Las Vegas, New Mexico - During his time at New Mexico Highlands University, Kioni Benally accomplished something few collegiate athletes achieve, particularly at the NCAA Division II level: competing in both football and wrestling throughout his four-year undergraduate career.
As an offensive lineman for the Cowboys, the Farmington, New Mexico, native started 33 consecutive regular-season games from his sophomore through senior seasons after making two starts as a freshman.
As his football career came to a close, Benally faced a decision: return to Highlands for one final year of collegiate athletics or move on to pursue a career in human sports performance.
He chose to return to Highlands, but not to play football.
Throughout his undergraduate career, Benally balanced the demands of academics and two collegiate sports, although football remained his primary focus. Despite the challenges of competing in both sports, he maintained a 3.2 grade-point average while continuing to contribute to the Cowboys' wrestling program.
Benally competed at heavyweight during three of his four undergraduate seasons, including starting nearly every match as a freshman. His sophomore season was the lone exception.
Now, with his football career behind him, Benally plans to dedicate his final year at Highlands entirely to wrestling.
"It was definitely a tough pill to swallow when I had to stop wrestling and just focus on football, but the football coaching staff knew what they were doing, and we had a great season," Benally said. "Without them, I would not have become an All-Conference player.
"It was definitely a real culture shock with how much faster wrestling was compared to football. With football, we are always busy, always having meetings and always doing stuff related to football, but with wrestling, it's very straight to the point. We know what to do, we do it and we work hard."
Now a graduate student, Benally believes the discipline and work ethic he developed during his football career will serve him well as he transitions to wrestling full time.
"I believe being a four-year starter will help me. I know the type of work I have to put in," Benally said. "There are levels to everything, but I know you have to be a workhorse to be great, whether it's being the best football player or the best wrestler you can be."
Throughout his time with the Highlands wrestling program, Benally has experienced several coaching changes. However, he believes the program has found stability under head coach Chris Freije, who took over in 2024.
The addition of former Lander University All-Americans Logan Hall and Elijah Lusk as assistant coaches last spring has provided Benally with additional opportunities to develop his skills. Both assistants wrestled under Freije at Lander.
For Benally, having a coaching staff that brings different experiences and perspectives to the wrestling room has made a significant difference.
"It's helped me tremendously. I'm definitely in a better spot than I was when we were bouncing around with different coaching staffs," Benally said. "Having Freije and the staff is just a blessing.
"I have a head coach who has experience in both coaching and wrestling at a high level, a heavyweight coach who knows what helped him and what can help me, and a lightweight coach who knows little tricks and can show me a different viewpoint.
"Instead of one point of view, I have three to work with. I can go down different paths and see which one I like and which works for me."
The transition from football to wrestling has also required Benally to adjust to a different approach to preseason preparation. Because of his football commitments, he had never participated in a full wrestling preseason at Highlands.
This year, he has been able to experience the entire preparation process, including the demanding daily workouts and expectations of the coaching staff.
"It's definitely awkward at first, but you know, just going in and working every day, having a coach that pushes you every day," Benally said. "Sometimes it's rough, but you need that type of coach who will push you through everything."
As Benally prepares for his final season representing the Cowboys, he has gained a greater appreciation for the work required to succeed on the mat and the philosophy behind his coaches' approach.
"I've realized what type of work needs to be put in, and the coaches showed me how I have to work," Benally said. "His [Coach Freije's] favorite quote is, 'There's always a method to the madness.'
"Regardless of how I feel, I know there's a reason why we work the way we do."
