RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Tuesday that the Vaqueros Performance Center will include the Val LaMantia and Dr. Guy Bailey Academic Success Center as LaMantia and Bailey made a significant personal gift directed toward the academic success center.
 
The support for the academic success center continues an impressive tradition of significant giving to the university by LaMantia and Bailey, the president of UTRGV. LaMantia, who was recently inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame and has an impressive track record of support for the university, continues her tremendous support of athletics, which includes the Anheuser Busch/Ann LaMantia Award, an endowed scholarship in her mother's name that is considered to be the most prestigious award a female student-athlete can earn at UTRGV, and the William D. Peisen Endowed Scholarship for Intercollegiate Soccer, which was established with a $275,000 leadership gift by LaMantia in honor of her late husband when the soccer programs were first announced on Feb. 6, 2013. LaMantia and her family also funded The Maria LaMantia scholarship in nursing, named in honor of her grandmother and founded the STARS scholarship program, which has provided $40 million in scholarships to more than 20,000 students from south Texas to go to college over the last 20 plus years.
 
Bailey has personally endowed four scholarships at UTRGV and has supported a variety of other scholarships and professorships. He has made major gifts to the College of Sciences and School of Medicine and has contributed to numerous student success and student support funds across the institution.
 
Overall, LaMantia and Bailey together have together donated more than $855,000 to UTRGV.
 
"Val and President Bailey continue to advance UTRGV's mission through their generous donations and unwavering support," said Kelly Nassour, executive vice president for Institutional Advancement. "Their philanthropic dedication has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of our university, enabling us to reach new heights in academic excellence, research, and community engagement."
 
The Val LaMantia and Dr. Guy Baley Academic Success Center will comprise a sizeable section of the soon to be built Vaqueros Performance Center and feature computers and printing capability for use by student-athletes as well as areas in which student-athletes can study and receive individual academic support from athletics academic services personnel and tutors.
 
"We are deeply appreciative of Val LaMantia and President Bailey's support of our student-athletes' academic success," UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "They lead by example and from day one. I have been amazed by their philanthropic spirit at the university and throughout the Rio Grande Valley. What they do, and many times without any fanfare or recognition, is something to be applauded. We are thrilled to have their names associated with UTRGV Athletics and this transformational new facility. We look forward to helping our student-athletes grow for years to come in the Val LaMantia and Dr. Guy Bailey Academic Success Center."
 
Additional Amenities
 
UTRGV Athletics broke ground Tuesday on the Vaqueros Performance Center, a 45,000+ square foot facility being constructed north of UTRGV Baseball Stadium that will house the football program, be used by multiple sports, and is expected to be complete by the fall of 2025.
 
The Vaqueros Performance Center construction includes two practice fields that will be available for football and soccer, one of which will be made of natural grass and one of which be made of synthetic turf, with completion expected by the summer of 2024.
 
The Vaqueros Performance Center will also house a new, large, state-of-the-art strength & conditioning facility for use by football and other athletics programs, a football locker room, football coaches' offices, a sports medicine facility, a team room with stadium-style seating, multiple meetings rooms, and additional office space to be used by other athletics personnel.
 
This construction, with an estimated cost of about $45 million, is part of over $85 million in construction projects being completed by UTRGV Athletics to all athletics facilities over the next two and a half years.
 
Naming Opportunities
 
Other naming opportunities are available for Vaqueros Performance Center, include head coach and assistant coach offices, meeting rooms, the strength & conditioning facility, practice fields, and the facility as a whole.
 
For more information on naming opportunities, contact UTRGV Senior Associate Athletic Director for Advancement and Administration Derek Schramm directly either by phone at (956) 665-3897 or email at vclub@utrgv.edu.
 
For more information on UTRGV Athletics facilities, visit GoUTRGV.com/AthleticsFacilities.
 
$25 for '25
 
Season ticket deposits for the inaugural season of UTRGV football are currently being accepted for just $25 per ticket at GoUTRGV.com/Tickets. The Vaqueros take the field for their first season of competition in 2025.

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