RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros track & field/cross country head coach Shareese Hicks announced on Friday that Mike Embry has been elevated to the position of Associate Head Coach. 
 
"Mike has been an outstanding assistant. He's very valuable to the program and this promotion is something that is very well earned and very much deserved," Hicks said. "He has been a key factor in why the program is progressing the way it's progressing, doing everything from recruiting to really just picking up any place where I fall short. We're excited to expand his leadership role." 
 
Embry came to UTRGV as an assistant during the summer of 2021 and has been the primary coach for the Vaqueros competing in jumps and combined events while taking point as the recruiting coordinator. In the 2023 season, Embry coached freshmen Jedidiah Udunna and Rayja'nae Pettit to qualify for the NCAA West Outdoor Track & Field Preliminary in men's and women's long jump, respectively. 
 
Udunna was the silver medalist at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Outdoor Championships, earning First Team All-WAC honors, and qualified for the USA Track & Field Under-20 Outdoor Championships after setting a UTRGV program record with a long jump mark of 7.80 meters. He was named the UTRGV Male Rookie of the Year and earned WAC Field Athlete of the Week honors. Udunna was seventh in long jump at the indoor conference meet. Pettit was the bronze medalist and a First Team All-WAC honoree after jumping 6.16 meters at the WAC Outdoor Championships, the fifth-best outdoor mark in program history. Pettit set the indoor triple jump program record with a mark of 12.49 meters and finished fourth in long jump at the indoor conference meet. 
 
Additionally, under Embry's guidance, freshman Ashley Lingueno set a women's outdoor program record with 4,738 heptathlon points as she finished fifth at the WAC Outdoor Championships. Freshman Aaron Cooper was seventh in the men's long jump at the outdoor conference meet. 
 
Embry was instrumental in UTRGV bringing in a massive signing class ahead of the 2022-23 school year that featured a lot of impactful pieces, including outdoor program record holder and women's 400-meter dash NCAA West Preliminary qualifier Aisha Gay, among others. 
 
Hicks praised the way Embry has already taken on some of the responsibilities that come with this new role. His expanded duties will include taking on more with travel for the teams, gear and equipment, academics and other things. Embry's priority remains bringing the best student-athletes possible to the RGV. 
 
"I think our teams are the best that we've ever seen at this university and we're doing nothing but getting stronger and stronger," Embry said. "We're coming. We're looking for a lot more to happen in the future with our program overall – in athletics, academics and service. It's a totality of greatness we're chasing." 
 
Prior to UTRGV, Embry spent four seasons as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina and was a finalist for the Southeastern Regional Assistant Coach of the Year award. His collegiate coaching career began at his alma mater, Eastern Illinois, where he was a football and track & field student-athlete. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Health Studies in 2008 and his Master of Arts in Aging Studies in 2009. Originally from Lakeland, Fla., Embry was a two-time state qualifier in hurdles, a two-time state qualifier in wrestling and an all-conference and all-county honoree in football. 
 
Embry is excited to see his role expand and continue to push the Vaqueros track & field/cross country program to new heights. 
 
"I'm very happy. I thank God for all these opportunities," Embry said. "There's a lot of work that goes into this and I appreciate the trust from the administration and Coach Hicks, her trust and guidance in this next phase of my career has been special. There are a lot of positive emotions and a positive outlook on our upcoming season and for our athletic department as a whole." 

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