CONTENTS 2 Quick Facts 3 Orville Cox Tennis Center 4 Strength and Conditioning Facility 5 Victory Center 6 The University 9 UTRGV Athletics Success 10 Men's Tennis History 25 Campus Life 28 The Rio Grande Valley 30 UTRGV Leadership 31 Athletic Leadership 33 The Western Athletic Conference GoUTRGV.com 2 QUICK FACTS UNIVERSITY INFORMATION COACHING STAFF Location Edinburg, Texas Head Coach Dann Nelson Mailing Address 1201 W. University Dr. Alma Mater Oklahoma Christian, '97 Edinburg, TX 78539 Career Record (Years) 179-185-1 (19th Season) Founded 2015 Record at UTRGV (Years) 20-54 (Fourth Season) Enrollment 29,012 Nickname Vaqueros PROGRAM INFORMATION School Colors Orange and Gray First Year 1952 Stadium Orville Cox Tennis Center All-Time Record 641-596-5 (.518) Capacity 300 Team National Championships 5 National Affiliation NCAA Division I Doubles National Championships 6 Conference Western Athletic Conference Singles National Championships 4 Conference Championships 13 President Dr. Guy Bailey 2018 Record 4-20 (.167) Director of Athletics Chasse Conque 2018 WAC Record 1-4 (.200) Senior Woman Administrator TBD 2018 Home Record 1-4 (.200) Athletics Office Phone 956-665-2221 2018 Road Record 1-8 (.111) Athletics Office Fax 956-665-2261 2018 Neutral Site Record 2-8 (.200) Athletics Website GoUTRGV.com Letter Winners Returning/Lost 8/2 Newcomers 2 Athletics Media Relations Manager Danny Elizondo SID Email [email protected] SID Office Phone (956) 665-2599 SID Office Fax (956) 665-2261 UTRGVAthletics @GoUTRGV GoUTRGV GoUTRGVAthletics Credits: The 2019 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Men's Tennis Information Guide was produced by the staff of the UTRGV Athletics Communications Office. The publication was written and edited by Danny Elizondo. 3 2019-20 UTRGV MEN'S TENNIS orville cox tennis center Located on the southeast side of campus, the Orville Cox Tennis Center is the home of the UTRGV men's and women's tennis teams. The Orville Cox Tennis Center received a $225,000 complete renovation in the summer of 2012, including the resurfacing of the courts, new fences, new windscreens, new walkways, and a new entrance. Built in 1958, the Orville Cox Tennis Center is named after a McAllen attorney and former President of the Pan American College Board of Regents. A member of the school's athletics Hall of Honor, Cox is known as the father of tennis at the university for his almost single- handed procurement of the construction of the then $75,000 facilitiy with a cost to Pan American College of only $3,000. The Orville Cox Tennis Center has six tennis courts available and a main bleacher capacity of 300. GoUTRGV.com 4 STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING In 2014, athletics moved into a new 3,000 square-foot area strength & conditioning facility, and in 2015, with the help of donors, UTRGV Athletics purchased brand new speed and strength equipment, as well as free weight and aerobic/cardio equipment. UTRGV Athletics also acquired new power racks, platforms, benches and dumbbells. The strength and conditioning facility is exclusively for UTRGV LUCAS MONROE Eric Sparks student-athletes. HEAD STRENGTH AND ASSISTANT STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH CONDITIONING COACH 5 2019-20 UTRGV MEN'S TENNIS VICTORY CENTER For today’s student-athletes, training and conditioning is a year-round commitment. Balancing the rigors of competing at the collegiate level with the demands of the classroom is one of the greatest challenges our student-athletes face. That is why it is so essential that the department of intercollegiate athletics provides our student-athletes with access to hands-on academic support. Located in the Academic Services Building, the Victory Center is an integral part of the life of our student-athletes and has a vast amount of services and assistance available. The Victory Center is structured after the principles of the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills Program, which is created to provide student- athletes with five basic components: Academic Excellence, Athletic Excellence, Community Service, Career Development and Personal Development. UTRGV has approximately 275 student-athletes, including approximately 150 freshmen and transfers, who are required to attend study hall and specially designed workshops that assist them in acclimating to college life and living away from home. Student-athletes must dedicate anywhere from six to 10 hours each week to study hall as they work toward their ultimate goal, graduation. The Victory Center provides student-athletes access to computers, tutors and other resources. The Victory Center, which is open six days a week Brenda Codallo Julia Perez (Sunday-Friday), houses a computer lab, a learning Assistant Athletic Director for Coordinator for Academic Services Student Development lab, areas for both individual and group study, and offices for the Academic Advisement Center