NATCHITOCHES, La. – The first trip to the Southland Conference (SLC) Cross Country Championships for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in 2024 saw the Vaqueros men's and women's teams earn their best conference finishes in four seasons. 
 
In 2025, the Vaqueros are shooting for even more. UTRGV's women's team will run a 6K race at 8:30 a.m. and the men will run an 8K race at 9:30 a.m. at Northwestern State's Walter P. Ledet Track Complex. Fans can watch the race on ESPN+. 
 
"Really excited to keep the momentum going. Year 1 for us, we went in very prepared. Now that we're in Year 2, we've done more recruiting, we've filled some holes, so I'm cautiously optimistic about what we're able to do this championship," head track & field/cross country coach Shareese Hicks said. "We're coming for revenge. They've had a whole summer of training, thinking about where they finished last year, the times, where they missed out and how they can improve. It's been a grind every single day. They're coming in with a chip on their shoulder. It's all about them showing up as their best selves and not being afraid of the moment and stepping on the line ready to compete and execute that strategy." 
 
The women's team is coming off a great performance at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago, where UTRGV finished third among the eight Southland teams in attendance. Junior N Vanee Anchike and senior PSJA High alum Faith Cruz led the group with record-book races, turning in the seventh and 10^th fastest 6K times in program history. 
 
UTRGV's women's team saw five of its six runners clock personal bests in College Station, leading to a significant rise in the South Central Region rankings. The Vaqueros made their season debut at No. 15. UTRGV is one of just three Southland women's teams with a top-15 regional ranking heading into the conference championships, sitting behind Stephen F. Austin (7^th, South Central) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (9^th, South Central). 
 
Sophomore Nirmit Dahiya and senior Abraham Morales are leading the men's team into competition. They both ran personal bests in the 8K two weeks ago and will carry that momentum into a competitive men's field in Louisiana. 
 
The team unity and commitment shown by every student-athlete has Hicks and distance assistant coach Ricardo Mendoza feeling confident about how UTRGV will perform Friday. They'll support each other and push each other and leave it all on the course. 
 
"Running is not everyone's favorite sport. We always joke about our sport being everybody else's punishment. And the student-athletes feel that. When they line up next to each other, they have each other's backs. They're going to hype each other up in warmups, use their race strategy, and once they cross the finish line they're going to be cheering for those behind them. All those things make for a really good, competitive squad," Hicks said. 

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