Thursday, March 28, 2024

A look back in 2016

A look back in 2016

FRUITLAND, N.M.

Every year we, the sports staff, look to showcase the talent of our Navajo and Native American athletes in their respective sports and various levels of competition.

As always, it is never easy to sit down and pick the top 10 stories among the athletes who compete at the high school, collegiate, amateur, professional, and even those who compete as a hobby, but as I completed the task, it started to become obvious that the running scene stole the stage this year.

We had some of the more non-traditional sports and stories that snuck their way onto the list but 2016 was the year of runners.

Here’s a look at my top 10 stories mostly ordered chronologically:

10). Navajo Fighters

We kicked the year off with a story about a Chinle native who entered his fourth year as a professional MMA fighter.

Born and raised on the Navajo Nation, at 30 years old, Randy Yellowhair took about a year and a half off from the cage due to adversity he faced in his personal life but made a come back in early January.

Yellowhair’s MMA career started early and inadvertently with high school wrestling. He was part of the 2002 Grand Canyon Regional Wrestling Championship team with the Chinle High School Wildcats and made numerous state appearances from 2000-2004. The highest he placed individually in state high school competition was fourth place.

Wrestling proved to be the gateway to his MMA career and the fact that he always had a deep interest in that particular contact sport as it was something different from the typical basketball and running scene.

“Being in Chinle, where there’s the Wildcat Den, where everybody goes to basketball games, nobody knows pretty much what wrestling is,” he said. “I’ve been to The Den, I’ve been there during the playoffs and nobody knows that my banner is hanging in The Den.”

He was recruited by Utah Valley University wrestling team before moving on and starting his MMA career. He became a father and lost a close family member who helped with his MMA career, and both life-changing events that impacted his career.

He took some time off between seasons and finally returned this season.

Yellowhair said bouncing back wasn’t easy but he was determined.

“I needed to get back up, I needed to show everybody at the time, you can be down but you’re never out,” he said. “I’m going to do this for myself, I’m going to prove to everybody that I’m back.”

With the same roots and similar goals, Chinle High School senior Isiah Towne took an opportunity in the professional ring.

Over the summer, Towne competed in the Ultimate Wrestling Championships during the 4th Annual UFC International Fight week in Las Vegas.

He was invited to the event and competed individually and with a team from New Jersey, as his teammates from Chinle High School were unable to compete.

Towne raised money and sought sponsorship from local business owners to make his way to Sin City.

He finished second with APEX High School and third, individually, in the 195-pound weight class.

He said it was an experience he would no soon forget.

“I was really great going out there and winning. It felt really good because not everyone can say they got a medal from UFC.” …


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About The Author

Sunnie R. Clahchischiligi

Sunnie Clahchischiligi has been the sports writer for the Navajo Times since 2008. She has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the University of New Mexico. Before joining the Times, she worked at the St. Cloud Times (Minn.), the Albuquerque Journal, the Santa Fe New Mexican, Sports Illustrated Magazine in New York City and the Salt Lake Tribune. She can be reached at sunnie@navajotimes.com or via cell at (505) 686-0769.

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