RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's golf team showed growth and progress this fall season that has the program excited for what is to come. 
 
"I saw a lot of great things as far as single round performances as a team," UTRGV head coach Bryan Novoa said. "Now it's about putting 54 holes together and moving into the direction where we can get a win or finish in the top three in our events and make a serious statement in how talented our team is."
 
The Vaqueros competed in four tournaments this fall and with each passing tournament, one could feel the confidence continue to rise. 
 
After opening the fall season with a 15^th place finish at the Hobble Creek Fall Classic, the Vaqueros posted their best finish of the season coming in tied for ninth at the Bearkat Invitational. 
 
The Vaqueros saw their team score come down from a 940 in Utah to a 920 in their second tournament of the fall. They then followed that with a season-best 910 at the Aggie Invitational where the Vaqueros posted two of their top three lowest rounds of the season. 
 
Their best individual round of the season came in the final tournament of the season where the Vaqueros posted a 297 in the first round of the Pat Bradley Invitational.
 
The flashes of excellent play were there throughout the fall season and coach Novoa sees the potential his squad has and knows that it could lead to greater things. 
 
"Our schedule was really strong this fall," Novoa said. "It was impressive. The goal was to break 300 every time we went out there and I think we were capable of doing that. We would put together a couple of good rounds and then have a throwaway round. This team can win championships and once they believe that themselves, we are going to be in business. It's my job to help them get that belief."
 
Sophomore Sophia Tejeda paced the Vaqueros this fall with a team-leading 76.5 stroke average as she competed in all four tournaments. She even posted the team's lowest round of the season with a two-under par 70 in the final round of the Aggie Invitational. 
 
The Vaqueros had three others who posted a stroke average below 78 in junior Julie Lucio, sophomore Samantha Garza, and freshman Maria Jose Ramirez. 
 
Ramirez qualified and played in all four tournaments this fall and should be a good boost of momentum for her heading into the spring. The fall really allowed Ramirez, along with the squad's three other freshmen to get their feet wet. 
 
It really allowed all four of them to get their priorities in order. 
 
"Our four freshmen learned a lot," Novoa said. "It's part of the maturation process of getting so organized that they have their academics in place, their work ethic in place, and then their social and community service in place. It's going to be more of a direct instruction to do than to be objective. It's going to be more of a one-way street where we will take it one step at a time and climb that mountain."

While the fall season was about growth and progress, it didn't stop with the student-athletes as coach Novoa too came away with some key points from the coaching standpoint. 
 
Everyone seems to be on the same page as far as philosophy and goals and now it's time to make adjustments to get to another level.
 
"I think from a coaching standpoint we are on the same page," Novoa said. "I have learned that we need a simpler environment to make it easier for them to follow things. I am going to come up with practice ideas where we are working in smaller groups, so each player gets their individual attention. That is one of the major adjustments that will happen for the spring."
 
The fall was good to the Vaqueros, and it brings optimism for the upcoming spring season. The Vaqueros know where they are headed and now it's just about continuing to move forward. 
 
"I feel really good about the spring given what we went through this fall," Novoa said. "As a head coach, my job is to get their talent to shine through and execute. That is where our training is going to go. I often said that my coaching is a journey of discovery and now and I believe in my heart I now know what works and what doesn't so we are going to do what works. I think you will start to see the results starting at Texas State in February and culminating in Kerrville with the conference tournament. I like the opportunity that it represents moving forward."
 
 
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