BYU’s Sydney Benally puts rez ball on the national stage
Special to the Times | Lee Begaye
BYU freshman guard Sydney Benally drives past Weber State defenders during the Cougars' 79–62 win on Saturday afternoon at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah, in November 2025. The matchup featured two Diné women competing at the Division I level.
By Nolan Bruno
Special to the Times
WINDOW ROCK – Sydney Benally’s shining season as a BYU Cougar has sparked attention across the country.
The standout freshman guard from Sandia High School in Albuquerque was the two-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year and ranked the 88th-best player in the class of 2025. Her transition to the collegiate level has been explosive.
Early this season, she made her mark in the Big 12 by recording 11 assists in her first collegiate game against Coastal Carolina. That momentum grew during the 2025 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she dropped a career-high 18 points in a victory over Virginia Tech.
Benally earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week on Dec. 1, 2025.
To read the full article, please see the Feb. 12, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
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