Texas Rio Grande Valley Athletics

Why is UTRGV choosing to join the Southland Conference?
UTRGV is choosing to join the Southland Conference to bolster the student-athlete experience. Being in a more regional conference will allow UTRGV student-athletes to spend more time on campus and in their classrooms due to significantly reduced travel time. It will also allow families to travel and watch more contests across the states of Texas and Louisiana. As an athletic department, a decrease in spending on travel will allow us to reinvest in the overall student-athlete experience. This is a win for all.
 
What schools are in the Southland Conference?
UTRGV is the 11^th full-time member of the Southland Conference, which includes Houston Christian, Incarnate Word, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, Northwestern State, Southeastern, Texas A&M-Commerce, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Including UTRGV, there will be six institutions in Texas and five in neighboring Louisiana.

Was this UTRGV’s choice?
Yes. UTRGV was a member in good standing of the Western Athletic Conference prior to choosing to exit the conference to accept the invitation from the Southland Conference.
 
Why now? When does it become official?
UTRGV was presented with an opportunity by the Southland Conference to join. After careful consideration, UTRGV determined now is the right time to make a move considering the uncertainty and disruption we are seeing across college athletics. UTRGV will become a full member of the Southland Conference on July 1, 2024. Until then, UTRGV will be competing in the Western Athletic Conference.
 
How does this benefit UTRGV?
The Southland Conference will provide UTRGV with more opportunities to spread awareness in the States of Texas and Louisiana. Additionally, about half of UTRGV alumni live in the Rio Grande Valley, Houston, and San Antonio. This will allow UTRGV to generate greater engagement and participation with alumni throughout the state.
 
How does this benefit the Rio Grande Valley community?
The Southland Conference has greater access to games on linear television through its partnership with ESPN, providing an expanded opportunity to promote the Valley to a national audience. All Southland Conference opponents are within driving distance, potentially increasing the number of visiting fans that will come to home games at UTRGV. This can lead to an increase in local economic activity at hotels, restaurants, and shops as well as an increase in tax revenue. UTRGV fans will also have an easier time following the Vaqueros on the road, with the ability to drive to most conference road games.
 
Was this a financial decision? 
No. While we do expect some savings in travel costs that will be reinvested into the athletic department, the decision to move to the Southland was purely driven by improving the overall athletic and academic experience for our student-athletes.
 
What are the costs of the move?
This move will result in net cost savings for UTRGV, and no institutional dollars will be used for the WAC exit fee. Costs associated with changing logos on playing surfaces and uniforms will have a minimal budget impact. The UTRGV Fieldhouse court was already scheduled to be resealed this spring, providing an opportunity to paint new logos on the court. Padding at the baseball stadium needs to be refreshed on a regular basis, including areas with conference logos. Additionally, conference and opponent flags are replaced every 1-to-2 years. UTRGV will use any savings from reduced travel to reinvest in UTRGV student-athletes.
 
UTRGV has made a habit of hosting WAC Championships over the last few years. Will these opportunities still exist in the Southland Conference?
Yes. UTRGV looks forward to hosting Southland Conference Championships across multiple sports in the years to come and using these events to drive exposure for and traffic to the Rio Grande Valley. Hosting championships has a significant economic impact on the Rio Grande Valley, and we will continue our commitment to attract conference championships to enhance the student-athlete experience and benefit our region.
 
What does this mean for football?
UTRGV football will compete in the Southland Conference, which hosts the NCAA Division I FCS Championship Game in Frisco, Texas every year and has seen considerable success in recent years, including Incarnate Word being ranked No. 3 in the nation in 2022 and No. 22 in 2023. We look forward to competing in the tradition-rich Southland Conference in football.
 
In what conference(s) will UTRGV men’s soccer and women’s swimming & diving compete?
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.
 
The Southland Conference sponsors two sports in which UTRGV does not compete – softball and beach volleyball. Are there any plans to add sports?
UTRGV is currently focusing on implementing successful launches of the women’s swimming & diving (fall 2024) and football (fall 2025) programs. Consideration of future sport expansion will only be considered following the launch of these programs.