RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's golf team is excited to see what the spring season will bring when they get started next week at the Compadres Collegiate in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. 
 
The Vaqueros closed out the fall season with a tied for second place finish at the Monterrey Collegiate Classic and they want even more this spring.
 
"We finished strong to end the fall," Director of Golf Houston Moore said. "We are excited to go back to Mexico to start the spring. It'll be our third-year hosting there and we want to see how the team does this year."
 
The Vaqueros will return to five of six tournaments that they competed at last year with the only new tournament being the Lone Star Shootout in late February. 
 
The Vaqueros will get tested again this spring as they return to Mexico to host the Compadres Collegiate, then compete at the Border Olympics, All-American Intercollegiate, Maridoe Intercollegiate, and the Tiger Intercollegiate before the Southland Conference Championships.
 
The biggest trait the Vaqueros possess this season is their competitive spirit. Everyone one on the roster can contribute with the hard part being figuring out who will crack the top-five for any given tournament.
 
No matter who is in the lineup, the goal is the same for all nine members of the program. That's to be the best they can be.
 
"I think those guys are competitors," Moore said. "I think that's their biggest thing. They want to go out there and be the best. They got a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, so I think they are excited for the opportunity to try and prove some people wrong."
 
The Vaqueros finished the fall season with a 288.4 team scoring average, which is a 4.8 stroke improvement from their 293.2 at the end of last spring, and have their eyes on setting a new program record.
 
Freshman Jorge Martin Sampedro and junior Rodolphe Cicala lead the Vaqueros with a 72.1 scoring average, but three others are right on their heels with junior Esteban Gonzalez posting a 72.5 scoring average, sophomore Gabriel Dulon Villoslada posting a 72.7 scoring average, and junior Emilio Gil Leyva posting a 72.8 scoring average.
 
The Vaqueros have hit the ground running in the early spring as they prep for the Compadres Collegiate. Gonzalez posted a 12-under 59 to set the course record at McAllen Country Club.
 
The Vaqueros came in prepared for the spring and are already itching to tee it up in Mexico.
 
"We are here and we are prepared," Moore said. "Each day we are getting a little closer, but I think throughout the year as we go on, we get more and more prepared. We will get to our final preparations towards the end of March or early April, so we are getting ready."
 
Last year, the Vaqueros finished in second place at the SLC Championships but this year, could be special if everything falls into place. 
 
The Vaqueros are deep and don't be surprised if there are more records broken or even a trophy is added to the trophy case at the end of it all.   
 
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