RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) student-athletes got their first look inside the new buildings at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex on Wednesday, celebrating the completion of $10 million in enhancements to their facility.
 
The new buildings include more than 13,500 square feet of space for locker rooms for the men's and women's soccer and track & field programs, athletic training rooms, meeting rooms, and coaches' offices.
 
Additional enhancements include a new goalkeeper and skills training area as well as the Hinojosa Family Press Box and upgraded sound system, which kicked off the upgrades in the fall of 2022. 
 
What They're Saying About the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex
 
"We're fired up to have the grand opening of this facility and celebrate our programs and some of the people that have helped us get here," UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "I want to thank President Guy Bailey and our leadership team, PBK Sports, ECON Group, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Operations John Evans, UTRGV facilities, and our donors for record investment. When you talk about building a championship program, resources, people, and facilities are the three key ingredients. Today, we have the last piece of our puzzle. Our student-athletes have seen this under construction for over a year and a half, and now, welcome home, Vaqueros." 
 
"It's a blessing to be gifted such a nice facility. It's been hyped up as we waited and it lived up to it and exceeded the hype," men's track & field sophomore Jedidiah Udunna said. "The aspect I liked the most is how it's a family-oriented zone. This is the place where we can hang out, get treatment, get ready before practice, and get hyped before track meets." 
 
"The first word that came to mind when I walked in was, 'Wow.' This year I'm a senior, and to see the whole process and be in here now, all I can say is, wow," women's track & field/cross country senior Estrella Medellin said. "We're so excited and we can't wait to move in. I'm so proud to be here and we're so happy to have this beautiful locker room." 
 
"This is really, really exciting. We love the new locker room. We didn't expect anything like this. Everything came out really amazing," men's soccer sophomore Alexis Gonzalez said. "This is going to bring us all together even more and it's going to make us an even stronger team. This facility is just as good as, or even better, than the other facilities we've been to." 
 
"It's amazing and I'm so happy to be here and have all these resources available to us," women's soccer sophomoreSavannah Frisby said. "It's just breathtaking. It beat all of my expectations with how fast they were able to make it a reality. I'm really excited to have the built-in speakers to blast music and get hyped up before the games." 
 
"Our mantra for this year is ''24, up the score. '24, we want more.' And we're already starting out with more with this facility," UTRGV Head Track & Field/Cross Country Coach Shareese Hicks said. "It's a huge recruiting tool and a huge asset for our staff. We're ready to start having some official visits and have everyone come in and see how supported they'll be here." 
 
"When we look back on this day, we'll see how important it was on the history of both our programs," UTRGV Head Women's Soccer Coach Mark Foster said. "It's breathtaking and very exciting to have the honor to coach out of a facility like this. I want to thank Chasse Conque, because if we didn't have an athletic director that wanted all sports to have a chance to be successful and push for all sports to have facilities and what they need, it wouldn't happen. I'm extremely grateful that, at a time when we're trying to grow, he's fighting for women's and men's soccer to have these facilities." 
 
"I think we have one of the best facilities not only in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) but across the country," UTRGV Head Women's Soccer Coach Bryheem Hancock said. "Three years ago, when I took the job, I came out here on a golf cart and it was just a dream of what would be built. I've been a lot of places where I've been told certain things and you don't see that happen. To see how quickly it happened here, to see the facility and how great it looks, I'm very appreciative and thankful for that." 
 
Big Picture
 
This construction 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.
 
These projects are funded by revenue generated by the athletics department through ticket sales, sponsorships, and fundraising. State law forbids UTRGV to use tuition revenue to build or renovate athletic facilities.
 
Naming Opportunities
 
Naming opportunities available for the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex, include head coach and assistant coach offices, meeting rooms, locker rooms, athletic training rooms, and the complex 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.

Support UTRGV Athletics | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube