RIO GRANDE VALLEY – When Ricardo Mendoza was hired as an assistant coach for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) track & field and cross country programs in Oct. 2023, he was determined to help "take this program where it belongs." 
 
The Valley native and former UTRGV standout has sparked a turnaround for the distance crew he trains. This season, Mendoza's impact has been especially evident in the impressive performances by the women's 800-meter runners. 
 
Leading the event squad are sophomore Kailey Salazar and junior Lilliana Guerrero. Salazar captured the Southland Conference (SLC) indoor championship in the women's 800 with a program record time of 2:10.47. It was the first gold medal won in a distance event by a UTRGV women's runner since Dorcas Koech won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) indoor championship in the 5,000-meter run in 2019. 
 
Guerrero followed close behind, claiming bronze in 2:11.57 – the No. 2 time in program history. With fifth-year senior Brownsville Porter alum Estrella Medellin adding a seventh-place finish at the conference meet, the women's 800 event squad contributed 18 points to UTRGV's team total of 85, which resulted in a third-place finish – matching the team's best conference outing since 2021. 
 
Throughout the 2025 season, Salazar and Guerrero combined to run the six fastest indoor 800 times in program history. Medellin also tabbed a personal best indoors, running 2:14.26 to take the No. 10 spot in the record books. Those seven times were the first entries into the women's indoor 800 top-10 since 2020.
 
"Early on, I kind of knew they were going to do something special," Mendoza said. "They had a good cross country season, and that gets you some confidence and puts you in a really good position when you get back into your preferred event. There were times they didn't perform like they wanted in the season. But they trusted the process, trusted that they were going to be their best at conference.
 
"To see how accomplished they felt after the indoor championships, it made me feel like we were going to go outdoors and win more," Mendoza added. "We celebrated it for a few days then got back to training to be ready for outdoors because now they have targets on their back, so we have to make sure that we're training the right way so we can execute."
 
If the Vaqueros feel added pressure to continue performing at a high level after their strong start to 2025, it hasn't caused them to struggle. They carried their indoor momentum right to the outdoor season and started the second chapter of the year the way they closed the first – with a bang. 
 
Salazar broke a 32-year-old program record in the women's outdoor 800 at the season opener in San Marcos on March 22, running 2:09.41. She placed second in the event, and Guerrero finished in third in 2:09.41. It was the first sub-2:10 race for the fast-rising stars. Mendoza said it was particularly special to see Guerrero, who transferred to UTRGV after two seasons at the junior college level, finally reach her goal of breaking 2:12. 
 
"Last year when we were recruiting Lilly, something that I saw in her was the heart she had to compete. She just needed a place where she had other people who were very competitive to push her," Mendoza said. "To see her overcome those obstacles and to see those barriers being broken, it really changes the approach to training and racing." 
 
Guerrero's addition created depth and brougth experience to the distance unit. The Vaqueros hold each other accountable and push each other every day in practice, making it easier to stay mentally tough in races because of their experience with "healthy competition" every day in training. Mendoza credits Salazar and Guerrero for leading the culture change, but also praised distance runners such as fifth-year senior Samantha Gonzalez and freshman Santa Maria alum Mia Picazo for buying in and raising the standards. 
 
For Salazar, the growth and success she's experiencing this season is a direct result of the maturity Mendoza and head track & field/cross country coach Shareese Hicks have raved about. Mendoza said Salazar's approach and commitment level is more like that of a super senior than a sophomore, and seeing how fast things are coming together for the Laredo product makes everyone in her corner excited for Salazar's future. 
 
Salazar has major goals as an athlete, not only to add an outdoor conference title to her indoor victory, but to compete on the national and Olympic level in the future. She started preparing for that future after a disappointing end to her freshman season, when a protest disqualified her from the 800 final at the WAC Outdoor Championships despite qualifying by time. 
 
"I was really emotional at the time. I felt like I had an opportunity ripped away from me. But I looked back and tried to process what happened and I thought to myself, 'Everything happens for a reason and this reason is for you to do better next year.' That was my main motivation all summer and all fall and even this spring," Salazar said. "I try to hold myself accountable to do the little things right because I want to be great, I know I can be great, so if I do those little things that can be boring or tedious, it can help me out in the long run." 
 
The "little things" Salazar puts more emphasis on now are the same details Mendoza harps on – getting warmed up and cooled down properly, taking the time to recover, keeping stress levels down, really learning how to race. Taking care of those details has earned Salazar the nickname of "Killer Kailey," and she showed why during her championship race. 
 
After the first curve of the final lap at the Birmingham Crossplex, Salazar started closing in on the leader with two runners on her tail. She overtook her opponent from Houston Christian just a few yards from the finish and claimed gold by a body. 
 
"The only thing that was in my mind was to run my race. Don't focus on the person in front of you or the steps you hear behind you, just do you," Salazar reflected. "I love running a very strong 200, last kick. I knew I'd done it before, so I tried not to put that much pressure on myself at that moment and that's why I was able to perform the way I did." 
 
As she reflected on that race and how well the 800 group has looked early in the outdoor season, Salazar was appreciative of the rising level of talent she gets to improve with every day at UTRGV. 
 
"It's funny because the way I competed that last 200 is the way me and Lilly and Mia all compete at practice. That's why I feel like we're prepared to go out and compete at the highest level, because we experience race scenarios in practice," Salazar said. "I look back at my freshman year and I know we were not this. It's not even close to what we were. To be a part of that, a leader, it's an honor and I'm so grateful."
 
UTRGV's women's 800 group was 43^rd in the nation on the USTFCCCA's first #EventSquad rankings of the outdoor season. Heading into their third outdoor meet, three Vaqueros are ranked in the top eight on the SLC performance list, with Salazar and Guerrero sitting first and second in the conference and Picazo at sixth. 
 
Hicks likes to say there's some "Mendoza Magic" attributing to the change in the distance runners. Salazar said the key to the magic is that their coach has been in their shoes, has not only represented the same university and ran the same tricky race, but excelled in doing so. It makes it easier to connect and believe in what he's saying because he's done it all before.
 
"It's awesome because we have someone to bond with who knows the 800, who knows the pain, the tricks, everything that goes into it. I feel like I can communicate with him and he really understands what I'm feeling and what I'm thinking," Salazar said. 
 
Mendoza is proud of where his event group is, but he knows the best is yet to come. The Vaqueros are no longer training to be the fastest on the team, or even the fastest in the conference, the coach said. Their mentality now is about putting themselves in a position to compete at the national level and show everyone that major talent can – and will – thrive in the Rio Grande Valley. 
 
"The culture right now is really, really good in our program," Mendoza said. "Sometimes people think you can't bring super talented athletes to the Valley. But that's a misconception. When you look at what we've done, it shows that there is a lot of talent in the Valley. There's a lot of development happening with our athletes. We're getting them to the times to win championships. I know they're not satisfied yet. We're going to keep going for more." 

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