Cultural Momentum: How Northern Arizona’s Ali Upshaw Fused Navajo Heritage and Elite Collegiate Running

For Ali Upshaw, a former Northern Arizona cross country and track and field runner and a member of the Navajo Nation, the act of running is far more than physical training—it is a deeply ingrained cultural tradition and a form of prayer. Growing up on the Navajo Nation reservation in Fort Defiance, Arizona, Upshaw was taught that running early in the morning allows the holy people to recognize, guide, and protect her. These small practices and beliefs served as a constant source of motivation and a path to success throughout her demanding collegiate career.

Upshaw believes the profound connection between her sport and her heritage provides a unique foundation for her life. “Running is so multifaceted in Navajo culture, especially with the way it’s intertwined with a lot of our cultural traditions and our teachings and the way it’s present in a lot of our ceremonial practices,” she explained.

Finding Motivation in Community Pride

Upshaw credits her upbringing on the reservation with keeping her grounded and shaping her identity during her college career. This sense of community has also translated into a powerful source of competitive drive.

“Everybody from back home loves to see Native student athletes compete and perform at these levels,” Upshaw noted. She described the pressure she feels as a motivation to perform well for her community. “It’s pressure that we as Native student athletes create sometimes, where we want to do well for our community. And that’s always a factor that can bring pressure or bring motivation in some sense.”

Upshaw’s dedication transformed that pressure into high level results. After transferring to Northern Arizona for her senior year, she quickly earned U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All America, All Big Sky, and All Region honors. In her fifth year, she achieved significant milestones, breaking both the conference record and Northern Arizona’s school record in the indoor 5,000 meters and becoming the 2024 Big Sky Conference cross country champion.

Education and Service as the End Goal

While her athletic achievements are numerous, Upshaw emphasizes that the ultimate goal for her and her community is education and service. “A lot of us Native students and scholars, our end goal is to graduate and to get an education. Whether that be to go home or continue on serving Native communities, there’s always that goal of just the importance of education,” she said.

Upshaw graduated with a degree in university studies, which she views as a meaningful achievement. She is continuing her academic journey at Northern Arizona, pursuing a master’s in public health. Her planned focus is centered on her community: “I want to focus on culturally relevant strategies for Native people and combating chronic conditions and also finding more opportunities for those culturally relevant solutions,” she stated.

In her continuous quest for community building and advocacy, Upshaw attended the Native American Student Athlete Summit at the NCAA national office in Indianapolis, where she connected with other student athletes and administrators facing similar journeys. She found encouragement in seeing others navigate spaces that have historically lacked Native representation.

“It’s very encouraging to see there are so many other people that are experiencing being the first leaders and student athletes, administrators in spaces that we haven’t really been in before,” she said. “In a sense, it feels like you’re not alone in navigating a very non Native space.”

Ultimately, Upshaw hopes her success serves as an inspiration for the next generation of Indigenous runners. She wants to show other Navajo or Indigenous children that collegiate running is attainable. “They can do it, too. It is possible for them,” she affirmed. “Just because there’s a few of us on that stage or that level, they are capable of anything that they put their mind to.”