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Letter from the Vice President & Director of Athletics

Dear V Nation,

Greetings from UTRGV Athletics! I want to personally thank you for your interest in and support of UTRGV Athletics. As I look back on my first year as Director of Athletics, I am enthusiastic about our future and proud of the young men and women that represent you, our university, and the Rio Grande Valley through Division I competition.

As you read this report, you will have the opportunity to learn more about how our student-athletes experienced significant success in competition, in the classroom and in the community this past year. Some of the highlights include our men’s soccer team earning its first-ever national ranking, our volleyball team upsetting a Big 10 opponent, Abraham Chirchir advancing to the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the second-straight year, our baseball team defeating a Big 12 opponent twice, and our indoor track & field teams combining for nine WAC Championships.

Even with the transition to distance learning after spring break, our studentathletes continued to excel academically, posting a departmental grade point average of 3.38 and combining for 93 Academic All-WAC honors.

When it comes to community service, I could not be more proud of our young people. As a department, our student-athletes ranked 20th in the nation in community service hours while five programs ranked among the top 10 in their respective sports.

What is more impressive is this past December, we unveiled the completion of $1.5 million in renovations to the UTRGV Fieldhouse while launching Vaquero Village, a new pregame fan experience four our students and supporters at basketball games.

We cannot deny the fact that we are amid interesting times. COVID-19 has certainly made an impact on all of us. With that said, I am proud to be part of a university that cares deeply about our students and their success while consistently making investment decisions to ensure all students are given the opportunity to fulfill their educational aspirations. Bottomline, UTRGV has answered the call and continues to be a beacon of light for South Texas.

As you review this report, I hope you are as impressed as I am with the success of UTRGV Athletics and the growth we have witnessed over the years. As we continue to grow Division I athletics in the Valley, I am confident the success we experience together will only enhance the brand and identity of our region.

Thank you for your loyal and continued support of our student-athletes and coaches. You are critical to helping us #RallyTheValley!

V’s Up!

In the Community

UTRGV Athletics in the Community

UTRGV student-athletes completed 1,526 hours of community service this year, the 20th most in NCAA Division I. UTRGV student-athletes attended 63 events for 23 organizations, including a department-high 282 hours at Edinburg Children’s Hospital. In 208 hours with the Food Bank RGV, UTRGV studentathletes helped to prepare about 14,500 meals.

Among the other organizations served are the City of Edinburg, which includes Edinburg Parks & Recreation (224 hours), the Special Olympics of South Texas (180 hours), and the Edinburg Boys & Girls Clubs (136 hours).

1,526

Champions Serve Day

On Oct. 11, UTRGV student-athletes went out in the community en masse, with freshmen helping to set up the Special Olympics Bocce Competition, sophomores assisting at the Food Bank RGV, juniors visiting kids at Edinburg Children’s Hospital, and seniors volunteering at the Edinburg Boys and Girls Club.

Athletics Donates Food to Student Food Pantry

UTRGV Athletics donated more than $4,000 worth of food originally set to be sold at the baseball concession stand –including 1,320 hot dogs – to the UTRGV Student Food Pantry, to help students who might be struggling with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other items donated include hot dog buns, pickles, jalapenos, a variety of chips and candy, peanuts, popcorn, sunflower seeds and other snacks.

UTRGV Athletics Partners with Chick-fil-A in Brownsville

UTRGV Athletics partnered with Chick-fil-A Boca Chica to feed UTRGV employees in late April. UTRGV employees, including student employees, were able to get a free Chick-fil-A sandwich or eight chicken nuggets and a beverage at the drive-thru window.

TownePlace Suites Good

Night Story of the Week

UTRGV Athletics coaches and staff, as well as faculty and staff from around the university, came together during the pandemic to provide educational opportunities for children by recording themselves reading stories. These videos have been posted weekly since mid-April.

#WorkoutWednesday

Strength & Conditioning Coaches Lucas Monroe and Eric Sparks partnered with UT Health RGV to show people how to stay active while largely isolating at home.

UTRGV Athletics in Brownsville

Coaches, student-athletes and staff participated in events in Brownsville twice per month in partnership with campus entities such as the Student Union.

&Diversity Inclusion

3.38 CUMULATIVE DEPARTMENTAL GPA 977

ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE

106 ACADEMIC ALL-WAC HONORS 365 AD HONOR ROLL RECOGNITIONS SPRING

TEAMS WITH THE HIGHEST GPA

3.84 3.80

WOMEN’S TENNIS VOLLEYBALL

WERE ON THE AD HONOR ROLL (3.0+ GPA) WERE ON THE DEAN’S LIST (3.5+ GPA) HAD A GPA OF 4.0 OF OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES

All 16 sport programs recorded team GPA’s above 3.0.

Women’s tennis recorded a department-best 3.84 GPA. Volleyball was close behind at 3.80.

The women’s soccer team had the most 4.0 GPA’s with 11, accounting for half of the squad. Men’s track & field was right behind with 10. Women’s tennis had a department-high 57% of its student-athletes earn prefect GPA’s. Men’s soccer led men’s teams with 30%.

