SEATTLE – The conditions will be cold and wet for the Western Athletic Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, but The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student-athletes aren't concerned.
The message was clear when the Vaqueros gathered before departing for Husky Track in Seattle for the conference meet, running Thursday through Saturday – this weekend is about showing the world how tough UTRGV is.
"One thing that I'm very, very proud of this group about is we're resilient. This is an opportunity for us to show the world about our resiliency," UTRGV head coach
Shareese Hicks said. "It's going to be cold for everybody. It's going to be raining for everybody. But I dare anybody to say that we're not the toughest team in this conference. We're going to go up there and be focused, rally behind one another, support one another and showcase our hard work."
The Vaqueros trust their training and believe in the progress they've made, and they're hopeful to be bringing some hardware home.
"I expect everyone to put their best foot forward," junior
Julian Trevino said. "All we can control is the effort we put in, so I expect everybody to put in 100 percent effort and let's see what happens. We've worked hard enough throughout the year that if we just do what we're supposed to do, we're going to get some good outcomes."
Trevino is one of six Vaqueros ranked in the top 10 of an event heading into WAC Championships, finding himself at No. 7 in the men's javelin. Sophomore
Michael Campbell is second in men's shot put and fourth in discus and rewrites the record books at every meet. Redshirt senior
Christian Hall-Gardner ranks sixth in the men's hammer throw.
The running events have some Vaqueros within arm's reach of the podium, too. Graduate student
Ricardo Mendoza and sophomore
Miguel Escamilla are fifth and eighth, respectively, in the men's 800-meter run. Sophomore
Samantha Gonzalez can't be counted out, heading to Seattle ranked 12
th in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase. The sprinters are led by sophomore
Jermarrion Stewart, who had an impressive indoor conference meet.
Hicks is confident that whether the Vaqueros are high on the performance list or not, every student-athlete will have a fire inside that pushes them to show up at their best when the pressure is on.
"We're game time, championship performers," Hicks said. "Every time it's on the line, when a final is on the line or you're down to your last opportunity for a personal best, every single one of them shows up. They've proved it time and time again. Let's prove it one more time."
The conference championships can be streamed on WACSports.com/Watch or ESPN+.
Meet Schedule
THURSDAY
Field Events
Men's Hammer Throw, 3:30 p.m.
Christian Hall-Gardner
Women's Javelin, 7 p.m.
Kayleen May
Running Events
Men's 1,500-meter prelims, 6:30 p.m.
Alex Canales
Tristan Pena
Women's 1,500-meter prelims, 6:45 p.m.
Janie Delgado
Andrea Gallardo
Ana Hernandez
Men's 200-meter dash prelims, 7 p.m.
Ackeem Gordon
Jaleel Scott
Jermarrion Stewart
Women's 200-meter dash prelims, 7:20 p.m.
Devon Goodwin
Elizabeth Ortiz
Mikayla Roell
Men's 400-meter hurdles prelims, 7:45 p.m.
Alex Galvan
Women's 400-meter hurdles prelims, 8:05 p.m.
Uxia Pereira
Lisa Sanchez
Jasmyn Tulloch
Decathlon
Alex Galvan
100-meter dash, 11:30 a.m.
Long Jump, 12:15 p.m.
Shot Put, 2 p.m.
High Jump, 3:30 p.m.
400-meter run, 5:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
Field Events
Women's Long Jump, 5:15 p.m.
Daniella Muniz
Men's Shot Put, 7 p.m.
Michael Campbell
Christian Hall-Gardner
Running Events
Women's 100-meter hurdles prelims, 6:45 p.m.
Uxia Pereira
Lisa Sanchez
Jasmyn Tulloch
Men's 800-meter run prelims, 7 p.m.
Miguel Escamilla
Ricardo Mendoza
Tristan Pena
Women's 800-meter run prelims, 7:15 p.m.
Estrella Medellin
Men's 400-meter dash prelims, 7:30 p.m.
Jorge Salazar
Women's 400-meter dash prelims, 7:45 p.m.
Devon Goodwin
Elizabeth Ortiz
Men's 100-meter dash prelims, 8 p.m.
Ackeem Gordon
Jaleel Scott
Jermarrion Stewart
Women's 100-meter dash prelims, 8:20 p.m.
Daniella Muniz
Mikayla Roell
Men's 3,000-meter steeplechase final, 8:40 p.m.
Ricardo Garcia
Women's 3,000-meter steeplechase final, 9 p.m.
Samantha Gonzalez
Decathlon
Alex Galvan
110-meter hurdles, 11:30 a.m.
Discus, 12:15 p.m.
Pole Vault, 1:45 p.m.
Javelin, 4:30 p.m.
1,500-meter run, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Field Events
Men's Triple Jump, 2 p.m.
Marco Guajardo
Vincent Nguyen
Women's High Jump, 2 p.m.
Annelle Rodriguez
Men's Discus, 3 p.m.
Michael Campbell
Christian Hall-Gardner
Men's Javelin, 6 p.m.
Marco Guajardo
Julian Trevino
Running Events
Men's 400-meter relay final, 5:30 p.m.
Alex Galvan,
Ackeem Gordon,
Marco Guajardo,
Jaleel Scott,
Jermarrion Stewart
Women's 400-meter relay final, 5:40 p.m.
Devon Goodwin,
Daniella Muniz,
Elizabeth Ortiz,
Mikayla Roell,
Jasmyn Tulloch
Men's 1,500-meter final, 5:50 p.m.
TBD
Women's 1,500-meter final, 6 p.m.
TBD
Women's 100-meter hurdles final, 6:20 p.m.
TBD
Men's 400-meter dash final, 6:30 p.m.
TBD
Women's 400-meter dash final, 6:40 p.m.
TBD
Men's 100-meter dash final, 6:50 p.m.
TBD
Women's 100-meter dash final, 6:55 p.m.
TBD
Men's 800-meter run final, 7 p.m.
TBD
Women's 800-meter run final, 7:10 p.m.
TBD
Men's 400-meter hurdles final, 7:20 p.m.
TBD
Women's 400-meter hurdles final, 7:30 p.m.
TBD
Men's 200-meter dash final, 7:40 p.m.
TBD
Women's 200-meter dash final, 7:50 p.m.
TBD
Men's 5,000-meter run final, 8 p.m.
Ricardo Garcia
Alex Munoz
Women's 5,000-meter run final, 8:20 p.m.
Samantha Gonzalez
Anahi Romo
Men's 1,600-meter relay final, 8:40 p.m.
Miguel Escamilla,
Ricardo Mendoza,
Tristan Pena,
Jorge Salazar,
Jermarrion Stewart
Women's 1,600-meter relay final, 8:45 p.m.
Devon Goodwin,
Estrella Medellin,
Elizabeth Ortiz,
Uxia Pereira,
Jasmyn Tulloch
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