UTRGV Vice President and Athletics Director Chasse Conque discusses the ways in which an investment of $30 million will be used to upgrade existing athletics facilities and build a new golf facility at McAllen’s Champion Lakes Golf Course during a news conference Wednesday in the UTRGV Fieldhouse. Omar E. Zapata/The Rider Photos
In three years, the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics will have a new look with a $30 million investment in its facilities.
Athletics announced an investment toward renovations and construction of facilities in a news conference Wednesday held at the Health & Physical Education Complex Fieldhouse on the Edinburg campus.
UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque, along with sports head coaches, shared their thoughts and answered questions.
Conque said the renovations will not only help one program, but all 260 student athletes and the community.
“It’s about the entire Rio Grande Valley using this as a vehicle to put our region on the map in a very positive way,” he said.
Conque also said this change will help increase student athlete recruitment.
“We’re going to be able to give our student athletes a first-class experience, putting us in a space to be able to now recruit some of the best and some of the brightest, really, in a fashion that we haven’t been able to do before,” he said.
The revenue streams originate from game ticket sales and fundraising. The investment will cover all 16 sports and some renovations have already started.
Asked by The Rider what portion of the investment is coming from fundraising and ticket sales, Conque replied, “All of our revenue streams we kind of pulled together. You know, one thing to note as our athletics department is built and this is a true mid-major model at the Division 1 level. And, by law in the state of Texas, no tuition dollars or state-allocated dollars can be used to support the athletics enterprise on a university campus.”
Omar E. Zapata/The Rider Photos
The first renovation is a new weight room in the Fieldhouse, which is expected to be completed in July. Other renovations underway are a new press box and sound system to the Soccer and Track & Field Complex. Upgrades to the UTRGV Baseball Stadium include five corrals and the renovation of 10 suites.
“I personally have witnessed what investing in athletics has done,” track & field head coach Shareese Hicks said. “It goes far beyond coaches, far beyond the students and directly and positively to the community, and that’s what I’m most excited about.”
One of the major changes from this investment will be the Fieldhouse renovations. These will include a new entrance plaza, a new lobby, Hall of Fame and Honor, a concession area, public restrooms and new seating.
“If you go look at the top 25 teams in the country in all sports, they’re going to have the best facilities,” baseball head coach Derek Matlock said.
The multimillion-dollar investment will also include building a golf facility next to the driving range at Champion Lakes Golf Course in McAllen pending University of Texas System Board of Regents approval. The facility will include locker rooms, coaches’ offices and hitting bays.
In addition, locker rooms for the sports that currently do not have this type of facility will be constructed. These sports include the tennis and golf teams. Soccer, track & field, tennis and golf programs will obtain new locker rooms and coaches’ offices.
–Rider Sports Reporter Omar E. Zapata contributed to this report.
Omar E. Zapata/The Rider Photos
