Image shows UTRGV WBB assistant coach Victoria Pena in a white shirt and black pants holding an iPad as she oversees a drill at practice in the Austin Peay gym.
UTRGV women's basketball assistant coach Victoria Pena overseeing a drill at practice.

Women's Basketball

Women's Basketball Assistant Victoria Pena Partakes in NCAA Women Coaches Academy

RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball assistant coach Victoria Pena recently earned the honor of being selected as a member of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy (WCA) Class #56 and receiving the Southland Conference Tuition Scholarship to attend the professional development opportunity. 
 
The NCAA Women Coaches Academy is hosted by WeCOACH in partnership with the NCAA. Pena and 97 classmates spent May 18-20 in Denver listening to speakers and picking up valuable lessons on leadership and holistic coaching. The WCA Class #56 was made up of women coaches filling various roles in 20 sports from all three NCAA divisions, NAIA, NJCAA, and other levels of college athletics.

Photo of a group of women coaches lined up on stairs at NCAA Womens Coaches Academy Class #56
 
WeCOACH is a nonprofit organization dedicated to recruiting, advancing and retaining women coaches in all sports at various levels through programs focused on professional growth and leadership development. At the WCA, programming is aimed to create transformative leadership opportunities to aid the empowerment and retention of women coaches in collegiate athletics. 
 
The WCA has welcomed over 2,500 coaches to its academies since its inception in 2003. This year, WeCOACH awarded over $65,650 scholarships to 61 participants to attend the three-day program. 
 
The Academy opened each day with group workout opportunities, including pickleball and a session led by the Marines. Programming included networking happy hours and an awards ceremony night which celebrated women in sports legends including Billie Jean King, Lorene Ramsey, Tina Sloan Green, Barbara Stevens and Kathy Aspaas. 
 
The WCA is designed to incorporate guest speakers, breakout sessions and individualized game-planning to create a balanced and informative experience. Pena and fellow participants left feeling renewed and reminded of why they were called to coach. Finding a community of people with shared experiences and challenges fosters an environment based on inclusion, understanding and connection that sends academy participants back to their campuses ready to make a difference. 

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