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The
all-Navajo Recurve archery team captured the national title
for Northern Arizona University at the 2015 United States
Intercollegiate Archery Championships held in Newberry, Fla.
Team members include, from left to right, Matthew Yazzie,
Emmett Tsosie and Reuben Kee. (Courtesy photo)
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Fort Defiance, AZ Northern Arizona University's all-Navajo
Recurve archery team captured the national championship at the recent
2015 United States Intercollegiate Archery Championships at Newbery,
Fla.
The Recurve team consists of Emmett Tsosie of Steamboat, Ariz.,
Reuben Kee of Holbrook, Ariz., and Matthew Yazzie of Many Farms,
Ariz.
The team outlasted University of California-Irvine, 5-4, to
take the gold, as Kee hit the winning shot in the 10 ring arrow
closest to the center. The match was tied 4-4 prior to Kee's winning
shot.
To reach the national title event, the trio defeated California
State University-Long Beach, 6-0, in the semifinals.
Tsosie, a former Dine' College archer, graduated from NAU with
a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Science a week before the tournament
earned All-American and All-Academic honors.
"He is the only archer we will be losing to graduation this
year," said NAU coach Andrew Ned Jr., a Navajo from Lukachukai,
Ariz. "Emmett shot good in the qualification rounds day one and
day two of the tournament. He was ranked eighth after 144 arrows.
Those scores combined with National Indoor scores earned him All-American
and All-Academic honors."
Yazzie is also a former Dine' College archer.
"He shot descent on day one and improved his score on day two
and ranked at 16 after 144 arrows," Ned said of Yazzie. "He made
his shots count during team rounds to contribute to the team winning
the Recurve national title."
Kee started the day good in the first round of day one and struggled
a bit the next two rounds.
"Reuben came back with a good score for the last round of day
two, which placed him at 18th after 144 arrows," Ned said. "He did
great during team rounds. He was the anchor for the Recurve team.
He made the gold winning shot in the 10 ring which won the national
title for the Recurve team."
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