RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics recognized 13 award winners through the annual V Awards, which premiered on the UTRGV Athletics Facebook and YouTube pages on Sunday.
 
Those winning awards include:
Mr. V – Nick Mora (men's basketball)
Ms. V – Taylar Kregness (track & field)
Legacy Award (Male) – Luca Portelli (men's golf)
Legacy Award (Female) – Gina Steiner (women's soccer)
Lou Hassel Award – Ricky Arevalo (baseball) and Bryce Box (men's soccer)
Anheuser Busch/Ann LaMantia Award – Rachel Yu (women's golf)
Academic Team of the Year – Women's Tennis
The Iron V – Nick Mora (men's basketball), Deryk Serbantez (baseball), Rachel Yu (women's golf), Idatonye Cheetham-West (track & field)
Student Athletic Trainer of the Year – Destini Thomas
 
"The V Awards are about celebrating our young people," UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "We are proud of all of our student-athletes for their accomplishments this season. This has been an unprecedented year, and I couldn't be prouder of their hard work and dedication as both students and athletes. While we've only honored a select group tonight, all our student-athletes are all deserving of recognition. I'm excited about our future and very appreciative of each and every one of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators."
 
The Mr. and Ms. V awards are awarded to the most spirited or team-oriented student-athletes.
 
The legacy awards are given to seniors who have made a significant impact during their careers at UTRGV. These individuals are excellent competitors who have raised the level of competition for UTRGV and for the Western Athletic Conference and leave a lasting memory for future generations.
 
Luca Portelli
Luca Portelli competed in 41 career tournaments over the last five seasons while helping raise the bar for the program. Portelli has been a key figure in the program winning seven tournaments since the spring of 2018, having been in the lineup for six of those wins. Throughout his career, Portelli has posted 20 top-25 finishes, including a career-best finish of fourth place at The Big Texan Invitational this season. Portelli took care of business in the classroom as well, earning Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar honors as a junior while earning Academic All-WAC honors twice, Spring AD Honor Roll recognition four times, and Fall AD Honor Roll accolades three times. 
 
Gina Steiner
Gina Steiner has been a staple of the program since joining the team in 2017. She played in 77 matches (71 starts), which ranks in the top 10 in program history. Steiner ranks fourth in program history in points (30), goals (11) and assists (8), fifth in shots on goal (50) and seventh in shots (104). Steiner was named to the All-WAC Second Team as a junior and flourished in the classroom, earning Fall and Spring AD Honor Roll recognition in each of her four years.
 
The Lou Hassel and Anheuser Busch/Ann LaMantia awards are given to the senior student-athletes with the highest grade point averages (GPA) who competed during the current academic year.
 
The academic team of the year is the team with the highest GPA. Women's tennis had a 3.72 GPA.
 
The Iron V recognizes student-athletes whose athletic accomplishments reflect their dedication to strength training and conditioning by earning All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year Awards. The winners will be published in the National Strength and Conditioning Association's annual press release.
 
The student athletic trainer of the year is voted on by their peers. It goes to someone who is in at least his or her fourth semester in the program.
 
Destini Thomas
 
"Destini worked with me this past fall, primarily working with women's basketball and men's tennis, and she was a great student to have around," UTRGV Assistant Athletic Trainer Nicole Cardenas said. "She is always ready to work. Her hands-on skill is well developed, and she is knowledgeable in how to assist student-athletes on her own, if needed, with supervision. She asked the right questions and student-athletes knew they could go to her if they needed something."
 
"I have known Destini since coming to UTRGV and heard nothing but great things about her character and work ethic from other students and staff members," UTRGV Assistant Athletic Trainer Nick Sauceda said. "She worked with me this past spring, primarily with men's soccer and track & field. Since day one of the semester, Destini was an unbelievable help and garnered the respect of myself and the athletes. Her attention to detail and ability to always be proactive put herself a cut above the rest. I believe that Destini will succeed at any profession that she chooses, but without question she will become a great athletic trainer in the upcoming future."

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