RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The sports industry spent a lot of 2022 celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Title IX and all the law has done to create equal opportunities for women in athletics. 
 
Those assurances don't carry over to women in coaching, and progress regarding the percentage of women coaching at the collegiate level remains low and has been stagnant in recent years. 
 
According to the 2021-22 Women in College Coaching Report Card (WCCRC) released by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, 43.4% of head coaches of NCAA Division I women's teams are women. In comparison, 95% of men's teams across all levels of the NCAA have a male head coach. 
 
Only 23 of 359 Division I institutions have women leading at least 70% of their women's teams. Only 7.3% of women's teams are led by women of color. 
 
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is fortunate to have several women in coaching positions blazing a path for others and setting an example for Vaqueros student-athletes. 

Trailblazing Women
  
UTRGV track & field/cross country head coach Shareese Hicks, as a Black female head coach of men's and women's teams, is among those important trailblazers. She is the only female track & field/cross country head coach in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). 
 
"I've coached at pretty much every level and have consistently been the only woman in the room," Hicks said. "At the beginning, it was uncomfortable, but it wasn't necessarily a surprise. It can be a little bit difficult, but I continue to find my voice in those situations. Sometimes you feel like you're not being heard, or you're not being seen, and I'm like, 'OK, then let me say it a different way.' It's all about not letting that discomfort dishearten you. Keep your head up and keep going into those rooms and know that you're blazing a trail for somebody else behind you. 
 
"We're starting to see people in leadership positions that are opening doors for women all the way around," Hicks added. "Especially being here at UTRGV, having Molly Castner as the Deputy Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator and having Chasse Conque as the Vice President and Director of Athletics, they see the importance of diversity and inclusion and it has been huge." 
 
Hicks had a long and successful track & field career which resulted in an induction into the Charlotte Athletics Hall of Fame's inaugural class. Through it all, she was only coached by men. 
 
She had women in leadership roles that influenced her life, but it wasn't until she was connected to Valerie Brown through a USA Track & Field female mentorship program that she had someone like her in a role that she wanted, someone to vent to and learn from.
 
Hicks did credit track & field for being ahead of the game when it comes to inclusion and said she had many forward-thinking men who supported, believed in and helped prepare her for this role. The Department of Education's 2020 Equity in Athletics report showed that 11.7% of men's track & field/cross country programs combined had female head coaches – the highest percentage among the top eight men's sports by revenue. 
 
The "numbers don't lie" nature of track & field and the way men's and women's programs tend to facilitate together contributes to the positive numbers in the sport. But growth can and should still be made, and Hicks is passionate about being in a position that allows her to be an example for student-athletes of all genders and to pull other women up the ladder with her, like assistant throws coach Cleopatra Borel. 
 
"A lot of my colleagues understand the importance of having women not only in the sport to lead women, but for men to see women in those roles and be led by them. Representation is so huge in everything that we do," Hicks said. "Having Coach Borel by my side has been extremely valuable. It's great to be able to lean on one another and communicate with one another. My leadership can be loud and boisterous at times, and hers can be caring and gentle. It's good for the student-athletes to see us lead in different ways and show that there are numerous ways you can get it done." 
 
The equity in athletics report showed that 53.8% of assistants for Div. I women's teams are women. Only 8% of assistants on men's teams are women. Borel is one of seven women serving as assistant coaches at UTRGV, and one of three coaching male student-athletes, along with Paola Cortes-Ortiz and Ekaterina Vorobeva. 
 
Cortes-Ortiz is the assistant coach for both the women's and men's golf teams, a role she has held since March 2021. She is one of two women assisting men's golf programs in the WAC. 
 
Aside from her high school coach, Karen Gravley, all Cortes-Ortiz's coaches throughout her golf career were men. She called it a blessing to have the opportunity to work with the men's team at UTRGV and be an example to others interested in coaching. 
 
"It's been an honor," Cortes-Ortiz said. "I feel so lucky to not only work with women but also have young men that respect me just as much as the women's team. Right away, all the guys were accepting of my presence. They've been super receptive of my information." 
 
Building trust has been the key to the strong relationships Cortes-Ortiz has with all of her student-athletes. It's important to her that the student-athletes know she cares for them and to be a steady, calming presence on the course. Cortes-Ortiz needs two head coaches with different styles to trust her too. She aims to balance out the strengths and weaknesses of each coach in a way that benefits both teams. She collaborates on performance plans, facilitates mental management and plays a key role administratively. 
 
