Bradley Nash (Navajo) is a Rare Two-Sport Athlete at the NCAA Division 1 Level

By Colton Butler

(Kansas City, KS) – Bradley Nash comes from a family with a strong athletic background, so it’s no surprise to see her succeed on and off the court as a two-sport athlete because of her upbringing.

She grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Kayenta, Arizona where she attended Monument Valley High School. Bradley has had the unique opportunity to play in front of thousands of people including her peers from high school who still come and watch her play for New Mexico State University.

Former classmate Jaron James said, “Any time Bradley is in the Kansas City area, I come and support her because we are from the same reservation.”

Bradley is an outside hitter on the NMSU Women’s Volleyball team and a forward for the Women’s Basketball team.

Both her parents were coaches and have coached her along her journey with her mother teaching her volleyball and her father teaching her basketball. Her parents always encouraged her with the philosophy of having a “you can do it” mentality of seeing the possibility and emphasized for her to not be afraid of achieving her dreams.

Bradley encourages her fellow Native brothers and sisters to understand the opportunity that is out there for them as a student athlete stating, “There’s always somewhere to play and schools that are willing to give you (scholarship) money to play. It’s about putting yourself out there and realizing that people are not going to come to you. You have to go out and get it and you can do it, so why not do it? Go for it and don’t be afraid to go!”

Not only is Bradley successful in both of her sports, she also excels academically in the classroom as a biochemistry major and advises student athletes to “Get to know your teachers really well and just stay in contact with them throughout the season.”

Head coach of the New Mexico State Aggies, Mark Trakh mentioned how “Bradley is one of our hardest working athletes and is an energizer. Bradley lights up the room with her big smile and infuses the room with oxygen. She’s such a giving person and everyone on the team absolutely loves her and she’s a great influence for everybody from the kids to the elders in the community of Las Cruces, New Mexico.”

Bradley and fellow Native American teammate Abby Scott (Warm Springs Tribe) have both enriched Coach Trakh’s life and represent their families and tribes well.

Coach Trakh said with much enthusiasm, “Bradley is outstanding. You saw her today. She didn’t play a second but she’s out there cheering and clapping and encouraging her team to victory,” in which the Aggies finished the game with a 60-48 win over UMKC Saturday afternoon in Kansas City.

(Colton Butler is a member of the Muscogee Creek Nation and a full-time student at Haskell Indian Nations University where he is a writer for the Indian Leaders student newspaper. He is currently a Business Administration student on track to graduate Spring 2015.)