The track & field teams had the most studentathletes named to the Dean’s List, with 23 from each squad. A department-best 92% of volleyball student-athletes earned Dean’s List recognition. Women’s tennis was one away from 100%, with six of seven (86%) studentathletes earning the honor. Men’s soccer led men’s teams with 78%.

The men’s soccer team recorded the highest GPA among men’s teams at 3.66.

Five teams had 100% of their studentathletes earn a spot on the AD Honor Roll, including both golf teams, men’s soccer, women’s tennis, and volleyball.

Competitive Excellence

Men’s basketball won eight of its final 10 games, culminating in the No. 2 seed at the WAC Tournament, the best in program history.

Volleyball defeated a Big 10 opponent (Maryland) and took sets off of SEC (Texas A&M) and Pac-12 (Washington State) opponents for the first time in program history.

Women’s soccer recorded its fourth-straight winning season and advanced to the WAC Tournament Semifinals for the second year in a row.

Men’s soccer earned its first national ranking, coming in at No. 24 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll while receiving votes in the coaches poll.

Abraham Chirchir became the program’s first men’s cross country runner to advance to the NCAA Championships in back-to-back years since 2002-03.

Women’s cross country stunned the South Central Region by finishing fourth at the NCAA Regionals.

The indoor track & field teams combined to win nine WAC Championships, record 29 All-WAC Performances (15 First Team, 14 Second Team), and break 11 program records.

Men’s tennis closed out the season with three-straight victories, winning five of its last eight matches.

Women’s tennis won three WAC Doubles Teams of the Week/Month honors.

Women’s basketball won 11 home games, one shy of the program record, marking the fourth-straight season in which the team has won 10 or more home games.

Baseball opened the season with back-to-back wins overs Kansas State and earned an 11-inning road win at Houston before closing the season on an eight-game winning streak.

Men’s golf recorded five top-five finishes, including a pair of team wins, and one individual medal. UTRGV has now won six tournaments since the spring of 2018.

Women’s golf posted three top-10 finishes.

FIELDHOUSE RENOVATIONS

• REFINISHED COURT

• NEW LED TABLES

• NEW BASKETBALL GOALS

• NEW SCORE BOARDS

OFFICIALS LOCKER ROOM VISITING TEAM LOCKER ROOM

VISITING TEAM LOCKER ROOM

CONCESSION STAND WBB LOCKER ROOM WBB TEAM LOUNGE

LOCKER ROOM

TEAM LOUNGE

TRAINING ROOM

EQUIPMENT ROOM MEDIA ROOM

COACHES OFFICES

UTRGV Baseball Stadium

New for 2020, the baseball corrals, which feature decks and grills that fans can purchase for the entire season, were insalled beyond the right field wall. Other upgrades to the stadium include new padding on the outfield walls with an enhanced way of promoting sponsors, an ivy wall in center field, stairs in the stands that were painted orange, and a new covered batting cage for the studentathletes.

Red Panda, declared by Sports Illustrated to be “the NBA’s favorite halftime show,” made her UTRGV debut by performing at halftime of men’s basketball’s double overtime victory over Sam Houston State on Dec. 3. Balancing metal bowls on her head while balancing on a unicycle all while on heels, Red Panda is a sensation during halftime shows and wowed the crowd at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

The volleyball team welcomed three of the 12 largest crowds while recording the third-best attended season in program history.

Men’s basketball brought in 2,618 fans and packed the house against New Mexico State.

The baseball team averaged more than 1,087 fans per game, its highest mark in over a decade, including more than 1,100 fans at each of the first seven games.

Supporting Student-Athlete Success

For the first time in department history, all coaches and staff members are supporting the V Club, further demonstrating their commitment to student-athlete success.

The V Club is the fundraising arm of UTRGV Athletics and provides an opportunity for alumni, fans, friends, family and staff to join together to invest in UTRGV Athletics and provide UTRGV student-athletes with the resources and opportunities needed to excel in the classroom, in competition, and in the community.

“I want to personally thank each and every member of our staff for their support and continued belief in our mission,” UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “We often share our vision of placing our student-athletes in a position to have success at the highest levels in the classroom, in competition, and preparation for excellence in life. To have the unequivocal buy-in of our entire department sends a clear message that we all believe in what we do as we share a common vision of the goals we aspire to achieve together. This milestone, coupled with the belief we all have in our studentathletes, assures me great days are ahead for UTRGV Athletics.”

On Jan. 25 as part of Pack the House, UTRGV Athletics hosted V Club appreciation night, during which V Club members were treated to a pregame mixer and recognized on the court at halftime of the basketball game.

UTRGV Joins the Under Armour Family

UTRGV Athletics entered into a five-year partnership with BSN SPORTS to make Under Armour the official athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand of the Vaqueros.

Under Armour, a leader in performance footwear, apparel, and equipment, provides UTRGV’s 16 sport programs with training gear for competition, practice and community appearances while also outfitting the coaches and athletic department staff.