RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Monday that it has accepted an invitation to join the Southland Conference as a full-time member beginning July 1, 2024.
 
A press conference will be held in the UTRGV Fieldhouse on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m.
 
"Our acceptance into the Southland Conference is a testament to the growth and success UTRGV has experienced since we opened in 2015," UTRGV President Guy Bailey said. "On behalf of UTRGV, I would like to thank the Southland Conference and fellow university presidents for their unwavering support. As we embark on this new journey, we look forward to forging new rivalries and celebrating remarkable academic achievements, a reflection of our shared commitment to excellence both on and off the field. Together, we stand poised to elevate the standards of collegiate athletics while nurturing the academic aspirations of our student-athletes."
 
UTRGV will compete in the Southland Conference in baseball, football, volleyball, women's soccer, and men's and women's basketball, cross country, golf, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track & field.
 
More information will become available in the coming months regarding future conference membership plans for the men's soccer and women's swimming & diving programs.
 
All UTRGV teams currently competing in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) will remain eligible to compete for conference championships and NCAA postseason play.
 
"Our move to the Southland Conference marks a meaningful day as we look to bolster the student-athlete experience," UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. "Electing to move conferences is a significant decision that requires a great deal of consideration. The Southland Conference is steeped in tradition, and we couldn't be more excited about joining the league and doing our part to add to its over 60 years of tradition.
 
"There are many benefits that this move will bring to our student-athletes, fans, and alumni. The Southland Conference is positioned in a tight footprint between Texas and Louisiana. This will allow our student-athletes to spend less time traveling cross-country and more time at home training, recovering, and preparing for competition and will significantly reduce missed class time. With significantly reduced travel, there will be cost savings that allow our department to reinvest in the student-athlete experience in ways we haven't been able to before."
 
The move brings the Southland Conference's membership to 11 institutions, including Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
UTRGV will be one of six Texas-based institutions in the Southland Conference, with the other five in nearby Louisiana.
 
UTRGV was previously a men's tennis affiliate in the Southland Conference from 2001-13.
 
UTRGV previously competed against Lamar and New Orleans in the American South Conference (1987-91) and the Sun Belt Conference (1991-98), Houston Christian in the Trans America Athletic Conference (1979-80) and Great West Conference (2009-13), and Lamar in the WAC (2021-22).
 
"We are delighted to welcome the Vaqueros and their rich tradition of athletic and academic excellence to the Southland Conference," Southland Conference Commissioner Chris Grant exclaimed. "In an era where too many college athletes are pushed beyond reasonable limits by travel related to away games, we are proud to add another great institution to our 'gas tank league' featuring rich competition that is easily accessible to our student-athletes, families, and fans. We are thrilled to welcome an incredible institution that strengthens our league and its members while continuing to support and enhance the student-athlete experience."
 
Regionality
 
The move to the Southland Conference will significantly decrease UTRGV's travel. The total roundtrip mileage from UTRGV to all full-time Southland Conference institutions is 9,448 miles, compared to the 22,970 miles roundtrip from UTRGV to all WAC institutions. Travel for football will decrease as well, as UTRGV's roundtrip distance to the other eight football-playing Southland Conference institutions is 7,780 miles, compared to the 19,612 miles of roundtrip travel to United Athletic Conference institutions.
 
The decreased travel is expected to lead to a significant decrease in total missed class days for UTRGV student-athletes as well as significant savings in travel costs, all of which will be reinvested in the student-athlete experience.
 
With all conference contests held within a two-state footprint, UTRGV student-athletes can remain in the central time zone for all competitions and spend more time at home, allowing for better rest and recovery, improving the welfare of UTRGV student-athletes, and increasing their chances for competitive success.
 
About 60% of UTRGV student-athletes are from Texas and about 50% of all UTRGV alumni live in the triangle ranging from the Valley to Beaumont and San Antonio, a footprint encompassing UTRGV, Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The more regional footprint will make it easier for supporters to attend UTRGV conference games both at home and on the road. UTRGV joins HCU, UIW, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi as the fourth Hispanic Serving Institution in the Southland's footprint. 
 
