The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Women's Cross Country

UTRGV Athletics hired Shareese Hicks, who spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach at Memphis, as the new head coach of the track & field and cross country programs on July 20, 2021. During her time at Memphis, Hicks worked directly with those competing in sprints and hurdles. Prior to arriving at Memphis, Hicks served as the Neosho County Community College track & field head coach for five seasons, coaching 20 athletes that were NJCAA national qualifiers, including three that earned All-American honors. Hicks was a professional track & field athlete from 2008-15, competing primarily in the 100, 200 and 400-meter dashes. A 2012 USA Olympic Trials finalist in the 400-meter dash, Hicks won gold at the USA Indoor Nationals in the 400-meter dash and bronze at the World Indoor Championships in the same event in 2008. She won gold as a member of the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relay teams at the North American, Central American and Caribbean Championships and took silver in the 4x100-meter relay at the Pan American Games. Hicks was a standout student-athlete at Charlotte from 2004-07, earning four All-American honors and winning nine individual conference championships and five relay conference titles. She boasts the best national finish ever by a 49ers track & field student-athlete with her fourth-place performance in the 200-meter dash at the 2007 NCAA Indoor Championships. Hicks was inducted into the Charlotte Athletics Hall of Fame in 2020.

Ricardo Mendoza returned to UTRGV as an assistant coach for the track & field/cross country program on Oct. 11, 2023.  Mendoza competed in cross country and indoor