
(UTRGV Archive Photo by David Pike)
News Release | Community
(UTRGV Archive Photo by David Pike)
Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Community, Athletics
By News and Internal Communications
By Jonah Goldberg
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – The UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics spent the 2019-20 academic year rallying behind the Valley in a big way, and as a result has been ranked 20th in the country in total community service hours among NCAA Division I programs.
In addition, five UTRGV Athletics programs rank among the top 10 in Division I among their sports.
Overall, UTRGV student-athletes completed 1,526 hours of community service this year, attending 63 events for 23 organizations.
The baseball team completed the most total hours with 364, an average of eight per student-athlete. The women’s basketball team ranked second among women’s teams, behind only golf, with 150 hours, an average of nine per student-athlete.
“We are proud of our student-athletes’ extraordinary efforts in the community,” UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “I think these rankings help show just how much our student-athletes care about the Valley. We are always thankful for opportunities to give back to the community.”
UTRGV student-athletes spent a department-high 282 hours at Edinburg Children’s Hospital. And in 208 hours with the Food Bank RGV, UTRGV student-athletes helped to prepare about 14,500 meals.
Among the other community organizations served are the City of Edinburg, which includes Edinburg Parks & Recreation (224 hours), the Special Olympics of South Texas (180 hours), and the Edinburg Boys & Girls Clubs (136 hours).
Community service efforts are continuing during the pandemic, when possible, including the recent donation of more than $4,000 worth of food to the UTRGV Student Food Pantry. And assistant men’s basketball coach Luke Mackay recently led a virtual workout session for the McAllen Boys & Girls Club.ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.