Neyooxet Greymorning ('73) was inducted into the State University of New York at New Paltz Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 12 as a two-sport athlete in track and field and men's diving. It was a special day for Greymorning, who not only was enshrined for his individual success, but also as a member of the historic 1972 SUNY New Paltz track and field team.
Greymorning was the top scorer for the Hawks men's diving team in his final two seasons and qualifi
ed for NCAA's all four years for springboard diving, even winning the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championship in 1970. The following year he placed first at the New York State AAU Diving Championships on the 1-and 3-meter boards. On the track and field team, Greymorning set the SUNY New Paltz record for triple jump at 44-feet, 3-inches and won the NAIA District 31 Championship in triple jump in addition to placing second in long jump, which qualified him for NCAA's in both events.
"As a track and field member and a high team scorer in several events he ran the 220, the 440 [meters and competed in] the high jump, the broad jump and the triple jump, and he also at times ran the relay, so he was pretty versatile," said former Hawks track and field coach Ed Bell.
All of Greymorning's unprecedented success came without a coach at the pool, which required self-motivation -- something Greymorning believes shaped his career path after graduating from SUNY New Paltz.
"I think the realization that not having a coach in diving I had to push myself each day regardless of whether I might feel tired or not wanting to practice," he said. "I just had to make myself do it because no one else was going to tell me to."
Following his graduation in 1973, Greymorning continued his track career until 1981 when he tore his hamstring while triple jumping, the same year he tore his Achilles while running a marathon. Despite the injury, Greymorning continued to thrive in his proffessional career, receiving his doctoral degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1992. During this time he also stayed closely involved with diving, helping coach high school state diving champions all while continuing to compete in open competitions.
From 1984 to 1993, Greymorning won state diving titles in New York, Oklahoma and Wyoming in addition to winning national and international titles in Australia, Columbia, South America and the United States as a master level diver. One of the most notable victories for Greymorning was earning third place in Budapest in August 2017, despite a major injury to his bicep.
After diving for more than 50 years, Greymorning continues to teach himself new dives and compete in meets, all while excelling in his professional life. Since completing his doctoral dissertation, Greymorning pursued an academic career at the University of Alberta. From 2001-2002 he became the acting director of the Indigenous Governance Programs at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and founded the Hinono'eitiino'oowu'- Arapaho Language Loge, while also becoming the executive director of the organization.
Currently residing in Montana, Greymorning is a professor at the University of Montana in the Department of Anthropology and Native American Studies. Despite the miles between his new residence and SUNY New Paltz, Greymornning remains closely connected to his alma mater. His successful career granted him the Alumni Professional Achievement Award in 2017 and on Oct. 12 Greymorning returned to New Paltz as a guest speaker for the Distinguished Speaker Series prior to the Hall of Fame ceremony. His lecture delved into the topic of his research with dolphin cognition and its relation to language acquisition.
Previous to his most recent visit, Greymorning returned to New Paltz in 2013 when legendary Hawks swimming and diving coach Art Stockin was honored after his passing. It was the first time in years since Greymoning had come back to campus and the visit was an emotional return.
"When I stepped on campus that year I was overwhelmed by a flood of emotions that had me realize how incredible my time as a student was while at New Paltz," he said.
