Conque celebrates one year as UTRGV athletics director

Ivan Palacios | THE RIDER

Chasse Conque celebrated his first year as vice president and director of Athletics at UTRGV last week. One year since his arrival, Conque feels great about the year as a whole.

“We couldn’t be more happy to be here,” he said. “It’s hard to believe. Some days it seems like it’s been longer. And some days I can’t believe that I stepped foot on this campus for the first time a year ago. But it’s a wonderful place.”

Conque came to UTRGV after living in Arkansas for the last 19 years. He and his family, which includes his wife and three daughters, have embraced the Rio Grande Valley as home, creating many memories over the last year.

“My wife’s birthday is in December, and it was one of our off weekends, so we were able to go down to the [South Padre] Island and spend the day on the beach there,” Conque said in regard to one of his favorite memories with his family. “Who would have ever thought that in December I’m an hour away from the coast and get to have that kind of day for her.”

He describes his first year as a tale of two half-years, with the COVID-19 pandemic causing major changes midway through. 

“Those first six months were very fast-paced,” Conque said. “A lot of work. A lot of fun work. A lot of engaging with different folks throughout the Valley. Then mid-March hit and things changed dramatically. So you look and the last six months have been very reactive, especially those first few months after COVID came onto the scene.” 

He remains optimistic about the future of UTRGV athletics despite the unprecedented circumstances he has faced in the second half of the year. 

“While we are going through some interesting times, I truly am optimistic that not only will we get through this but our best days are certainly still ahead,” Conque said. 

The athletics director came into his first year looking to “Rally the Valley,” placing an emphasis on engaging not only the campus community but also the community of the Rio Grande Valley. 

The campaign could be labeled as a success as UTRGV baseball, women’s and men’s basketball all saw an increase in attendance during Conque’s first year. Among these was a sellout crowd for the “Pack the House” game between the UTRGV Men’s Basketball Team and New Mexico State University. Volleyball also recorded its third-best attended season in history. 

Adding to Conque’s list of first year accomplishments is the opening of Vaquero Village on his 100th day on the job. Vaquero Village offers fans a new pregame experience, once again emphasizing Conque’s plan to engage with the community. 

But he deemed his biggest accomplishment as the academic success of the student athletes this last year. UTRGV student-athletes saw an increase in cumulative GPA to 3.38, with 218 recording over a 3.0. 

“Our record-breaking academic success, that needs to be No. 1,” Conque said. “It was really impressive coming out with a 3.38 cumulative GPA. We knew we wanted to improve on that. We’re super proud of that.”

He attributes the success of his first year to those around him who helped build the foundation of UTRGV athletics. 

“The senior leadership here, whether it be Kelly Scrivner, Veronica Gonzales, of course President Bailey, Dr. Janna Arney, those folks were so key in my first few months in making sure that I got in front of the right folks, that I met the right people,” Conque said. “They knew that it was going to take a village and will continue to take a village to develop and enhance UTRGV Athletics.” 

Now, with one year under his belt, Conque looks to build off the momentum built during his first year and continue to “Rally the Valley.”

“The next piece of the puzzle is rallying the Valley to get that valleywide support for our teams,” he said. “And we’re going to do that by taking our teams to Cameron County, and not just our activities on our Brownsville campus but playing over at Padre Island. We’re going to do that by taking our marquee games to Bert Ogden Arena. We’re going to do it by taking tennis matches and soccer matches to the Brownsville area and Cameron County. And so the more we can do that, the more we can truly paint the picture that we’re not just asking the community to support us, but we’re gonna come to you and we’re gonna compete and do what we can in your own backyard. And once we accomplish that and do it consistently, that’s where the magic will really start to happen.”