By Matthew Cavazos

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – AUG. 7, 2024 – He reminds me of a younger me.

Jermarrion Stewart, then a UTRGV sophomore and track & field student-athlete, was laughing as he raced alongside a determined young athlete two years ago, during a free track & field clinic in Brownsville.

“He was a great athlete and a genuine, funny, hard-working kid,” Stewart said. “I remember being that age and wishing that a college student would help me, like I was helping him during that clinic. We’ve kept in touch, and I still help him out when I can.”

Since announcing the RISEup movement in 2021, UTRGV Athletics has made engaging with the Valley community a priority, and the Brownsville clinic is just one of many touchpoints the university’s student-athletes have created in South Texas.

Establishing bonds with the community is the norm across all sports at UTRGV – whose student-athletes go well beyond playing for their team to embrace the South Texas community as a whole.

Their community outreach is so pivotal, in fact, that they are ranked in the top 10 in the country for their community service efforts.

This year, for the third time, UTRGV student-athletes finished in the top 10 of the NCAA Teamworks Community Service Challenge through Helper Helper.

For 2023-24, UTRGV Athletics placed sixth nationally among 362 Division I athletic departments, with 5,042 hours of community.

They placed seventh in 2022-23, and eighth in 2021-22.

Chasse Conque, vice president and director of UTRGV Athletics, said the university’s student-athletes continue to shine in the community.

“To finish in the top 10 for the third straight year says a lot about the young people we have representing UTRGV,” he said. “And it speaks to the commitment of our programs to #RISEup to support and engage with the communities we serve.”

Lea Karren, a recent UTRGV graduate and student-athlete, assists middle schoolers with their serves at a tennis clinic in Brownsville. More than 200 participants attended the event. (UTRGV Photo)

UTRGV is the only athletic department in Texas to finish in the top 10, nationally ranking behind only Boston College, Louisiana, South Alabama, Belmont and North Dakota.

UTRGV President Guy Bailey said the efforts shown by UTRGV student-athletes exemplify the university’s core value of community service in the Rio Grande Valley. 

“I am so proud of our young men and women and the way they are representing our university and our region through service,” he said. “Their hard work, both on and off their field of play, is the best testament to their commitment to improving the quality of life for themselves, their families, and their extended Valley family.”

In addition to UTRGV Athletics sixth overall finish for the department’s 5,042 total hours of community service, UTRGV has seven programs ranked in the top 10 of their respective sport:

• Men’s track & field and cross country (first).
• Men’s golf (fourth).
• Women’s golf (sixth).
• Baseball (seventh).
• Women’s track & field and cross country (seventh).
• Men’s soccer (eighth).
• Men’s basketball (ninth).

TIME TO SERVE

The Vaqueros were committed to service across the Rio Grande Valley, from Brownsville – where events included women’s tennis hosting a free clinic with 200 children in attendance – to Rio Grande City, where UTRGV student-athletes volunteered at the school district’s youth track camps and programs. 

Five UTRGV programs saw their student-athletes average 20 or more hours of community service this year, through these opportunities and others specific to their sport:

• Women’s golf (30 hours).
• Baseball (23).
• Women’s track & field (22).
• Men’s cross country (21).
• Volleyball (20). 

The women’s golf team received the highest possible impact score – 100/100 – from Helper Helper after completing 304 hours of service this year, with the Vaqueros volunteering across nine organizations, including weekly service at the Food Bank RGV.

The baseball program focused on helping the youth in the Valley take their game to the next level by committing 752 hours to camps. Additionally, the baseball team recently visited the Edinburg Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where they spent time with the residents.

The UTRGV track & field/cross country programs worked together for a staggering 1,749 hours of community service while receiving 100 percent participation from their student-athletes. The teams participated in campus and community-wide cleanups, youth camps, clinics, competitions, and more.

The volleyball program participated in 377 hours of community service in a variety of ways and across 13 different organizations, including the Special Olympics. They also hosted clinics for the communities in Brownsville, Edinburg and McAllen. 

Student-athletes from track & field/cross country pose for a photo during the annual campus clean up day in Edinburg. More than 200 student-athletes helped beautify the Edinburg campus. (UTRGV Photo)