RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics recognized 28 award winners at the annual V Awards ceremony, presented by KRGV, on Monday at the UTRGV Performing Arts Center.
 
Those winning awards include:
Student-Athlete of the Year (Female) – Nayla Harris (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Student-Athlete of the Year (Male) – Eddie Lee Marburger (Football)
Rookie of the Year (Female) ­– Chazlyn Dettor (Women's Basketball)
Rookie of the Year (Male) – Jorge Martin Sampedro (Men's Golf)
Newcomer of the Year (Female) ­– Martina Franco (Volleyball)
Newcomer of the Year (Male) – Spencer Rich (Football)
Breakout Athlete of the Year (Female) – Faith Cruz (Women's Cross Country)
Breakout Athlete of the Year (Male) – Michael Chan (Men's Tennis)
Comeback Player of the Year – Julianna Bryant (Volleyball)
Team Performances of the Year (Female) – Women's Indoor Track & Field and Women's Golf Win Southland Conference Championships
Team Performance of the Year (Male) – Men's Tennis Beats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to Clinch South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, Championship
Legacy Award (Female) – Charlotte O'Keefe (Women's Basketball)
Legacy Award (Male) – Abraham Morales (Men's Track & Field/Cross Country), Hank Warren (Baseball), Sam Whitehead (Men's Tennis)
Anheuser Busch/Ann LaMantia Award – Adelaide Fleischmann (Women's Track & Field)
Lou Hassel Award – Tristan Solis (Men's Track & Field)
Academic Team of the Year – Women's Golf
Community Engagement Team of the Year – Women's Track & Field
Iron V – Alejandro Arellano (Men's Track and Field), Isa Bento (Volleyball), Linnea Eld (Women's Soccer), Nayla Harris (Women's Track & Field), Sam Whitehead (Men's Tennis), Thomas Williams (Baseball)
Student-Athlete #RISEUp Award – Fabian Garcia (Football)
Student Athletic Trainer of the Year – Nilzhe Sosa Hernandez (Men's Soccer)
 
The newcomer of the year awards are given to first year student-athletes that are not freshmen. The breakout athlete of the year is given to student-athletes who made significant jumps in athletic prowess compared to last season. The legacy awards are given to student-athletes who have spent at least four years with their program and made significant impacts during their careers at UTRGV. The Lou Hassel and Anheuser Busch/Ann LaMantia awards are given to the senior student-athletes with the highest grade point averages (GPA) who competed during the current academic year. The academic team of the year is the team with the highest GPA.
 
The Iron V award recognizes student-athletes whose athletic accomplishments reflect their dedication to strength training and conditioning by earning All-American Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year Awards.

The Student-Athlete #RISEup Award celebrates a student-athlete who best embodies the attributes of respect, integrity, success, and engagement.
 
"Tonight was about celebrating the success of our student-athletes in competition, the classroom and the community," UTRGV Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "I'm excited about our future and very appreciative of each and every one of our student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
 
"We are amid a historic year competitively, with a department record four team Southland Conference Championships in the last 11 months. We are proud of all our student-athletes for their accomplishments this season. Their hard work and dedication as both students and athletes is apparent, and while we've only honored a select group tonight, they are all deserving of recognition."
 
Student-Athlete of the Year (Female)
Nayla Harris (Women's Indoor Track & Field)
Senior Nayla Harris became the first women's track athlete in UTRGV and Southland Conference (SLC) history to earn First Team All-America honors in the 60-meter dash by finishing fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She defended her SLC Championship in the 60 at the conference indoor meet, setting a meet record with her finals time of 7.19. Harris also claimed bronze in the 200-meter dash with a personal-best time of 23.87 and bronze in the long jump with a mark of 5.73 meters, scoring 22 points to help the Vaqueros women win their first indoor conference championship. Harris earned three All-Conference honors (one first team, two third team) at her last indoor conference meet. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Harris ran a personal, program, and SLC record time of 7.16 in the preliminaries to earn a spot in the finals. She ran 7.18 in her fifth-place finish. Harris became only the second women's track & field athlete in program history, first track athlete, and first UTRGV woman in 20 years to qualify for the national meet.
 
