RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics unveiled on Thursday its 2025-26 annual report, detailing the successes of the 2025-26 academic year in areas including academic excellence, community service, historic support, student and fan engagement, rallying the entire Valley, competition, facility enhancements, media and social media reach, and more.
 
The complete report can be found online at GoUTRGV.com/AnnualReport.
 
Some of the highlights include:
•Posting a department record cumulative GPA of 3.37.
•Ranking 10^th in NCAA Division I in community service.
•Record ticket, corporate sponsorship, and fundraising revenue.
•Over 228,000 fans in attendance across all sports, setting records for multiple teams.
•Completion of multiple major capital projects.
 
Below is a letter from UTRGV Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque that highlights some of this past year's accomplishments found in the annual report:
 
Greetings from UTRGV Athletics! I want to thank you for your interest in and support of UTRGV Athletics. As I begin my eighth year at UTRGV, 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 learn more about our historic success in competition, in the classroom, and in the community. The 2025-26 season was without a doubt, the Year of the Vaqueros.
 
In competition, the Vaqueros won a department record four team Southland Conference Championships, including volleyball, women's indoor track & field, and women's and men's golf, and the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, Championship. The basketball teams combined for a department record 40 wins, with the women winning a program record 21 games en route to the second round of the WNIT, and the men winning 19 games, and posting back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1988-90.
 
We made history together on August 30, 2025, as 12,726 fans packed Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium to root on the Valley's first Division I college football team. UTRGV had the winningest season of any inaugural FCS team ever, finishing 9-3 while creating a total economic impact of $144.3 million on the local economy.
 
Our student-athletes rallied the Valley in a meaningful way, ranking 10^th in NCAA Division I with 5,385 hours of community service across 2,950 commitments for a total economic impact of $194,701.
 
We ended 2025-26 with more than 10,300 season ticket holders across the ticketed sports of baseball, men's and women's basketball, football, and volleyball, plus a football season ticket waiting that has surpassed 15,000 ticket requests. This past year, UTRGV drew over 228,000 fans across all sports, leading the Southland Conference while shattering all previous attendance records set by the department over the past several years. Additionally, UTRGV ranked fifth out of 129 Division I FCS institutions in total department attendance across ticketed sports.
 
In the classroom, the Vaqueros raised their cumulative grade point average to 3.37, the highest it has been since the spring of 2020. For the 2025-26 academic year, UTRGV student-athletes combined to post a 3.31 GPA.
 
We also completed three more capital projects, with the opening of our football team's homes, Robert & Janet Vackar Stadium and the Vaqueros Performance Center, and the UTRGV Fieldhouse Atrium.
 
As you review this report, I hope you are as impressed as I am with the success of UTRGV Athletics and the way our success is enhancing the brand and identity of our region.
 
Thank you for your loyal and continued support. You are critical to helping us #RallyTheValley!
 
V's Up!
 
Chasse S. Conque
Senior Vice President & Director of Athletics
 
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