BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's and women's cross country teams will be back in action Friday for a final tune-up before championship season begins as they compete at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. 
 
The meet is being hosted by Texas A&M at the Watts Cross Country Course. The men's runners will compete in an 8K race starting at 8:30 a.m., and the women's runners are scheduled to begin a 6K race at 9:15 a.m. 
 
This meet is consistently one of the largest and deepest of the season, and the 2025 edition is no different. Thirty-seven teams from across the country, including Southland Conference (SLC) opponents Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, will make up the quality field. 
 
The Arturo Barrios Invitational has usually been a really, really good meet for us. Excited is an understatement. We're looking to have our veterans go out there and beat some big schools and let them know that we're here and we're representing the Valley to the best of our ability. Really excited to keep the momentum going," head track & field/cross country coach Shareese Hicks said. 
 
Competing Friday for the UTRGV men's team will be Abraham Morales, McAllen Rowe alum Kevin Cardenas, McAllen Memorial alum Roehl Rodriguez, Weslaco East alum Adrianno Gonzalez, Nirmit Dahiya and Mission Veterans Memorial alum Manuel Flores. The Vaqueros women's runners include Lilliana Guerrero, N Vanee Anchike, PSJA High alum Faith Cruz, Kailey Salazar, Santa Maria alum Mia Picazo and Rio Grande City alum Morgan Ramos. 
 
Hicks described the Watts Cross Country Course as mostly flat, which plays into UTRGV's hands considering the courses they run around the region don't feature many hills. The Vaqueros have raced well in this hefty field in recent years and expect to once again show that they're capable of hanging with the best. They're excited to face the challenge and use the races to prepare for the upcoming SLC Championships. 
 
"It's a tune-up meet for us, but it's also a meet that really helps us put a stamp on what we'll be able to do in the Southland. A lot of our conference competitors will be attending that meet," Hicks said. "We #RISEup when it's time for big meets and to compete against big names. That's the mantra going into this weekend, just continue to rise up. They deserve to be here, they've earned the right to be here, they work incredibly hard. So, to be able to go up there and showcase that and wear the orange, white and gray with pride is going to be not only great momentum going into the conference championship, but also a really good opportunity for us to represent what we stand for." 

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