Student-Athlete of the Year (Male)
Eddie Lee Marburger (Football)
Eddie Lee Marburger, who graduated in December with a Bachelor of Multidisciplinary Studies with minors in business administration, management, and marketing, was a star on and off the field, finishing tied for 25^th in the Walter Payton Award voting while getting named Dave Campbell's Texas Football Texas Non-FBS Offensive Player of the Year and earning All-Texas First Team, Southland Conference Newcomer of the Year, All-Conference First Team, Phil Steele Offensive Player of the Year and First Team honors, National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society, Academic All-Conference,  Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, and AD Honor Roll recognition.
 
Marburger earned National Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention and Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27 as well as Southland Conference Offensive Player of the Week Honorable Mention on Sept. 1. He led the Southland in nine statistical categories, ranking fourth in the FCS in passing efficiency (170.8), sixth in passing touchdowns (31), seventh in points responsible for per game (17.5), ninth in passing yards per completion (13.97), points responsible for (210), and yards per pass attempt (9.11), 17^th in total yards per game (257.3), 19^th in passing yards per game (231.7), and 23^rd in passing yards (2,780).
 
He also ranked third in the Southland in two categories, ranking 26^th in the FCS in completion percentage (65.2%) and 41^st in completions per game (16.58).
 
Marburger threw for a career-high six touchdowns while going 26-for-36 for a career-high 440 yards and adding a rushing touchdown vs. UIW on Oct. 25. He also rushed for a career-high 95 yards and two touchdowns vs. Houston Christian University on Oct. 4.
 
Rookie of the Year (Female)
Chazlyn Dettor (Women's Basketball)
Freshman Chazlyn Dettor was a top contributor for the UTRGV women's basketball squad which won a program-record 21 games and reached the second round of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). As a freshman, Dettor was third on the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game and rebounding at 5.3 per game. After coming off the bench the first five games of her career, Dettor established herself as a starter and played 24.4 minutes per game, starting 30 consecutive contests. She recorded two double-doubles, including a tremendous 16-point, 10-rebound performance against No. 1 McNeese in the semifinals of the SLC Tournament. She tabbed single-game career highs of 19 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
 
Rookie of the Year (Male)
Jorge Martin Sampedro (Men's Golf)
Freshman Jorge Martin Sampedro has competed in every tournament this season and leads the team in stroke average. He has posted four top 10 finishes this season, which includes a second place finish in his first-ever collegiate event at the JT Poston Invitational and most recently finished in eighth place at the Maridoe Collegiate, where he finished ahead of six golfers inside the top 100 of the Scoreboard rankings.
 
Newcomer of the Year (Female)
Martina Franco (Volleyball)
Sophomore Martina Franco earned the SLC Newcomer of the Year award along with All-Conference First Team honors after an incredible debut season with UTRGV. She led the Vaqueros by averaging 3.44 kills and 4.04 points per set and was a reliable scorer at the outside pin and from the back row. Her skills helped UTRGV win the SLC Championship and a program-record 16 consecutive matches. Franco recorded six double-doubles in 2025 and had three matches with 20+ kills along with one match of 20+ digs. She averaged 2.43 digs per set and contributed 16 aces. Franco also made the SLC All-Academic Team.
 
Newcomer of the Year (Male)
Spencer Rich (Football)
Graduate student Spencer Rich earned Phil Steele All-Conference Third Team honors, NFF Hampshire Honor Society, Southland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll, and AD Honor Roll recognition. He ranked third in the FCS and first in the Southland in fumble recoveries (3) and 58^th in the FCS and ninth in the Southland in total tackles per game (8.2).
 
Rich started all 12 games and reached double-figures in tackles four times, including 13 (five solo) vs. East Texas A&M on Nov. 22, a career-high 16 (nine solo) at McNeese on Nov. 15, 10 (two solo) at No. 18 Lamar on Oct. 18, and 12 (three solo) at Prairie View A&M on Sept. 6. He also recorded nine tackles at No. 23 Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 1 and vs. UIW on Oct. 25.
 
