UVA has a lot to gain from this and if you really look at the landscape of D1 Men's lacrosse you will see that.
There are only about 60-65 teams at the D1 level. There are very few in the South, all in the ACC, which only has 4 teams. In all there are only 12 teams in the Deleware to NC I95 corridor. So adding Richmond to that list and one of only 3 schools in the state (UVA and VMI) is big deal for UVA. VMI isn't very competitive and Richmond brings an opportunity for an real in state rival.
In terms of the mid atlantic area there are some great teams (all 4 ACC, Loyolda, John Hopkins) and some decent ones (Georgetown, Towson, Delaware, Navy). But adding a school like Richmond to the mix that has a chance to become a great team can be a big win for UVA and the sport.
If you look at the current locations of the schools in D1 most of them are in the Northeast. Probably about 40-45 out of the 60-65 teams. Adding teams in the Mid-Atlantic / South is important. Plus if Lacrosse is going to continue to grow as a sport the current D1 schools need to help and embrace the new schools trying to transition from Club to Varsity.
