CONTENTS 2 Quick Facts 3 UTRGV Practice Sites 5 Strength and Conditioning Facility 6 Victory Center 7 The University 10 UTRGV Athletics Success 11 Women's Golf History 20 Campus Life 23 The Rio Grande Valley 25 UTRGV Leadership 26 Athletic Leadership 28 The Western Athletic Conference GoUTRGV.com 2 QUICK FACTS UNIVERSITY INFORMATION COACHING STAFF Location Edinburg, TX Head Coach Bryan Novoa Mailing Address 1201 W. University Dr. Alma Mater Texas Tech, '96 Edinburg, TX 78539 Years at UTRGV Third Season Founded 2015 Enrollment 29,012 PROGRAM INFORMATION Nickname Vaqueros Letter Winners Returning/Lost 6/2 School Colors Orange and Gray Newcomers 2 Home Course Los Lagos Golf Club Yardage 7,188 National Affiliation NCAA Division I Conference Western Athletic Conference President Dr. Guy Bailey Director of Athletics Chasse Conque Senior Woman Administrator TBD Athletics Office Phone 956-665-2221 Athletics Office Fax 956-665-2261 Athletics Website GoUTRGV.com 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) Women's Golf 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 WOMEN'S GOLF UTRGV PRACTICE SITES LOS LAGOS GOLF CLUB Los Lagos Golf Club is an 18-hole golf facility that combines a spectacular combination of links, mounding and sand, as well as 11 acres of lakes that makes it a jewel of the Rio Grande Valley. Located just four miles away from campus, Los Lagos has been the Vaqueros' home course since it opened in 2001. The course is a links-style course with open, rolling fairways leading to small, undulating greens that vary in shape and speed. Los Lagos Golf Club ranks as one of the top courses in the Rio Grande Valley each year. The par 72 golf course plays 7,188 yards from the back tees. It is also equipped with a practice putting green and a driving range. Located about 18 miles from campus, the McAllen MCALLEN COUNTRY CLUB Country Club is a private establishment, which was incorporated in 1946, that offers its members a premiere championship 18-hole golf course. The course is traditional in design, with smaller greens and tree-lined fairways, which provides an outstanding challenge for the all golfers. McAllen Country Club will host the UTRGV Invitational in the spring. GoUTRGV.com 4 Located about 17 miles from campus, the Club at CLUB AT CIMARRON Cimarron opened in 1983. The 18-hole, par 72 plays at 6,821 yards. The fairways eature 419 Bermuda grass with TifEagle Bermuda greens. The Club at Cimarron is equipped with a large driving range and practice sand bunkers. Located about 12 miles from campus, Monte Cristo Golf Club provides a picturesque setting for the MONTE CRISTO GOLF CLUB community and is considered a hidden gem in the Rio Grande Valley. The 18-hole, par 71 championship course plays 6,392 yards long with a practice putting green and driving range. With seven lakes strategically placed throughout the course, selecting the proper club becomes a necessity for all golfers. Located about 15 miles from campus, Palm View Golf PALM VIEW GOLF COURSE Course is a beautiful 18-hole, par 72 championship golf course, which plays 6,771 yards long. The fairways feature 419 Bermuda grass and are flanked by Common Bermuda roughs and mounds, creating a unique and challenging terrain. The course also includes 14 man-made lakes, providing some of the most panoramic views in the area. Located about 24 miles from campus, Tierra Santa Golf Club opened in 1997 and offers a beautiful landscape TIERRA SANTA GOLF CLUB with a unique tropical setting. The par 72 championship course plays 7,139 yards long with plenty of water and sand traps throughout the course. Tierra Santa is referred to as one of the best golf courses in the Rio Grande Valley. 5 2019-20 UTRGV WOMEN'S GOLF 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 GoUTRGV.com 6 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 7 2019-20 UTRGV WOMEN'S GOLF 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.Valley. University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, GoUTRGV.com 8 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.