McALLEN — A Division I college football program isn’t the only thing UTRGV athletics has been building.
UTRGV vice president and director of athletics Chasse Conque announced an investment to upgrade existing athletic facilities in April 2022. Two of those projects had their grand opening this month as UTRGV athletics unveiled the Vaqueros Golf Center at Champion Lakes Golf Course on Wednesday in McAllen, and new buildings and enhancements at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex last week in Edinburg.
The new Vaqueros Golf Center, located at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen, cost nearly $3 million, while the new buildings and enhancements at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex on the Edinburg campus cost $10 million.
The construction is part of more than $85 million in projects being completed by UTRGV athletics to its athletic facilities during the next two and a half years. The projects are funded by revenue generated by the athletics department through ticket sales, sponsorships and fundraising, as state law forbids UTRGV to use tuition revenue to build or renovate athletic facilities.
“We’re excited for this day to officially open a state-of-the-art and first-class facility in the Vaqueros Golf Center,” Conque said Wednesday. “There are several people I want to thank, starting with D. Wilson, PBK Sports, UTRGV president Guy Bailey and our leadership team, the city of McAllen and Champion Lakes Golf Course director of golf Carlos Espinosa, our coaches, and last but not least, senior associate athletic director for facilities and operations John Evans. We’re in the midst of over $85 million in construction, and the proud thing for all of us is that it’s touching every one of our student-athletes and all of our programs, so it makes today even more special knowing that we’re celebrating golf and we can continue to celebrate all of our student-athletes as we give them the tools, the facilities and the resources they need to compete for championships in the very near future.”
The Vaqueros Golf Center spans more than 4,200 square feet with space for locker rooms for the men’s and women’s golf programs, two hitting bays, a study lounge, nutrition station and viewing area, and coaches’ offices. Click here to view a photo gallery of the Vaqueros Golf Center.
The new buildings at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex include more than 13,500 square feet of space for locker rooms for the men’s and women’s soccer and track & field programs, athletic training rooms, meeting rooms and coaches’ offices. Click here to view a photo gallery of the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
“When we look back on this day, we’ll see how important it was on the history of both our programs,” UTRGV women’s soccer head coach Mark Foster said last Wednesday during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “It’s breathtaking and very exciting to have the honor to coach out of a facility like this. I want to thank Chasse Conque, because if we didn’t have an athletic director that wanted all sports to have a chance to be successful and push for all sports to have facilities and what they need, it wouldn’t happen. I’m extremely grateful that, at a time when we’re trying to grow, he’s fighting for women’s and men’s soccer to have these facilities.”
Additional enhancements to the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex include a new goalkeeper and skills training area, as well as the Hinojosa Family Press Box and an upgraded sound system, which kicked off the upgrades in the fall of 2022.
“I think we have one of the best facilities, not only in the Western Athletic Conferencebut across the country,” UTRGV men’s soccer head coach Bryheem Hancock said. “Three years ago, when I took the job, I came out here on a golf cart and it was just a dream of what would be built. I’ve been a lot of places where I’ve been told certain things and you don’t see that happen. To see how quickly it happened here, to see the facility and how great it looks, I’m very appreciative and thankful for that.”