Earned Every Day
 
The Southland Conference was founded in 1963 with institutions including Lamar, which has spent a total of 49 years in the conference. In total, the 10 current full-time members have an average tenure of 25 years, providing remarkable stability.
 
With an office based in Frisco, the Southland Conference is the reason the NCAA Division I FCS National Championship is contested in Texas, hosting the football title game in Frisco since 2010. The Southland Conference has already secured the championship game through 2025. The Southland Conference has made its impact on the NFL as well, with 11 alumni on NFL rosters in 2021 and seven in 2022. Houston Christian's Caleb Johnson made his NFL debut with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023.
 
Southland Conference teams have won 18 games in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, including Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last year. This season, the McNeese Cowboys entered March Madness as a 12-seed, the highest seed a Southland member has earned since 2015. The Southland Conference has sent 16 players to the NBA, including Kevon Harris, who is currently with the Orlando Magic.
 
Current Southland Conference institutions have sent 28 players to Major League Baseball, including four in 2023 – Grant Anderson (Texas Rangers), Jace Peterson (Arizona Diamondbacks), Tanner Rainey (Washington Nationals), and Wade Miley (Milwaukee Brewers).
 
Innovation
 
The Southland Conference changed its basketball scheduling matrix this year, playing men's conference contests on Saturday and Mondays and women's contests on Thursdays and Saturdays. Conference institutions host men's and women's basketball doubleheaders on Saturdays.
 
The Monday games allow Southland Conference institutions and men's basketball student-athletes to receive increased exposure by competing on a day with fewer other sporting events, leading to more games on ESPN linear networks and increased viewership on ESPN+.
 
Men's and women's basketball games receive increased exposure by not having to compete at the same time as the institution's other basketball team. This is both a benefit for both the teams and for fans, who no longer have to choose which game to watch but can instead watch both.
 
This innovative scheduling arrangement, along with exciting play on the court, has led to Southland Conference institutions being featured on Sportscenter's Top 10 plays 18 times this season.
 
#RallyTheValley
 
Just as this move to the Southland Conference will offer fans greater access to attending UTRGV sporting events, the Vaqueros continue to make themselves accessible through community service.
 
UTRGV ranked seventh in NCAA Division I in community service hours in the Helper Helper NCAA 2023 Service Challenge. This includes engagement across the entire Valley, with youth clinics and competitions across multiple sports, including baseball, soccer, tennis, and track & field in Cameron Country. UTRGV Athletics has also hosted conference championships in five different cities – Brownsville, Edinburg, Harlingen, McAllen, and Pharr – across the Valley.
 
Academically, UTRGV student-athletes have thrived, currently sporting a department record 3.34 cumulative grade point average. Last year, UTRGV Athletics posted the highest projected APR in department history at 990.
 
The growing community support has led to record investment in corporate partnerships and ticket sales as well as unprecedented fundraising success. Just last week, UTRGV Athletics announced the largest gift in department history – $20 million dollars from Robert and Janet Vackar.
 
UTRGV Athletics is currently amid over $160 million in construction currently complete or underway impacting all 18 sports. This includes the construction of the Vaqueros Performance Center, a 45,000-plus-square-foot facility, that will house the football program and feature a state-of-the-art weight training, academic and sports medicine facilities for use by multiple teams, as well as two practice fields, one of which will be striped for both football and soccer. UTRGV also recently acquired Robert and Janet Vackar Stadium at which it will host football games, providing UTRGV some of the best football facilities at the NCAA Division I FCS level. 
 
These new spaces keep the emphasis on both the student-athlete and fan experience. UTRGV Athletics shattered multiple attendance records for the second straight year in 2022-23, as nearly 100,000 fans cheered on the Vaqueros, more than doubling overall attendance over the past 5 years. UTRGV Athletics is on pace to surpass the 100,000 mark this year. Additionally, UTRGV Athletics has already sold over 3,500 football season tickets for the inaugural 2025 season.

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