When she's on the road with the men's team, Cortes-Ortiz is often the only female on the course. Yes, she gets some questioning looks and felt a little awkward at first. But she's secure in her abilities and knows she belongs, and most importantly, that she's making a difference. 
 
"You get to be the different person. More eyes are on you, but you can use that to show a good example and show that it doesn't always have to be men coaching men," Cortes-Ortiz said. "Knowledge is knowledge, it doesn't matter male or female. If you're invested, you're there to teach your student-athletes and help them grow, that's all that matters. You have to build up the confidence to know what you bring to the table and that you don't need everyone else's approval." 
 
Vorobeva has been the men's and women's tennis assistant since Aug. 2022. She is the only woman assisting men's tennis in the WAC. 
 
Growing up in Russia, Vorobeva said it was extremely rare to meet a female coach. It wasn't until she reached collegiate tennis that she had a woman coaching her. When she traveled to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association regional tournament with the men's team, she was the only female coach there.  
 
Vorobeva acknowledged that there are significant differences between women's and men's tennis in game styles, shot selection, strategy and speed. Even though she played collegiate tennis, she still worried that the men's players might not be receptive to her coaching because of the differences between games. But she's accepted, trusted, and relied on by her male student-athletes and has made a big difference for both programs. 
 
"Honestly, I didn't know if they would listen to anything I said when I started. I think it was a learning curve for them to have me as a coach, and for me," Vorobeva said. "I feel they've accepted me and we have respect for each other. I did a lot of learning and observing, and I've become more confident in how I coach both teams. Men's head coach Nathan Robinson and women's head coach West Nott have helped me a lot with that. They're always open to my questions and they don't judge me, they just explain step by step." 
 
Vorobeva calls her coaching style democratic and says she prefers to discuss what to do with her players instead of telling them what to do. The Vaqueros have taken to her well, which is shown by the way they cheer for her when she's on the court coaching and the feedback she receives. It's particularly special for her to be making a difference in the men's game, and she hopes she's seen as an example to others wanting to do what she does. 
 
"My favorite thing is getting messages or feedback from players in both programs after a match saying, 'I appreciate you being on the court. Thank you for the advice. You helped me mentally. Thank you for pushing me.' That kind of thing just makes my day," Vorobeva said. "I hope they see that everything is possible. It doesn't really matter your gender. Tennis is tennis. The game is the game. Trust yourself, and if you want to get better at something, just put in the work."
 
Breaking the Glass Ceiling
 
There are some positive trends for young women hoping to be collegiate coaches. The Department of Education's data shows that four of the top eight women's sports by revenue had more women in head coaching roles than men – lacrosse (84.4%), softball (67%), women's basketball (56.9%) and volleyball (55.6%). Additionally, for the first time in 10 years, the WCCRC reports that more women than men were hired to replace outgoing coaches in 2021-22. 
 
Cortes-Ortiz said it has become common for her female student-athletes to strike up conversations about coaching out on the course. It's rewarding for her to know her influence can help someone realize they can achieve the dream of coaching in college. 
 
"I don't take my position lightly," Cortes-Ortiz said. "The better of an example I can be for my student-athletes, the more lightbulb moments they can have to see whatever route they want to take, even if it's going to be hard, they know they can do it. It's extremely fulfilling that they see me do what I love every day and they're drawn to it and want the same for themselves." 
 
Hicks said her unique position as a woman of color serving as a head coach has swayed recruits to UTRGV. She also uses her role to encourage her student-athletes to go the coaching route, especially making it a point to tell young women how needed they are in the industry. 
 
Progress is never easy, but with strong, passionate, and able women like the ones leading at UTRGV paving the way and pushing for change, progress is bound to follow. 
 
"A lot of times I'll pull a young lady to the side and say, 'Hey, have you ever thought about doing this? We need more of you in here,' because I see the passion and the traits that would be so awesome within athletics," Hicks said. "Even in the recruiting process, I might talk to someone that commits and says, 'You're blazing a trail for a path I want to walk in later on.' 
 
"It's a long road and it's a hard road. You're going to get a lot of no's, but all it takes is one yes, and that one yes is going to be so important to change how you impact the young people behind you," Hicks added. "That long, frustrating road is very worth it when you finally sit in the chair and make your vision come true. Even if you're the minority within the room, you're still creating space and helping to increase that percentage and it's something that's very much needed to work toward change." 

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