RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's golf team is looking for good things this fall as they head into their fourth season under the leadership of Director of Golf Houston Moore.  
 
"It's four years of hard work and dedication in recruiting and developing these players," UTRGV Director of Golf Houston Moore said. "We are excited to see what year four has in store for us."
 
The Vaqueros return five from last year's squad that helped the program post a third place finish in their first Southland Conference Championship. Three of those five, Esteban Gonzalez, Eddie Lai, and Emilio Gil Leyva, were part of Moore's first recruiting class and have been a key piece to the team's success over the last few seasons.
 
Gonzalez has competed in 21 events in his first two seasons and is coming off a sophomore season that saw him post a 73.1 scoring average en route to All-Southland Conference Second Team honors. 
 
"We have some juniors on the roster from that first recruiting class," Moore said. "This is their third year in the program, and we are excited about their development. Esteban Gonzalez has developed nicely. He is a McAllen Memorial alum and has been trending in the right direction each year so far. He seems like he will be trending just at the right time for this first event."
 
The Vaqueros also return seniors Arthit Kruaprayong and Luis Limon. Kruaprayong is coming off a junior season where he led the team with a 72.7 stroke average and earned All-Southland Conference First Team honors. 
 
UTRGV also brought in four new faces in transfers Rodolphe Cicala and Gabriel Dulon Villoslada and freshmen Brock Porter and Jorge Martin Sampedro. 
 
The newcomers bring a mixture of talent and experience that will push the returners. The type of competition will help push the program forward. 
 
The Vaqueros will rely on each member of the team to find success this fall.
 
"There is not just one person, but I am excited to see all of them compete as a team," Moore said. "This is a product that we are all really proud of and we are excited to see how they do out on the road."
 
The Vaqueros open the fall season at the JT Poston Invitational this weekend before heading to the Bayou City Collegiate Classic at the end of September. They will also compete at the Trinity Forrest Invitational in Dallas before closing out the fall at the Monterrey Collegiate Classic. 
 
"We are excited and ready to get started," Moore said. "We can't wait until Sunday."
 
The fourth season under Coach Moore for the Vaqueros could see a lot of good things but whether it's the first season, fourth season, or year 15, the Vaqueros want to go out and compete. 
 
"We want to come out and compete," Moore said. "I think this team is ready to show up at the first event and have a chance on Tuesday. That's what we are going to look forward to at every event this year. We brought a group in that we are excited about, and we think they can compete in any field. We hope to see that this fall."
 
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