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 their final tune-up before championship season 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 8:15 a.m., and the women's runners are scheduled to begin a 6K race at 8:50 a.m.
The field is among the deepest of the season, featuring 14 women's teams and 11 men's teams ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association South Central Region. Southland Conference (SLC) opponents Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, LSU New Orleans, McNeese, Nicholls, Stephen F. Austin and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi will also be in the field, with Stephen F. Austin ranked No. 6 in the region on the women's side and No. 2 on the men's side. The meet also serves as a preview of the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, which Texas A&M will host Nov. 13.
"We're looking forward to another opportunity to compete and put our training to the test. Our focus is on being intentional, trusting our preparation and competing for each other. We want to leave this race with confidence and something we can build on heading into conference," Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Shareese Hicks said.
Competing Friday for the UTRGV men's team will be McAllen Rowe alum Kevin Cardenas, Nirmit Dahiya, Vanguard Rembrandt alum Gael Gonzalez, Brock Morales, PSJA Memorial alum Diego Piña and McAllen Memorial alum Roehl Rodriguez. The Vaqueros women's runners include Santa Maria alum Mia Picazo, Kailey Salazar, Harlingen South alum Jessica DeLeon, Economedes alum Maddison Surita, N-Vanee Anchike, Lilian Mateo and Daphne Kausz.
UTRGV opened the 2026 season at the UIW Invitational in San Antonio, where the women placed sixth and the men seventh. Salazar led the women with a sixth-place finish in the 5K at 17:33, the second-fastest 5K in program history, while Picazo took 11th with a personal-best 17:50. On the men's side, Morales led the Vaqueros with a 26th-place finish in the 8K (26:51) in his first collegiate race.
Several Vaqueros have raced at Watts before, and Hicks said that familiarity will help the team build a clear race plan.
"Having familiarity with the course helps us prepare with a clear race plan. The biggest message is to be smart early, establish position and stay engaged when the race gets uncomfortable. We want our runners to understand that they can be patient and still be competitive. For those who have raced here before, this is an opportunity to use that experience to make better decisions throughout the race," Hicks said.
With the Southland Conference Championships approaching, Hicks said the focus is on how the team competes as much as where it finishes.
"We want to see consistency, toughness and a stronger team effort. That means closing the gaps between our runners, responding when competitors make a move and finishing with purpose. Beyond times and places, we are looking at how we compete when things get difficult. This is our final opportunity before conference to identify what needs adjusting and show that we're ready to put a complete race together," Hicks said.
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