staff. Each student-athlete works with their college advisor to make sure that they are enrolled in the correct classes to graduate. The Victory Center staff verifies the classes to ensure that the student- athlete is working towards their degree, making yearly satisfactory progress and meeting grade Letty Hernandez Alex Mena Greg Kuras point average requirements. Student-Athlete Advisor Student-Athlete Advisor Student-Athlete Advisor GoUTRGV.com 6 THE UNIVERSITY A New University with a Long History McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class transformative initiative provided the opportunity to in the summer of 2016. expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible UT Brownsville and UT Pan American for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent The shared history of The University of Texas-Pan University Fund – a public endowment contributing American and The University of Texas at Brownsville support to the University of Texas System and other goes back to 1973, when Pan American opened a institutions. second campus in Brownsville, which later became an independent institution of The University of Texas UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and System in 1991. Over the years, the missions and the teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including identities of these great institutions have continually in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University evolved to serve the communities of the Rio Grande of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The Valley. University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, 7 2019-20 UTRGV MEN'S TENNIS CREATING AMERICA'S NEXT GREAT UNIVERSITY In the Fall of 2015, the landscape of higher education in Eleven colleges and schools formed the academic the U.S. was forever changed. The University of Texas foundation for UTRGV, including: Rio Grande Valley enrolled its inaugural class of first-year students, and this region now shines to the rest of the •College of Medicine world as a global leader in higher education, bilingual •College of Health Affairs education, health education, biomedical research, and •College of Sciences emerging technology. •College of Liberal Arts •College of Fine Arts •College of Engineering and Computer Science •College of Business and Entrepreneurship •College of Education and P-16 Integration •Honors College •Graduate College •University College Every accomplishment in life begins with a choice. The bigger the choice, the bigger the accomplishment. When it comes to your potential, your goals, and your future, choosing the right university is as big as it gets. At UTRGV, we offer a learning experience that we believe UTRGV combined the talent, assets, and resources of UT cannot be matched. Brownsville, UT Pan American, and the Regional Academic Health Center, along with other resources, to create a new model of excellence in education. Here is the story of this significant journey: Students enrolled at UT Brownsville and UT Pan American were automatically admitted to UTRGV. 1933-48 Edinburg Junior College, as the only institution OUR STORY of higher learning in South Texas, experienced rapid growth in its early years, prompting administrators to pursue the first name change. 1927-33 1948-52 Edinburg College was founded as a two-year Edinburg Regional College was moved from community college governed by the Edinburg School the original four-acre site to a 186-acre District. The original building housed 200 students campus a few blocks west. During the 1950s and today is listed as a historical site in the city of and 60s, the campus was purchased in Edinburg, the county seat for Hidalgo County. parcels at a cost of $677,000. GoUTRGV.com 8 A Commitment to Academic Excellence A Hub for Innovation and Emerging Technology Our more than 120 undergraduate and graduate programs Our students find daily opportunities to innovate and will let you find the major that fits your goals. Our collaborate with faculty and global leaders in industry, accomplished faculty will form mentoring relationships with business, medicine, science, education, and technology. you. Our programs in science, technology, engineering, and Our facilities, such as the Coastal Studies Lab, Center mathematics (STEM) offer ideal preparation for success in a for Biomedical Studies, Center for Excellence in broad range of emerging fields. STEM Education, and many others offer distinctive opportunities for student research. An Ideal Pathway to Career Success A 21st-Century School of Medicine We know that the top priority of our students and their families is career success. No matter what professional field Our School of Medicine offers students the most you’re pursuing, at UTRGV we have the expert, individualized technologically advanced resources, including a instruction, the facilities, the real-world technology and 15,000-square-foot Smart Hospital complex.