, and student experiences, including Career Development, are remarkable. We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Anne-Marie and Paul and are so grateful for their continued exceptional support of the University’s excellence.”

With the on-field results and the funding now in place, the question for Richmond shifts from whether the programs can compete nationally to how far a purpose-built facility can take them.