Sydney Benally
PROVO, Utah — BYU head coach Lee Cummard announced the addition of incoming freshman and two-time New Mexico Gatorade Player of the Year, Sydney Benally on Monday afternoon.
“Sydney is an all-around talent that impacts the game in so many ways,” Cummard said. “She can score it, assist it, steal it and plays the game with a winner's mentality. Sydney is a winner on the court and in life. We are so excited for her to join our team and bring her high character and basketball abilities to better our program.”
Benally comes to BYU from Sandia High School in Albuquerque, N.M., where she was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons (2023-24 & 2024-25). ESPN HoopGurlz ranked Benally the 88th-best player in the class of 2025. During her senior season for the Matadors, she averaged 20 points on 50.8 percent shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 3.2 steals per game.
The four-star recruit scored 10 or more points in 28 of 30 games, 20 points or more 18 times and recorded a 30-point performance during her final season of high school basketball. The 5-foot-9 guard led the Matadors to a 30-1 record and their second-consecutive New Mexico 5A State Title en route to being named the 2025 5A Gatorade Player of the Year and a McDonald’s All-American nominee.
Benally chose to continue her basketball career at BYU over the likes of Princeton, Northwestern and UNLV.