Breakout Athlete of the Year (Female)
Faith Cruz (Women's Cross Country)
Senior Faith Cruz earned All-Conference Second Team honors at the 2025 SLC Cross Country Championships as she earned a personal-best eighth-place finish at the meet. She was UTRGV's top finisher at the meet and led the team to a third-place finish, their best at a conference meet since 2010. Cruz was 63^rd at the NCAA South Central Regional meet, improving her previous best finish at the competition by 20 spots. Cruz ran a 6K personal best time of 21:22.6 during the 2025 season and has tabbed personal bests in the indoor mile (5:09.40), indoor 3,000-meter run (9:55.67), indoor 5,000-meter run (17:09.33), and outdoor 1,500-meter run (4:39.86) throughout the 2026 track & field seasons. She set a program record with her indoor 5,000-meter race and is third in indoor program history in the 3,000-meter run and fourth in the outdoor 5,000 with performances recorded this year.
 
Breakout Athlete of the Year (Male)
Michael Chan (Men's Tennis)
Sophomore Michael Chan joined the men's tennis program this year after transferring from South Florida, where he didn't see the court in singles during the spring season and accumulated an 0-5 record in doubles. He broke out this year by grabbing hold of the No. 6 singles spot and never looking back. His first win of the year came over a Rice team that is currently ranked 49^th in the nation during opening weekend. Chan went on to earn his first ever power conference win, winning at SMU, which is currently ranked 34^th in the country. He also had several tight matches abandoned against No. 11 Baylor, No. 72 Texas Tech, and No. 75 Tulsa. Chan made a statement in his first-ever Southland Conference match, clinching the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, and a 4-3 win over the defending SLC Champions, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. He closed out conference play with straight set wins over New Orleans and Nicholls. Chan has been the most consistent driver for the men's tennis team this season, earning a team-high 10 wins with a .556-win percentage.
 
Comeback Player of the Year
Julianna Bryant (Volleyball)
After missing most of the 2024 season and ultimately redshirting, sophomore Julianna Bryant was determined to make her mark in 2025, and she succeeded. Bryant made the All-Conference Second Team by averaging 2.09 kills and 1.03 blocks per set for the Vaqueros, helping them to the SLC Championship and a program-record 16-match winning streak. Bryant was electric in the middle blocker position, showcasing her quick and strong swing and elite blocking abilities as she scored 2.68 points per set. She was an SLC Defensive Player of the Week honoree and had six matches with five or more blocks to go with seven matches of 10+ kills. She also made the SLC All-Academic Team.
 
Team Performances of the Year (Female)
Women's Indoor Track & Field Wins Southland Conference Championships
The UTRGV women's indoor track & field team won the program's first SLC Indoor Conference Championship in program history with a dominant performance in Birmingham, Ala. Senior Nayla Harris led the way with an individual title in the women's 60-meter dash and a pair of bronze medals in the 200-meter dash and long jump. SLC Women's Track & Field Newcomer of the Year and junior N Vanee Anchike added a trio of silver medals in the 800-meter and mile runs and with the distance medley relay. UTRGV totaled 12 All-Conference honors while scoring 128 points to beat the second-place team by 22 points. Head coach Shareese Hicks was named the SLC Women's Coach of the Year.
 
Women's Golf Wins Southland Conference Championships
The UTRGV women's golf team won the program's first-ever Southland Conference Championship and the program's first conference tournament since 2009. The Vaqueros posted a program record three-round score of 868, which is the Southland Conference's second lowest ever, to earn the program's first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Team Performance of the Year (Male)
Men's Tennis Beats Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to Clinch South Texas Showdown Championship
The men's tennis team opened conference play with a statement, defeating the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders in a 4-3 thriller to clinch UTRGV's third-ever South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, Championship. It's the department's first title since 2022-23. This year's win was the Vaqueros' first over the Islanders since 2023. The Islanders took a 3-2 lead, but the Vaqueros remained composed, calm, and determined to outlast their rivals with two singles matches remaining. On court two, junior Ivo Isqueiro completed his comeback, a hard-fought 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 affair. In the final set, Isqueiro broke Omar Suarez three times to take the third set comfortably. Meanwhile, on court six, sophomore Michael Chan was in a 1-1 tie in his third set with Mikel Garrmendia. Chan, fueled by the roar of the Vaqueros one court over, cruised. It started in the following game as Chan won a tough deuce point to go up 2-1. Then, a quick break made it 3-1. Chan, looking to solidify his break, went down 0-15 before rattling off back-to-back aces and winning every point the rest of the game to go up 4-1. He dominated the rest of the way to win 6-1 and clinching the historic victory for UTRGV.
 
