RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) track & field/cross country head coach Shareese Hicks and her staff were on a mission when they started recruiting for the 2022-23 athletic year. 
 
They wanted to bring student-athletes with competitive mindsets and the determination to make an impact to the Valley; student-athletes with strong academic backgrounds and a willingness to buy in to the team culture and become the foundation that will lift the program to new heights. 
 
Hicks and Co. succeeded. Many freshmen have impressed and been at the core of the Vaqueros' success this indoor season. Seventeen freshmen will represent UTRGV at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Indoor Track & Field Championship in Spokane, Wash. Friday and Saturday. 
 
"I would say this freshmen class has definitely exceeded my expectations," Hicks said. "I was expecting to do a whole lot more hand holding, more explaining, more teaching than I've actually had to do. They have a lot of maturity and class. They have definitely bought in to the culture we've been trying to establish. It's been huge for us how much they've gravitated toward each other and how much they support each other. Everybody is growing together." 
 
Headlining the group of foundational freshmen are program record holders Symoria Adkins and Rayja'nae Pettit, who Hicks called "the blueprint" of the type of student-athlete UTRGV wants to build around.
 
Adkins set a new indoor program record in the women's 60-meter hurdles at the Texas Tech Open, running 8.64. Two weeks later at the Jarvis Scott Open, she broke her own program record with a time of 8.60. Adkins owns three of the five best 60-meter hurdles performances in women's indoor history.
 
"After I got off the track, I walked to Coach Hicks and she said, 'Do you know what you just did?' And I said, 'What?' And she said, 'You broke the school record,'" Adkins recalled with a smile. "I was so happy and surprised. It's mind-blowing. I didn't expect to come out and do this, break the record my freshman year. And the second time, I was actually mad because of the first race I did in prelims, because I'm always hard on myself. But I was so excited to break it again and I feel like I can keep lowering it." 
 
Pettit set a new indoor program record in the women's triple jump at the Jarvis Scott Open with a mark of 12.49 meters and notched the program's 10^th best mark in the long jump at 5.81 meters. She is currently the No. 3 triple jumper and No. 5 long jumper in the WAC and is hopeful to bring home some hardware from her first conference meet. 
 
"I saw the mark and thought, 'That's a PR.' And at first I didn't know it was a record, but when I found out after the meet I was like, 'I just set a school record. That's awesome!'" Pettit said. "I've been trying to get that PR for a long time. It was amazing to hit it my freshman year. I was very surprised. It's a lot to take in, but it feels amazing." 
 
Hicks praised the growth Adkins, or "Shug" as she's called by her team, has made as a person and student-athlete in her short time on campus. She said Adkins is getting more comfortable and confident with her new techniques every meet, which reflects on her incredible coachability. 
 
"Symoria's ability to listen in between rounds and make adjustments is amazing. She goes through her prelim race, we tell her to fix this, and in the next round, it's fixed," Hicks said. "She's a real gamer, and that's something that you can't teach. She is ice cold when it comes to competing and she really knows how to focus on execution, which is outstanding. She's a spectacular student-athlete and we're happy that she's here in the Valley rocking with us." 
 
At UTRGV, Adkins has become a student of the sport, honing-in more on technique, running form and speed mechanics to take her performance to the next level. The work she's putting in is showing up meet after meet. She hopes to turn in another fantastic performance at the conference meet. 
 
"This year has already been really good, and I have great coaches here so I'm only going to keep getting better," Adkins said. "I'm hoping to run an 8.4, lower that record again and be at least top three in the conference. I'm nervous, because I'm always nervous before a meet, but I'm ready. My teammates are so supportive and I'll hear them when I'm running and it makes me so happy. We've all been putting in a lot of hard work and we're ready to go out there and do good."
 
Hicks credited assistant coach Mike Embry for guiding Pettit through all the technical work required to be successful in jumps. It can get frustrating for a young specialist to absorb all the details of approaches, takeoffs, landings and the different phases of triple jump. Hicks raved about the consistent effort Pettit brings to every practice and every meet, and she believes the sky is the limit for the hard-working jumper. 
 
"Rayja'nae's potential is through the roof. You couldn't ask for a better start than what she's had this indoor season," Hicks said. "We knew that she had it, but you never really know until the student-athlete gets on campus. She got on campus and she was who she said she was. She put in all the work she said she'd put in. With that kind of persistence and consistency, she's bound to continue to break records." 
 
Pettit said she hasn't yet competed at 100 percent health, calling herself "injury prone," but she believes her jumping ability conquers any injuries she gets. She believes she's bound for bigger results when she's at full health. Pettit is doing a lot of speed and technique training and focusing on her phases to post big marks and help the Vaqueros exceed expectations at the WAC meet, just like she's been exceeding her own expectations for her freshman season. 
 
"There's so much technique behind jumping. It's a lot of thinking, but if you think about it too much then your brain is everywhere. You have to get it down in practice so you don't have to think too much in a meet and you can just do it," Pettit said. "Making these marks as a freshman, it's just amazing going into conference. It boosts my confidence. I'm keeping the mindset the same and keeping the technique I've been doing, and I think I'll do better than I have already at the WAC meet." 
 
Jedidiah Udunna has also made himself known early and often. In his collegiate debut at the Robert Platt Invitational, Udunna leapt straight to the No. 2 spot in the record books in the men's indoor long jump with a mark of 7.22 meters. Every meet has resulted in an entry so far, with Udunna also boasting the fifth and seventh best long jumps. He earned the opportunity to compete alongside the nation's best at the Tyson Invitational in Arkansas. Udunna has been viewed as a NCAA Championships hopeful since he stepped on campus, and Hicks praised the way he handles those expectations and the energy he brings to the team. 
 
"Jed has continued to be humble and to be very serious about perfecting his craft. More importantly, he's a team player," Hicks said. "He has taken all of it on his shoulders and he's definitely rising to the occasion. He likes to be in those high-pressure situations to really pull out all the stops. We're very proud of everything he's done and how he's been handling himself along the way." 
 
Sam Johnson II is another freshman already in the record books, claiming the 10^th best time in program history in the men's indoor 400-meter run (48.82). Sprinter Nayla Harris has been a standout, too, setting a new PR in the women's 60-meter dash at every meet. Hicks pointed to the influence of the veteran student-athletes and the way they've acted like big brothers and sisters to the freshmen as a reason the young Vaqueros have shined bright so quickly. 
 
"Nayla has been spectacular and she's in a position where she looks like she can upset some people at conference. All my relay girls have been strong. Thrower Hannah Hilding has been improving every meet and that's huge. Sebastian Salinas and Faith Cruz have been very consistent on the distance side. A lot of them are really throwing their names in there for being top freshman for us," Hicks said. 
 
The freshmen are ready to show that the sky is the limit for them and their program at their first conference meet. With so many young hopefuls keeping things loose, fun and bringing the energy, the Vaqueros feel poised to do what they do best – go in under the radar and make people take notice. 
 
"I think we'll go out there and overperform, which is what we usually do. We're always coming in as the underdogs, and we always leave making somebody upset," Hicks said. "Our goal is to go out there and put our best foot forward while supporting each other and keeping that high, positive energy going all the way to Washington." 

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