At a June 20 joint press conference, the City of Pharr and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced that they will be co-hosting the 2023 Western Athletic Conference Swimming & Diving Championships Feb. 22-25, 2023 at the City of Pharr Natatorium.
The City of Pharr Natatorium at 3001 North Cage Blvd. opened its doors in January 2022. The facility features an Olympic-size, eight-lane, 50-meter swimming pool that has 22 25-yard lanes. It also has a separate diving pool that includes five platforms and four springboards.
“This is a great opportunity for the City of Pharr, UTRGV and our entire region as we prepare to welcome hundreds of collegiate athletes, coaches and individuals to our community,” said Pharr Mayor Ambrosio Hernandez, M.D. “From the very beginning, we knew we were doing something very big in bringing this amenity to Pharr that we greatly needed for our local students, and UTRGV athletes. Now, we will be hosting one of the largest competitions here at our City of Pharr Natatorium.”
A First In the Valley
According to a UTRGV press release, the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships have a long tradition of taking place in Texas. The event was in San Antonio from 1996-1998 and again from 2000-2015. The event also took place in Houston from 2016-2020 and again in 2022.
This will be the first time the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships will take place in the Rio Grande Valley.
The City of Pharr Natatorium can seat 1,200 fans and has 444 parking spaces. It is equipped with two scoreboard and video boards, and a visible running clock. The facility also has built-in areas to sell both concessions and merchandise. The brand-new state-of-the-art facility has ample space for both competitors and their fans.
The 2023 WAC Swimming & Diving Championships will include competitors from institutions from across the country. These include the Air Force, California Baptist, Grand Canyon, Idaho, Incarnate Word, New Mexico State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Seattle U, UNLV, Utah Tech and Wyoming.
A National Spotlight
“We are thrilled to partner as co-hosts with UTRGV athletics to host this event, especially as we work together to inspire our local athletes and students to become involved in competitive swimming and diving,” said Hernandez.
Dr. Guy Bailey shared the same sentiment in the press release from UTRGV.
“What hosting the WAC Championships does is shine the national spotlight on UTRGV, the City of Pharr and the entire Rio Grande Valley,” he said. “More importantly, it helps us to show our young people where swimming and diving can take them. If they work hard both in the classroom and the competition pool, they too can earn scholarships and compete in events like this in beautiful facilities such as the one here in Pharr.”
“Everyone is going to benefit from this,” stated Hernandez. “This will put the City of Pharr on the map and bring positive economic opportunities for our local businesses, restaurants, and hotels as we prepare to welcome hundreds of people to the area for the championships.”