Legacy Award (Female)
Charlotte O'Keefe (Women's Basketball)
Senior Charlotte O'Keefe will go down as one of the best to ever suit up for UTRGV women's basketball. She is a four-time program record holder, holding the top marks in career rebounds (1,207), career blocks (146), single-season rebounds (400), and single-game rebounds (24). She is the only player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points and rebounds as she finished with 1,110 points over four years, ranking sixth in program history. O'Keefe recorded 39 career double-doubles, which is fourth-most in SLC history. With 1,207 career rebounds to her name, O'Keefe ranks fifth all-time in program history and was No. 3 in the nation among active DI players in 2025-26. As a senior, she earned All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team recognition and was a three-time SLC Player of the Week. O'Keefe was the nation's No. 2 rebounder in back-to-back seasons as a junior and senior and the only player in the SLC to average a double-double both seasons. She led the SLC in six stat categories this season and ranked among the nation's best in eight, including rebounds per game (second), defensive rebounds per game (third), total rebounds (sixth), offensive rebounds per game (12^th), double-doubles (14^th), minutes per game (21^st), blocks per game (60^th), and total blocks (78^th). The 2024-25 UTRGV Female Student-Athlete of the Year is a two-time All-Conference and two-time All-Defensive team honoree and has racked up academic awards too, making the SLC All-Academic Team and CSC Academic All-District Team. The two-time team captain shined in competition, the classroom and as a leader in the locker room and left a long-lasting legacy many will look up to for years to come.
 
Legacy Award (Male)
Abraham Morales (Men's Track & Field/Cross Country)
Senior Abraham Morales has shown incredible commitment to UTRGV on and off the competition surface. He is a multi-year team captain for track & field/cross country and an active member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), including serving as the SAAC President and being involved with the Southland Conference SAAC. He spent the summer of 2024 interning with UTRGV Athletics, shadowing multiple units and doing tasks ranging from research to social media to aiding the development of student engagement initiatives. Morales is a leader in track & field/cross country's community service efforts, which have resulted in the program being ranked in the top 10 nationally multiple times for community involvement. In competition, Morales paces the men's cross country team and earned All-Conference Second Team honors as the silver medalist in the mile at the 2026 SLC Indoor Track & Field Championships. He was also named to the Southland Cross Country All-Academic Team and is a regular on the AD Honor Roll.
 
Hank Warren (Baseball)
Senior right fielder Hank Warren has spent four years at UTRGV and was recently admitted to the UTRGV School of Podiatric Medicine with the intention of following his father's footsteps and becoming a podiatrist. A three-year starter, Warren has a career-line of .274/.368/.353, going 133-for-485 with five home runs, 17 doubles, three triples, 85 RBI, 86 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases in 146 games (138 starts). He's also shown off impressive defensive skills, including a strong and accurate arm leading to seven outfield assists. Warren's most recent home run was a two-run, go-ahead shot in the seventh to beat Southeastern at home in front of a national audience on ESPNU on April 17.
 
Sam Whitehead (Men's Tennis)
Throughout his five-year career, graduate student Sam Whitehead has been recognized among the top players in both the WAC and Southland Conference (SLC) and has accumulated 91 career wins across singles and doubles. He surged last season, earning SLC Men's Tennis Player of the Year honors and UTRGV Male Student-Athlete of the Year honors. In that special season, he went 4-1 at the number one position to lead UTRGV to a second-place finish in the regular season and a conference tournament berth. Since UTRGV joined the Southland Conference, Whitehead has posted a combined 7-3 record in conference play at the top position. Whitehead was instrumental in UTRGV's 4-3 win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2024, the program's first in 14 years, and he also played a huge role in UTRGV's win over the Islanders this season, earning a doubles and singles win at number one to help the department clinch its third-ever South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, Championship. In addition to his stellar play on the court, Whitehead is consistent in the classroom, making the Fall and Spring AD Honor Roll multiple times and earning ITA Scholar Athlete, Academic All-WAC and CSC Academic All-District awards. Whitehead earned his Bachelor of Business Administration in May 2025 and will be graduating in December with a Master of Business Administration.
 
