BATON ROUGE, La. – The indoor season has finally arrived for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's (UTRGV) track & field teams, and the Vaqueros are eager to show what they've been building throughout the fall semester. 
 
UTRGV will be taking on the LSU Purple Tiger at the Carl Maddox Fieldhouse on Friday. Field events are slated to begin at 9 a.m. and running events will commence at 12 p.m. on a rolling schedule. Along with the host LSU, the Vaqueros will be competing against student-athletes from 11 other programs, including getting their first looks of the season at four new Southland Conference (SLC) opponents in McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls and Southeastern. 
 
"We just want to go out there and compete. Everyone did a really good job of maintaining their shape, form, focus, discipline over the break, so we should have a very strong start," head coach Shareese Hicks said. "It's just about relying on each other and keeping that momentum up from cross country and competing to the best of their ability. It's an amazing opportunity to show everyone out in Baton Rouge what we have going on in the Valley." 
 
Hicks expressed excitement about seeing the new dynamic throws duo of Hannah Hilding and Efe Latham in action. Hilding, a junior all-around throws athlete, is looking to pick up where she left off in 2024 when she was named the Field Athlete of the Meet at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Outdoor Championships. Latham is a transfer who matches Hilding's work ethic and competitive fire, and Hicks expects big things from the pair this season. 
 
Junior Jedidiah Udunna and senior Kailah Gilmore are leading a Vaqueros jumps squad Hicks called dangerous. Junior Nayla Harris, senior Zoë Adams and junior Sam Johnson II are a few of the sprinters to watch as UTRGV's indoor season gets underway. In the mid- and long-distance space, Hicks believes the top performers from cross country, including senior Samantha Gonzalez, junior Lilliana Guerrero and sophomore Kailey Salazar will headline a strong performance as the runners settle into their comfort races. 
 
Along with the talented veterans, UTRGV will see a handful of promising newcomers compete in the orange & gray for the first time. Junior transfer Corin Burns and freshman Jizzale Davis are two new Vaqueros to watch, but Hicks said anyone could step up to be the performer of the meet any given week. Overall, the Vaqueros are heading into the season opener determined to set the bar high for 2025. 
 
"The goal is to have strong season openers across the board," Hicks said. "We have a lot of veterans, and a strong season opener really helps to build your confidence and give you a sneak peek into the future of what your season is going to look like. We're really excited to get going. Everything indicates that they can start strong and finish strong." 
 
UTRGV Schedule
Field Events 
Women's weight throw, 9 a.m. 
Hannah Hilding
Efe Latham 
 
Men's long jump, 12 p.m. 
Keamonie Archie 
Jedidiah Udunna 
 
Women's long jump, 12 p.m. 
Kailah Gilmore 
Nayla Harris 
 
Women's shot put, 12 p.m. 
Hannah Hilding 
Efe Latham 
 
Men's triple jump, 2 p.m. 
Aaron Cooper 
Ja'Carrius Demmerrittee 
 
Women's triple jump, 2 p.m. 
La'Zariah Bethany 
 
Running Events 
Women's 60-meter hurdles semifinals, 12 p.m. 
Krystan Bright 
Trezur Connley 
Michaela Mitchell 
 
Men's 60-meter hurdles semifinals, 12:10 p.m. 
Jaylen Critton 
Zach Voss 
 
Women's 60-meter dash semifinals, 12:25 p.m. 
Zoë Adams 
Krystan Bright 
Jizzale Davis 
Kailah Gilmore 
Nayla Harris 
Gabrielle Thomas 
 
Men's 60-meter dash semifinals, 12:55 p.m. 
Keamonie Archie 
Alejandro Arellano 
Corin Burns 
Jamari Harts 
Sam Johnson II 
Gael Romo 
Jedidiah Udunna 
Richard Young 
 
Women's 600-meter run, 1:25 p.m. 
Michaela Mitchell 
Azayla Smith 
 
Men's 600-meter run, 1:50 p.m. 
Derrius Henry 
Diego Pina 
Cerrone Thompson 
 
Women's 60-meter hurdles final, 2:15 p.m. 
Top 8 advance 
 
Men's 60-meter hurdles final, 2:20 p.m. 
Top 8 advance 
 
Women's 60-meter dash final, 2:25 p.m. 
Top 8 advance 
 
Men's 60-meter dash final, 2:30 p.m. 
Top 8 advance 
 
Women's mile, 2:35 p.m. 
Selissa Gonzales 
Samantha Gonzalez 
Estrella Medellin 
 
Men's mile, 2:55 p.m. 
Mario Cantarero 
 
Women's 400-meter dash, 3:15 p.m. 
Aliyah Castillo 
Trinity Kirk 
 
Women's 800-meter run, 3:50 p.m. 
Lilliana Guerrero 
Estrella Medellin 
Mia Picazo 
Kailey Salazar 
 
Women's 200-meter dash, 4:05 p.m. 
Zoë Adams 
Aja Johnson 
 
Men's 200-meter dash, 4:15 p.m. 
Richard Young 
 
Women's 3,000-meter run, 4:25 p.m. 
Faith Cruz 
Samantha Gonzalez 
Estrella Medellin 
 
Men's 3,000-meter run, 4:35 p.m. 
Kevin Cardenas 
Abraham Morales 
 
Women's 4x400-meter relay, 4:50 p.m. 
Aliyah Castillo, Jizzale Davis, Trinity Kirk, Azayla Smith, Kailey Salazar 
Mia Picazo, Michaela Mitchell, La'Zariah Bethany, Krystan Bright, Estrella Medellin 
 
Men's 4x400-meter relay, 5:05 p.m. 
Derrius Henry, Alejandro Arellano, Cerrone Thompson, Richard Young, Jamari Harts 
Jaylen Critton, Gael Romo, Sam Johnson II, Corin Burns, Zach Voss 

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