Striking Eagle Native American basketball Invitational (SENAI) and Education Fair

Greetings! We would like to cordially invite you to participate in the 15th Annual Striking Eagle Native American Invitational (SENAI) which will take place at the University of New Mexico Johnson Arena on December 28-30, 2026 along with our SENAI Education Fair. We would like to thank Miyamura High school and Hozho Academy for graciously hosting our successful 14th Annual event in Gallup, New Mexico.

• We had over 3,100 patrons to our event.
• We had 600 student athletes representing 35 teams from New Mexico and Arizona schools.
• We had 24 educational workshops with over 530 students in attendance. The overall evaluations surpassed above average.
• We would like to congratulate all of the teams for their participation including our championship teams:
  • BOYS EAGLE BRACKET – LARGE SCHOOLS: THOREAU HIGH SCHOOL
  • GIRLS TURTLE BRACKET – LARGE SCHOOLS: PINON, AZ. HIGH SCHOOL
  • BOYS BEAR BRACKET – TOHAJIILEE HIGH SCHOOL
  • GIRLS ROADRUNNER BRACKET – JV BRACKET: GALLUP JV GIRLS
  • BOYS LOBO BRACKET – MIDDLE SCHOOL: ALAMO NAVAJO SCHOOL
  • GIRLS DEER BRACKET - MIDDLE SCHOOL: ALAMO NAVAJO SCHOOL

BACKGROUND OF SENAI:

Our story began in 2011 when a group of elders from the Tohajiilee Navajo Community envisioned an event that would bring together our Native communities to compete in basketball and education. The vision was passed onto Dr. Shawn Secatero and a small group of volunteers to make this event a reality. We partnered with the New Mexico Activities Association and sponsored our first event with 24 teams from New Mexico at the Santa Ana Star Center and Bernalillo HS. Due to high demand from out of state teams, the SENAI event moved to UNM Johnson Center in 2016 to promote higher education and featured 64 teams from NM, Utah, and Arizona. We added more events including an essay and logo contest in 2017 and continued to solidify our efforts to include elementary and middle school teams. In 2019, we added 7 computer scholarships for outstanding essays and also ventured out to the Lakota Nations Invitational in Rapid City, S.D. Our event mirrors this event up north as we embark on a new decade of success as the UNM Society of Native American Graduate Students will sustain this event as primary sponsors. Our SENAI event has attracted over 50,000 patrons, 700 teams, 1,250 volunteers, and 200 workshops in its 14-year history.

SENAI VISION AND GOALS:

1. Foster a positive educational and athletic experience by being part of university campus activities and to recruit students to become part future UNM LOBOS.
2. Develop the attributes of spiritual, mental, social, and physical well-being attributes to foster sportsmanship and positive character among participants, coaches, and communities.
3. Enhance college preparatory opportunities through workshops, informational sessions, speakers, and appropriate role models.
4. Educate participants about health awareness issues and to promote healthy lifestyles through diet, exercise, and positive choices.
5. Develop a working relationship between Four Corners tribes, schools, associations, programs, and institutions that participate in the SENAI.
6. All SENAI participants must be academically eligible according to NMAA or their respective state rules and regulations to participate in SENAI. All games will count toward each teams’ 2026-27 official basketball schedule.
7. All SENAI players, families, schools, and community members must demonstrate positive sportsmanship and character as part of SENAI and rules set forth by NMAA or their respective state athletic association rules and regulations.
8. As part of the educational component of our SENAI event, all SENAI players and coaching staff must attend at least one educational workshop per day as part of their participation. This commitment pays for each teams’ registration fee (failure to attend workshops will result in a $500 fee payment to the UNM SENAI Circle).
9. To balance athletics with academics. Students participating in the SENAI Leadership workshops will learn about the holistic Corn Pollen Model (Secatero, 2023) and integrate well-being concepts into their own lives and focus on project-based learning.
10. Develop a working relationship with the UNM College of Education and Human Sciences programs for student internship opportunities, courses, and service learning activities.

BENEFITS:

The benefits of our SENAI include the following:

• SENAI is the largest sanctioned high school athletic event for Native American schools in the country with over 50,000 patrons, 5,500 student athletes, and 700 volunteers since event inception in 2011.
• There are no registration fees for teams to enter but teams must participate in at least one educational workshop as part of their experience. Teams who do not participate in our educational workshops may be assessed a fine.
• SENAI provides opportunities for students to learn from college professors, Native professionals, and role models as part of free workshops such as self-esteem, college prep, socioemotional well-being, STEM-H, healthy lifestyles, Native culture, and Native language.
• We provide opportunities for students to win laptops, printers, and a plaque through our essay and logo contests.
• Our event is supported by volunteers who represent tribal nations in our area along with UNM faculty/staff, and students.
• SENAI is based on a holistic Corn Pollen Model that embodies spiritual, mental, physical, and social well-being attributes in education and leadership.

EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS:

ALL TEAMS PARTICIPATING IN THE SENAI EVENT ARE REQUIRED TO ATTEND AT LEAST ONE WORKSHOP DURING THE DURATION OF OUR EVENT. OUR WORKSHOPS ARE DESIGNED TO BALANCE ATHLETICS AND EDUCATION. FAILURE TO ATTEND THE WORKSHOP WILL RESULT IN A SENAI TOURNAMENT REGISTRATION FEE.

Theme: Reflecting on our 15 years of SENAI Leadership: Honoring our Spiritual, Mental, Physical, and Social Well-Being

We are currently seeking interactive one-hour workshops for secondary students that include self-esteem, learning styles, STEM, Native Language, technology, arts, music, healthy lifestyles, suicide prevention, drug prevention, project based learning, and UNM Recruitment to become a LOBO.

• Call for Invited Presenters: Oct. 1, 2026
• Early Bird Registration Begins: Oct. 15, 2026
• Deadline for Invited Proposals: Dec. 1 2026
• Regular Registration Closes: Dec. 5, 2026
• NEW: ARTS AND CRAFTS AREA

Forms

• SENAI 2026 Volunteer Form
• SENAI 15th Annual Brochure
• SENAI Tournament Flyer