RIO GRANDE VALLEY – As the mileage increases, so does the anticipation and promise of a new season for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) men's and women's cross country teams. 
 
It's an exciting time for the Vaqueros, who will be competing in the Southland Conference (SLC) for the first time this fall. The cross country program welcomed 15 newcomers when the season kicked off with the first practice. UTRGV returns several well-seasoned veterans and has steady leaders setting the standard. 
 
The 2024 season begins Friday at the XC Opener at the Seashore meet hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Vaqueros will compete at the UIW Invitational on Sept. 13 and the West Side Classic on Oct. 12 to prepare for their first SLC meet. The SLC Championship is slated for Nov. 1, followed by the NCAA South Central Regional on Nov. 15. 
 
"We will start off with a rival meet this year at Corpus, which will wake us up and sharpen our competitive IQ earlier in the season. I believe it will lead to a strong finish and have us in a strong position during the championship part of the year," head track & field/cross country coach Shareese Hicks said. "Travel this year is going to be a huge advantage for our team. Being able to get quality competitions a little closer to home allows us to train more, rest more, and really build the chemistry of our entire team." 
 
Leading the cross country unit this season will be team captains Kailey Salazar and Abraham Morales. Salazar is a sophomore who showed the staff a lot last season and quickly cemented herself as a staple of the program. Morales is a junior and the only upperclassman on the men's roster. 
 
"Both Kailey and Abraham have done a great job making an impact on our newcomers and will be great examples of how well we develop student-athletes. Their leadership is necessary and very much appreciated," Hicks said. "Kailey was an exemplary youngster for us last year. She should come in with a lot of confidence and a chip on her shoulder. Abe has a superior work ethic that shows in everything he does. He's going to be able to capitalize off of that this year." 
 
The teams are training on mixed surfaces to not only set themselves up for a strong cross country season, but get ahead of the track campaigns. They run at 6:30 a.m., getting the student-athletes in the habit of being ready to go early for meets. They do fast intervals to work on speed on the track, find courses around the upper Valley to execute long runs and practice on a variety of terrains, and do weight training twice a week to work on overall strength, hip mobility, injury prevention and other things. 
 
Assistant distance coach Ricardo Mendoza was happy to see the team arrive in good shape. Many of the Vaqueros showed dedication to their craft and trained hard throughout the summer and came in ready to go when practice started last week. Having the whole unit together has already resulted in good team chemistry and pushing one another. 
 
"They're very motivated. The summer is about building their capacity. Texas heat can be brutal at times, so it shows discipline to get up early and get it done, because cross country really starts in the summer," Mendoza said. "Once you're here with the team, it's easier because everybody is in this together." 
 
With both rosters significantly larger this season than they have been in recent years, Mendoza is excited to see how training groups shake out and how the Vaqueros compete amongst themselves. Salazar and Morales have impressed Mendoza early in the cross country season, along with juniors Lilliana Guerrero and Faith Cruz on the women's team and sophomore Mario Cantarero on the men's team. 
 
This season will feature plenty of tough competition and tough training for the Vaqueros. The SLC is a strong cross country league, with several teams finding themselves ranked in the preseason regional polls. Incarnate Word is sixth and New Orleans is 14^th in the preseason men's South Central Regional rankings. In the women's South Central poll, UIW is 10^th, New Orleans is 12^th, and McNeese is 15^th. 
 
With dependable returners and eager newcomers making up the squads, the Vaqueros believe they'll see plenty of growth, camaraderie and grit as this season rolls on. 
 
"We have a team that is buying into what you're doing and building team chemistry," Mendoza said. "With a larger team, I think we'll see healthy competition when it comes to who wants to be in the top five. If you're honest with yourself and put in the work, it's going to show. I'm really excited for them to get out there and execute and show the amount of work they put in." 

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