by By Dan Ninham
Nykki Benally, 23, is Navajo and her Indian name is glahasbah, one that never settles. She is Hooghan ł áni – many hogans, Hasht ł ‘ishnii – mud clan. She is from Farmington, NM. She attended Haskell Indian Nations University and will be a junior at Louisiana College in Pineville, LA.
Nykki was Second Team All-Conference at Haskell Indian Nations University in 2018. She received a full ride scholarship to Louisiana College.
Nykki is hardworking. She considers herself resilient, strong and having the attitude of never giving up. She said: “Especially being far from home these help me as a person and player. Coming from a strong family and the ancestors I have, it’s in my blood to be the best I can be.”
Nykki plans to be a role model to the younger generation. “As an athlete I want to be an inspiration to all kids and especially to the Native American kids cause I know they always want someone to look up to especially successful natives.”
“My goals are to compete every game and leave everything on the court,” said Nykki. “I want to outwork whoever is in front of me. I want to have a high percentage field goal. My main goal is to graduate with my bachelors in Exercise Science, and continue my career in that field.”
“My mentor is my high school softball coach Kevin Werth,” said Nykki. “He encouraged me to do what I loved. He is a successful Hall of Fame softball coach. I was lucky enough to be part of his 10x state champion team. Even though he is a softball coach, he encouraged me to continue to do what I love and showed me that hard work, grit and dedication will take you wherever you want to go. He impacted my life heavily. If it wasn’t for him my mental state would not be where it is today. He always had my back no matter what. I could say he is a great coach and I look up to him.”
“Nykki was a huge part of our program during her playing days at Piedra Vista,” said Kevin Werth, Piedra Vista HS (NM) Softball Head Coach. “She has all the intangibles that coaches love. She’s just a great competitor, hard worker, has great instincts and hates to lose. I may have been hard and had high expectations for her and her teammates but her Momma was always pushing her and making sure she was getting her work in for both sports in high school, thus she was always ready to go as soon as basketball season was over for us. As good as she is as an athlete I’m most proud of the person she is, humble, hardworking and just a great personality.”
“The challenges and obstacles that helped me be who I am today would be having to move far away from my family to live my dream of college ball,” said Nykki. “Knowing i can’t go into the next room to see my family is very tough for me. But at the same time they are always a phone call away.”
“Another challenge would be having to play with a heart murmur. It was very difficult for me when I would play sports. Another challenge would be having to be a Native American woman in today’s society. Native Americans are overlooked and don’t give the same opportunity as others,” added Nykki.
Nykki has a unique name. She was named after a Native American Prisoner of War (POW) and she is honored. “Kieyoomia, is a name you don’t hear very often,” said Nykky.
Photo Credit: Nykki Benally
Joe Kieyoomia is her great grandfather, who instilled hard work and determination in his daughters which has been passed down to Nykki. You are awesome Nykki and keep your head up looking beyond the universe of success.
Congratulations for your achievement and continued exploration! Good luck in your future endeavors! I am Choctaw from Mississippi. Recommend you visit our reservation sometime and help motivate our Native childrens.
I appreciate that you took time to write this piece on her. I know a lot of younger kids read your articles including Kieyoomia’s younger brother! Kioni, Who in his own right is making a named for himself here in the 4 Corners of NM, CO, UT and AZ.
Send me kioni’s cell number for a story
How do I send you pictures?