RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men's golf team showed growth, consistency, and success throughout the 2025-26 season and it all started with a group of newcomers that brought a new level of competitiveness. 
 
Rodolphe Cicala, Gabriel Dulon Villoslada, Brock Porter, and Jorge Martin Sampedro all joined the program prior to the start of the season. 
 
This group has certainly made their presence felt with all four being in the lineup when the Vaqueros won the Southland Conference (SLC) Championship. In fact, all four have been in the starting lineup in five of the seven tournaments this spring. 
 
In 2024-25, the Vaqueros ranked 173 in the Scoreboard rankings and posted a team scoring average of 293.2 with just one top-three finish. This season, the Vaqueros rank 132 in the Scoreboard rankings and have posted a 288.7 scoring average with two wins and four top-three finishes. 
 
The group of newcomers were brought in for a reason and that was to push the program to be better. 
 
"Coach [Houston] Moore was very clear on the objective," junior Gabriel Dulon Villoslada said. "He wanted us to compete. Based on that, we knew what we had to do. We still have room to get better, and I think we are on a good track."
 
Sampedro has led the team with a 71.6 scoring average this season with two top-three finishes. Cicala boasts a 72.2 scoring average with three top-10 finishes.
 
 Villoslada has a 72.7 scoring average with two top-10 finishes, including a seventh place finish at SLC Championships. Porter has a 74.1 scoring average with three top-25 finishes and had his biggest round of the year in the final round at the SLC Championships.
 
"I think we bring in a pretty good level of golf," freshman Jorge Martin Sampedro said. "This team had a pretty good season last year but, this year has been really good. We came in and transmitted that level to the other guys that were here and made them better."
 
Sampedro was named SLC Golfer and Freshman of the Year. Sampedro and Cicala were named to the All-Conference First Team while Villoslada earned Second Team honors. 
 
With just five spots in a starting lineup, not everyone on the roster can make the trip to a tournament but everyone is capable of earning a spot. The level of competitiveness that this group has brought has raised that level of pressure to play ones best.
 
That changes the focus at practice and during qualifying that helps elevate expectations. 
 
"They have made everyone on the roster better," Associate Head Coach Joseph Kirk said. "In qualifying, we have felt the pressure that we feel on the road, which I think makes a big difference because all of a sudden, our day to day practices start to feel like tournaments on the road, just because all nine guys are capable of being in the top-five. That's a big plus for us as coaches because we don't' have to find ways to bring the tournament feeling here at home."
 
Along with that different level of competitiveness, the newcomers have brought in a different attitude to the program. That attitude has helped the Vaqueros build a team chemistry that has been at the base of their success this season.
 
"I think they have brought a lot of excitement," junior Esteban Gonzalez said. "Everyone was excited to be here. Everyone was excited to play and that has brought the whole vibe up as a team. Everyone wanted to be on the golf course. Everyone wanted to practice. That's a really important thing. Them being excited to be here made everyone a little more enthusiastic."
 
The vibes have been good for the Vaqueros here in 2025-26 as they have made program history with their first-ever SLC Championship, NCAA Regional, conference player of the year, and conference coach of the year.
 
The Vaqueros are looking to carry those vibes into the Bryan Regional next week where they will look to earn a spot to the NCAA Tournament in Carlsbad, California. 
 
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