Shareese Woods-Hicks - UTRGV Track & Field Head Coach

This week on The Saddle Up Podcast, G Garza and Matt Palmquist welcome Shareese Hicks, Head Coach of the UTRGV Track & Field and Cross-Country programs, for a conversation about leadership, competition, student-athlete development, and building a championship culture in the Rio Grande Valley.Coach Hicks brings an accomplished background to UTRGV as both a coach and former professional athlete. Before arriving in the Valley, she served as an assistant coach at Memphis, where she worked with the Tigers’ sprinters and hurdlers. She previously spent five seasons as the head track and field coach at Neosho County Community College, producing 20 NJCAA national qualifiers and three All-Americans.Her own career on the track was equally impressive. Hicks was a four-time All-American at Charlotte, won nine individual conference championships, contributed to five conference relay titles, and recorded 17 all-conference performances. She later competed professionally, becoming a 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials finalist in the 400-meter dash and earning medals at the USA Indoor Championships, World Indoor Championships, NACAC Championships, and Pan American Games.In this episode, Coach Hicks discusses the mindset required to compete at an elite level, the transition from athlete to coach, and the responsibility of developing young men and women academically, athletically, and personally. The conversation also explores recruiting, building trust across multiple event groups, creating accountability within a large program, and what it takes to establish UTRGV as a consistent championship contender.Beyond times, distances, and finishes, Coach Hicks shares why character, academics, community involvement, and preparation remain central to the culture she is building at UTRGV.------Follow G IG / @gghoops Follow Matt IG / @ptwist610 Welcome to **The Saddle Up Podcast**, the unscripted RGV show where real stories, sports, culture, community, and Vaquero pride all meet at the same table.Hosted by **G Garza and Matt Palmquist**, Saddle Up brings you conversations with former athletes, coaches, alumni, community leaders, entertainers, business owners, and difference-makers connected to **UTPA, UTB, UTRGV, and the Rio Grande Valley**. Every episode is built around honest conversation, good laughs, untold stories, and the people who continue to shape the Valley’s past, present, and future.Whether you are a UTPA alum, UTB alum, UTRGV supporter, Vaquero fan, RGV native, sports fan, or someone who loves authentic conversations, this episode is for you.Subscribe to **The Saddle Up Podcast** for more conversations with the people who represent the Rio Grande Valley with pride.**Find Saddle Up Podcast on:**YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and Apple Podcasts.**Follow us:**Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saddleuppodcast?mibextid=LQQJ4dInstagram: https://instagram.com/saddle_up_pod?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/79B4Gl7miBWwpD4kM1tKIVApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saddle-up-podcast/id1666138276Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/04f3f96f-9dcb-4c42-a91c-a87dfc38655b/saddle-up-podcastiHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-saddle-up-podcast-107415364/**Keywords:**Saddle Up Podcast, G Garza, Matt Palmquist, UTRGV, UTPA, UTB, UTRGV Athletics, Vaquero Athletics, Rio Grande Valley, RGV podcast, best podcast in the RGV, funniest podcast in the RGV, UTRGV alumni, UTPA alumni, UTB alumni, RGV sports, South Texas podcast, college sports podcast, Valley stories, RGV community, UTRGV football, UTRGV basketball, UTRGV baseball, UTRGV athletics podcast#SaddleUpPodcast #UTRGV #UTPA #UTB #RGV #RioGrandeValley #VaqueroPride