RIO GRANDE VALLEY – Success has a way of bringing people together, and the women's sports programs at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) are giving the Valley something to rally behind. 
 
The Vaqueros women's teams and student-athletes have combined to win three of UTRGV's four 2025-26 Southland Conference (SLC) championships with the fall and winter sports completed. They have claimed eight of UTRGV's 10 conference superlatives while accounting for 25 of the department's 37 All-Conference honorees. 
 
Historic moments have come in spades. The women's indoor track & field team won the Southland Conference (SLC) Championship – the first-ever conference title for the program. Senior Nayla Harris became the first women's track athlete to reach the NCAA Indoor Championship and earned First Team All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter dash – becoming the first in program and SLC history to achieve such a feat. 
 
UTRGV's women's basketball team went 21-14 in its winningest campaign ever, securing the program's first 20-win season and first road postseason victory. The Vaqueros broke or tied 14 single-season program records. 
 
The volleyball team won the regular season SLC Championship behind a program-best 16-match winning streak as part of a 22-8 campaign. The Vaqueros set a program record for the second consecutive season with 10 total all-conference honors and four superlatives – leading the Southland in both. 
 
The cross country team took third at SLC Championships, the best finish at a conference meet since 2010, en route to a No. 14 rank in the South Central Region. In the department-wide Vaqueros Cup, which awards points to teams in a variety of athletic, academic and civic categories, the women's track & field/cross country and volleyball programs are the only ones to break 100 points in athletic achievement so far. Three of the four teams with over 100 total points in the Vaqueros Cup standings are women's programs. 
 
Any way you look at it, the UTRGV women are thriving, and they're showing young fans in the Valley and beyond what is possible. 
 
"A culture of winning has been brewing in the Valley. Nothing is more fun for me than watching the pieces come together and seeing our women's teams compete at a high level," said Molly Castner, the Deputy Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator. "I've noticed an uptick in young girls attending our competitions and one of the coolest things is that our ladies are getting recognized in public. When our women's teams are successful, it shows girls in the Valley that there are collegiate opportunities here and that women's sports are valued at UTRGV." 


 
Women's sports are on the rise across all levels in the United States. Nearly three years ago, a group of professional female athletes founded Togethxr, an apparel brand that launched the extremely popular "Everyone Watches Women's Sports" t-shirt. Organizations and schools, including UTRGV, have created their own versions of shirts with a similar message to promote the growing popularity of and need to invest in women's sports. 
 
UTRGV Athletics has distributed two versions of a "Support Women's Sports" t-shirt at various women's sporting events in recent years while using those contests to recognize contributions women make in athletics and the community. Fans are coming out in droves to support the Vaqueros, resulting in attendance records for many teams and the department overall. UTRGV welcomed 25,195 fans across eight events in six days during #RallyTheValley Week, presented by McAllen International Airport, from Feb. 12-17, 2026, including two women's basketball games. Volleyball drew 13,391 fans during the 2025 season, setting a program record for the second consecutive year. Women's basketball played in front of 5,984 fans in a game against then-#2 Texas at Bert Ogden Arena. 
 
The department has actively worked to promote its women's sports and get the fans engaging with those Vaqueros, and the investment is benefitting the student-athletes, coaches, and community.
 
"It has been rewarding to see the fan bases of our women's teams grow, which has been reflected in our attendance and engagement. The "Support Women's Sports" t-shirt has been one of our most popular items to date, and it's been meaningful to see fans being intentional about wearing them and showing their support for UTRGV women's sports," said Sara Hernandez Mendez, the Associate Athletic Director for Marketing and Strategic Initiatives and a former UTPA track & field student-athlete. 
 
"I am incredibly proud of our teams' success this year, but what makes me the proudest is the way our female student-athletes are inspiring a new generation of young women in our region," Hernandez continued. "As an alum, I am particularly proud of the women's track & field success in the last couple of years. But in the bigger picture, we see the many women who have come through our programs being successful in their careers after college. That's my favorite part. Representation and exposure to athletics is making waves in the way these young women view their potential and believe they belong in spaces they may not have seen themselves in before." 


 
Women's basketball senior Charlotte O'Keefe spoke positively of the commitment she's seen to women's sports throughout her four years at UTRGV. While there may be challenges for women's teams at other schools, O'Keefe said it never felt different or unequal comparing her experiences to the men's student-athletes, and she was confident that when something didn't feel quite right, she could voice her opinion and have the issue addressed. 
 
