After that season, the Spiders' full-time home of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) established a men's lacrosse league, with Richmond as one of the six inaugural members.
[3] One month after revealing its plans to elevate men's lacrosse to varsity status, Richmond announced it had hired Dan Chemotti to lead the program.
Richmond defeated Furman in the semifinals but fell to High Point in double overtime in the championship game, ending the Spiders' season.
[14] Richmond's fourth year as a program in 2017 saw the team finish the regular season with a record of 11–3 including a victory over defending national champions North Carolina and each of its three losses (Duke, Virginia, and Air Force) coming by a single goal.
The Spiders finished 6–1 in SoCon play, earning a share of the regular season championship as part of a three-way tie with Air Force and Furman.
At the tournament, once again held at Robins Stadium, the Spiders defeated Furman in the semifinals before falling once more to Air Force, 9–6, to finish the season with a 12–4 record.
[15] Just prior to the start of the conference tournament, Richmond announced it had signed head coach Dan Chemotti to a new five-year contract.
In the 2022 season, the conference had four full members that sponsored men's lacrosse (Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, and UMass), two short of the number required for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.