Iron V
Alejandro Arellano (Men's Track and Field)
Senior Alejandro Arellano has made tremendous strides on the track with help from his efforts in the weight room. At the 2026 SLC Indoor Championships, Arellano made the All-Conference Third Team as he helped the 4x400-meter relay earn the bronze medal and was eighth in the 400-meter dash. He rose to third in program history in the indoor 400 with his personal best time of 47.26 and is a program record holder with the indoor 4x400-meter relay (3:09.99), both performances notched in the 2026 season.
 
Isa Bento (Volleyball)
Junior Isa Bento made 12 starts and played 28 matches for the UTRGV volleyball team, helping the squad earn the SLC Championship and win a program-record 16 consecutive matches. She averaged 1.62 digs/set and tallied 20 aces and 32 assists in 2025. 
 
Linnea Eld (Women's Soccer)
Junior Linnea Eld put in the hard work in the weight room, and it paid off on the pitch as she played and started in all 18 matches last season. Eld finished with eight points on two goals and four assists. She finished tied for the team lead in shots (32), and second in shots on goal (18), and assists (4).
 
Nayla Harris (Women's Track & Field)
Senior Nayla Harris became the first women's track athlete in UTRGV and Southland Conference (SLC) history to earn First Team All-America honors in the 60-meter dash by finishing fifth at the NCAA Indoor Championships. She defended her SLC Championship in the 60 at the conference indoor meet, setting a meet record with her finals time of 7.19. Harris also claimed bronze in the 200-meter dash with a personal-best time of 23.87 and bronze in the long jump with a mark of 5.73 meters, scoring 22 points to help the Vaqueros women win their first indoor conference championship. Harris earned three All-Conference honors (one first team, two third team) at her last indoor conference meet. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, Harris ran a personal, program, and SLC record time of 7.16 in the preliminaries to earn a spot in the finals. She ran 7.18 in her fifth-place finish. Harris became only the second women's track & field athlete in program history, first track athlete, and first UTRGV woman in 20 years to qualify for the national meet.
 
Sam Whitehead (Men's Tennis)
Graduate student Sam Whitehead's commitment to the weight room helped him anchor the top of the lineup for UTRGV, finishing his season on a 6-3 stretch over his final 11 matches, including a 3-2 record in SLC play. Whitehead opened conference play with a doubles and straight-sets singles win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to help UTRGV to a 4-3 win over the Islanders. Whitehead also claimed wins over New Orleans and Nicholls. In the fall, Whitehead made a statement as he advanced to the consolation semifinals of the ITA Texas Regional. During that run, he defeated TCU's Kai Quirjins in straight sets in the quarterfinals and pushed Texas A&M's Ethan Silva to three sets in the semifinal.
 
Thomas Williams (Baseball)
Senior Thomas Williams' work in the weight room has paid off in a significant way, as he's raised his batting averaged 52 points from .275 to .327, and his on-base percentage 31 points from .386 to .417 this season. This season Williams has hit three home runs, 10 doubles, and his first triple while driving in 24 runs, scored 34 times, and stealing four bases.
 
Student-Athlete #RISEup Award
Fabian Garcia (Football)
Freshman running back Fabian Garcia moved up the depth chart through the inaugural season of UTRGV football, seeing meaningful playing time throughout the season. His teammates laud him as "the hardest worker in the room and a great leader," adding that "everyone on the team builds off his energy and loves being around him." Garcia's leadership is evident off the field as well, as he organized a fundraiser to help support teammate Frank Medina in his battle against cancer. Garcia has made a major impact on the team.
 
Student Athletic Trainer of the Year
Nilzhe Sosa Hernandez (Men's Soccer)
Hernandez is currently finishing her four-year career with the same team with which she started – men's soccer. During her time, Hernandez has also helped cover men's and women's basketball, golf, tennis, and track & field in addition to baseball and football.
 
"Nilly has always shown a high level of commitment to our program," associate athletic trainer & sports medicine internship coordinator Paulina Torres said. "She has always exemplified a positive attitude and continuous growth. I am honored to have worked with her throughout the years, but especially her last semester with men's soccer. She has truly distinguished herself through excellence this year. I am excited to see what the future holds for her, and I have no doubt she will be an outstanding athletic trainer."

Support UTRGV Athletics | Become a Fan on Facebook | Follow us on X | Follow us on Instagram | Follow us on YouTube