By Victoria Brito Morales

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – APRIL 27, 2026 – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Iota Kappa Chi (IKC) chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association (ACJA) earned the prestigious Trailblazer Award at the 2026 ACJA National Conference, held in March in Bloomington, Minnesota.

The Trailblazer Award recognizes the chapter with the most medals per team. UTRGV also led all institutions in total medals, with all 12 participating students earning at least one placement.

“To have every student place in at least one event speaks to their dedication, preparation, and commitment to excellence,” said Dr. Michael Sanchez, UTRGV lecturer III in Criminal Justice and IKC advisor.

UTRGV’s performance was driven by success across academic and skills-based testing. Students earned top finishes in criminal law, juvenile justice and ACJA knowledge, and the team excelled in the individual and team shooting categories.

In team shooting, a UTRGV all-female team earned first place in the Professional Division, competing against professional law enforcement officers.

The team included UTRGV Graduate College students Christina Hernandez and Brendaly Quinones, along with senior Kayla Navarro. The trio secured the top spot, building on last year’s historic win as the first all-female shooting team to place first in the Upper Division.

Lower division shooting includes undergraduate students with fewer than 80 credit hours. Students with more than 80 credit hours compete in the upper division, while graduate students, alumni and professionals compete in the professional division.

The team has a year-round Saturday target shooting practice at Vinson’s Rifle Range in Los Fresnos. There the team perfects their shots, stances and accuracy and improves together as a team.

“We are out there every Saturday, rain or shine,” Hernandez said. “It is our consistency that makes us successful.”

Hernandez, who is pursuing her Master of Business Administration, said the practices go beyond firearms training; it creates space for team building and encouraging one another.

“As everybody else gets better, you want to get better, and this group is on a different plane of existence,” Sanchez said. “The way they measure how strong a shooting team is comes down to how many members shoot above 400. Three of my students have been shooting for less than a year, and all 12 of my shooters score above 400.”

The maximum shooting score is 480. A score of 200 qualifies for nationals, though 300 is recommended at that level. Both Navarro and Hernandez shot at or above 460 at nationals and all 12 UTRGV shooters scored above 400.

“These students are at the very top of what is possible,” Sanchez said. “When you shoot with people like that every week, excellence becomes the standard and it elevates the entire team.”

At the fall regional conference, held in October in San Marcos, IKC earned the Region 2 Sweeps Award after capturing 44 medals and more than doubling the points of the next closest competitor. Region 2 encompasses Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana.

“This chapter award reflects the strength of our entire team,” Sanchez said. “When every student contributes, that’s when you see something special.”

UTRGV RESULTS — 2026 ACJA NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Academic Testing
• Yudith Martinez — 1st place, criminal law (upper division)
• Luis Vasquez — 2nd place, criminal law (professional division); 1st place, juvenile justice (professional division)
• Christina Hernandez — 1st place, ACJA knowledge (professional division)

Individual Shooting
• Gabriel Richarte — 1st place (lower division)
• Brianna Rodriguez — 3rd place (lower division)
• Kayla Navarro — 1st place (upper division)
• Dr. Michael R. Sanchez — 1st place (professional division)
• Christina Hernandez — 2nd place (professional division)
• Luis Vasquez — 3rd place (professional division)

Team Shooting
• Lower division — 1st place: Brianna Rodriguez, Yessenia Medellin, Gabriel Richarte
• Upper division — 3rd place: Yudith Martinez, Angela DeLeon, Denisse Jimenez
• Professional division — 1st place: Kayla Navarro, Christina Hernandez, Brendaly Quinones
• Professional division — 2nd place: Luis Vasquez, Jair Tovar, Gustavo Mata

For more information about Criminal Justice at UTRGV, visit www.utrgv.edu/cla/schools-and-departments/department-of-criminal-justice/.