RIO GRANDE VALLEY – A dream season was realized in 2025-26 for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's golf program after securing the Southland Conference (SLC) Championship on the final hole.
 
As the Vaqueros prepare for their title defense, UTRGV Director of Golf Houston Moore has made one thing clear: last season is over.
 
"Hey, we're at ground zero. It's day one right now," Moore said. "Last year's in the past. This year is the only thing that matters. So, it's starting fresh again, and we're ready to get after it."
 
Moore and the women's golf program return a stellar group of six student-athletes who helped the program earn its first-ever conference championship. This season, the returners are not only fueled by competition but by belief as well.
 
"I think the team's mindset is a little different," Moore said. "I think last year showed them that they could do it."
 
UTRGV returns all five student-athletes that competed at the SLC Championships last year. Standing out among the bunch are juniors Miriam Barcalova and Pitchayapa Pungpho who both finished tied-for-second with an even par across all three rounds.
 
Seniors and four-year Vaqueros Natalia Rodriguez and Preston Saiz also return as UTRGV looks to repeat as SLC Champions. Rounding out the UTRGV core are juniors Zoe Hobbs and Kieli Saenz. Hobbs, Rodriguez, and Saiz all competed at the championships while Saenz filled in as a sub at the NCAA Regional in Tallahassee, Fla.
 
"[Barcalova, Hobbs, and Pungpho] were three big transfers for us last season who really left their stamp on this program and helped elevate the players that were here previously," Moore said. "I think that same culture, that same mentality has stretched into this season."
 
Fueling the competition are the three freshmen, Nerea Garrido Fernandez, Avery Glazner, and Kanyanat Kamphoo. Although new to the program, they have already started to stand out to Moore and UTRGV Special Assistant to the Head Coach Puthita "Pang" Khuandree.
 
"[The freshmen] have come in hungry, extremely competitive, and they have definitely made their mark already," Moore said. "I see a bright future for them, and I'm excited for us as a team this year. Our level of competitiveness out of the gate has been significantly different than last year."
 
Moore's biggest takeaway from last season was simple: "Golf is hard." After winning a conference championship and competing at an NCAA Regional, Moore believes that experience showed the Vaqueros the level required to take another step as a program.
 
With a new sense of belief, competitiveness, and championship experience, the Vaqueros' pursuit of a repeat starts with day one.
 
The season starts Monday in Colorado as UTRGV returns for Northern Colorado's Bear Brawl from Sept. 7-8 at Greeley Country Club. Fans can follow along through live results.
 
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