RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced the hiring of Chris Seroka as Head Strength & Conditioning Coach and Dakota Loosemore as Associate Athletic Trainer.
 
Chris Seroka
 
Seroka brings 30 years of experience leading strength & conditioning departments across the country, which include stops at North Texas (UNT), Missouri Southern State, and Texas Southern.
 
Seroka spent the last eight years with Texas Southern, overseeing the strength & conditioning for 350 student-athletes. Alongside his responsibilities of supervising the strength & conditioning staff, Seroka was responsible for the strength & conditioning for men's basketball, bowling, and men's and women's golf. The Texas Southern men's basketball team won three consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Tournament Championships and earned two NCAA tournament wins. Both men's and women's golf also won conference championships in 2022, with the women repeating in 2023.
 
"I am thrilled to welcome Coach Seroka to UTRGV," Deputy Director of Athletics/Senior Woman Administrator Molly Castner said. "His leadership and enthusiasm for collegiate athletics make him a great addition to our strength & conditioning staff. Chris knows what it takes to build successful teams and develop student-athletes at a high level."
 
Seroka had a quick stint with Missouri Southern State where he oversaw all aspects of strength & conditioning for 12 athletic programs. Alongside his strength & conditioning responsibilities, he also managed maintenance and upkeep of the two primary facilities, managed the yearly budget, and managed the staff of full-time and part-time employees.
 
"I am honored and humbled by the opportunity to join the UTRGV family provided to me by [Senior Vice President and Director of Athletics] Chasse Conque," Seroka said. "I would like to sincerely thank Molly Castner for her guidance and insight throughout the interview and hiring process. I am extremely excited to, once again, join forces with [Head Men's Basketball Coach] Brandon Chambers and the elite staff he has assembled! I also very much look forward to joining a very accomplished strength and conditioning staff comprised of Chase Haselhorst, Dan Park, Elijah Pinion, Nico Bodden and especially Don Sommer, whose championship history in our field is second to none. Let's all get ready to #RallyTheValley!"
 
Seroka spent 17 years with UNT, where he oversaw the strength & conditioning for over 350 student-athletes across 16 sports. Across his tenure, he worked directly with the football, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, women's tennis, and volleyball programs.

The strength and conditioning program emphasized the use of proper technique in its core lifts to assist in improving the athleticism and explosiveness of its athletes while implementing flexibility and prehab protocols to prevent injury and shorten the duration of rehabilitation.

Seroka implemented the strength and conditioning program for the men's basketball team which averaged over 20 wins per season from 2006-07 through the 2011-12 seasons, including the 2007 and 2010 Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Each of those seasons established new school records for wins in a season, 23 (2006-07) and 24 (2009-10).

Seroka helped the North Texas football program establish dominance in the Sun Belt Conference, winning four-straight conference championships and making appearances in four consecutive bowl games from 2001-2004.

Prior to his tenure at North Texas, Seroka held the position of head strength and conditioning coach at Louisiana State University. A 1988 graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, he was a three-year letter winner in football while also earning two letters in baseball. He was a member of the South squad in the 1989 Senior Bowl.
 
Dakota Loosemore
 
Loosemore joins UTRGV Athletics after spending four years at McNeese and oversees the men's soccer and track & field/cross country programs.
 
Loosemore was promoted to Associate Athletic Trainer at McNeese in June 2025. In that role, Loosemore worked primarily with the football program and facilitated all travel planning and execution for the sports medicine staff, acted as primary of student volunteers and pre-professional students, coordinated dry needling for the football program, and drug testing for all male student-athletes. Prior to his promotion, Loosemore primarily worked with the track & field/cross country program for three years.
 
"I am excited for Dakota to join our sports medicine department," said. Associate Athletic Director of Sport Medicine Shane Venteicher. "He brings valuable experience to the group and a passion for helping student-athletes be the best they can be."
 
Loosemore also oversaw the athletic training for the track & field/cross country program at Southern University. He was also tasked with directing rehabilitation in prevention, evaluation, immediate care, treatment rehabilitation and conditioning of all student-athletes on campus for the Jaguars.
 
"I'm excited to be part of the UTRGV Family and continue to do what I love which is to help athletes be athletes," Loosemore said.
 
Prior to his time at Southern, Loosemore completed his first stint with McNeese as a Graduate Assistant Athletic Trainer. In this role, he once again oversaw the athletic training of the track & field/cross country program.
 
Loosemore started his career as an Athletic Training Student with Louisiana State (LSU). During his time at LSU, Loosemore provided daily sport coverage and record keeping for the football, softball, and swimming & diving programs. In addition, he also completed rotations in physical therapy, orthopedic, general medicine clinics, and post-surgical rehabilitation in the athletic training facility.
 
Alongside his experience, Loosemore is also a Licensed Athletic Trainer and Certified Athletic Trainer. He has earned multiple certifications including, Performance Enhancing Specialist, Level 1 Graston Technique, First Aid/CPR, American Heart Association BLS, Level 1 & 2 Dry Needling, and Dry Needling UND-C. Loosemore is also a member of the National Association of Athletic Trainers, Southeast Athletic Trainers' Association, and Louisiana Athletic Trainers Association.
 
Loosemore earned his Master of Science in Kinesiology with a concentration in Health and Wellness Promotion from McNeese in 2022 and his Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from LSU in 2020.