O'Keefe saw the game day atmosphere improve consistently during her career due to renovations to the UTRGV Fieldhouse, including a new video board, court, and atrium. UTRGV Athletics has invested over $180 million in 13 capital projects since 2022 to build, renovate or enhance facilities benefitting all 18 programs by 2027, and seeing that inspires the student-athletes. 
 
"Women's basketball is one of the fastest growing sports right now, and I think our growth mirrors that. It is night and day. The past two seasons have been a completely different experience compared to my first two, and it shows through the product we put out on the floor," O'Keefe said. "There has been a major investment in not just WBB but all sports here at UTRGV and you can see that pay off through the success of so many different programs, including ours." 


 
The Vaqueros are motivated when they see their fellow student-athletes do special things, O'Keefe said. There's a true sense of unity within UTRGV Athletics, and the student-athlete support at home games proves that. The championships won by volleyball and indoor track & field gave the women's basketball team a spark as they pushed through their own season. 
 
"We love watching any team succeed, but especially our fellow women's sports. Lots of us have good friends on other women's teams, so it is fun to cheer for them and see all of their hard work pay off. It inspires us to want to have that success," O'Keefe said. 
 
Track & field/cross country head coach Shareese Hicks echoed O'Keefe's sentiments about rallying around the accomplishments of women across the department. The cross country, indoor and outdoor track & field teams work year-round and have always done well building on each other's success. But this year in particular, it has been special for Hicks to see other teams, and the entire Vaqueros fan base, get excited for and feed off her teams. 
 
"When one group succeeds, everyone feels it. Cross country set the tone and that carried into our indoor season. What our indoor team accomplished, and what Nayla Harris did individually, it gave everyone a tangible example of what's possible. It's no longer hypothetical. They've seen it, they've been a part of it, and now they expect it. That kind of belief is powerful and it spreads quickly," Hicks said. 
 
"The support from across the department has been incredible. There's been a lot of genuine excitement and pride in what we've done so far," she added. "I've heard stories of people screaming at their TVs while we are competing and I know our squad is so grateful. That kind of recognition matters and it reinforces to our athletes that their work is seen and valued, and it absolutely adds motivation. Our women take pride in representing UTRGV, and when they feel that support, it pushes them to keep raising the bar." 
 
The Vaqueros women can take pride in knowing they played a massive part in winning UTRGV's second South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union. The tennis team defeated rival Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the reigning and four-time consecutive SLC champions, for the first time in eight years on March 21, helping to clinch the trophy. The golf team also defeated Corpus and retained the South Texas Cup, contributing to the 22.5 points the Vaqueros women produced to help UTRGV clinch the Showdown at 30.5 points. Adding to the incredible women's sport success is swimming & diving sophomore Manou Meulebeek, who returned to the NCAA Zone "D" Diving Championships and earned the program's highest finish in history. 

"Being a part of all the success the women's teams have had at UTRGV this year has meant everything to me," saidJulianna Bryant, a redshirt sophomore on the volleyball team and a Valley product. "As a student-athlete, I've not only had the opportunity to compete, but also support other programs, and it's been amazing to see all of us succeed together. It really feels like we're building something special."


 
Togetherness and collaboration are key factors that make women's sports special, and that is reflected even in the women in administrative and support roles at UTRGV. Sports develop leaders who understand the importance of accountability, discipline, trust and passion. There's a genuine effort to uplift and encourage one another throughout the department, and it sets the women of UTRGV up for tremendous success. 
 
"Throughout my career, I've grown a lot as both an athlete and a person," Bryant said. "I've learned to be more disciplined, consistent, and mentally tough. I've developed into a leader through my energy and the example I set. Being surrounded by strong, driven women, especially my teammates, has pushed me to keep growing every day." 
 
Added Castner: "I'm grateful for an athletic director who supports women in this industry and encourages me to be me. I'm also grateful for the women I work with who champion for me. On some of the hardest workdays, I can count on my colleagues to pick me up and I think that is a direct correlation of sports." 
 
UTRGV is enjoying a phenomenal year in athletics. From historic performances to best seasons in a long while, all of the Vaqueros are doing incredible things to bring attention to their school. As Women's History Month reaches its close, it's paramount to take a moment and reflect on the accomplishments, contributions and foundational impact the women are making as UTRGV becomes a household name. 
 
"There's a growing sense of pride in what our women's programs are accomplishing. It's incredibly meaningful, not just as a coach but as someone who believes deeply in what women's sports represent," Hicks said. "To see our women's teams have this kind of success across the department shows that the standard is rising, and it's not by chance – it's by intention. These young women are proving that when you invest in them, they deliver at the highest level." 

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