BUIES CREEK, N.C. – The Northern Arizona University golf team is gearing up for its last tournament of the fall season, with the squad set to tee-off from the Fighting Camel Fall Classic tomorrow morning. 

The Lumberjacks are coming off a ninth-place finish at the New Mexico State Aggie Invitational a week and a half ago. While the team did not compete as well as they would have liked, shooting a plus-44, 908, head coach Brad Bedortha remains confident in his girls and their play.

"They're playing okay, not awful and not great," said Bedortha. "They understand what they have to do, it just comes down to executing and they're struggling with that. But I'm excited to see how they compete and respond at a tournament like this."

This fall season has been great for showcasing the younger talent NAU has on its roster, like sophomore Carly Akine. In three tournaments, Akine has arguably been the Lumberjacks most consistent golfer, never scoring higher than 79 and has recorded a career-best even-par, 72. The sophomore from Phoenix has also logged a top-five finish this fall, something Bedortha loves to see.

"[Akine] has been playing very well for us," said Bedortha. "Her play, along with [Sofya Anokhina's], is really creating a healthy competition among the team. I keep telling them, 'The better you play, it will carry over and motivate the other players.' They're both doing that, and I think it's good for our team." 

Speaking of Anokhina, the newcomer from Moscow, Russia, has also tallied some impressive scores for NAU this fall. In her eight rounds of golf as a Lumberjack, Anokhina has shot 75 or better in five of them, including a career-best plus-1, 73 at the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate in late Sept.

Other golfers traveling with Akine and Anokhina for the Fighting Camel Fall Classic are senior Jacquie LeMarr, junior Kim Cifuentes sophomore and Kaitlyn Saum. LeMarr has competed well for the 'Jacks, acting as a valuable leader for the younger girls on the squad, while Cifuentes' good play cannot be overstated. In three tournaments, she has recorded two top-20 finishes and has only positively added to her NAU golf resume.

Saum is also among the younger golfers for the Lumberjacks playing well beyond her sophomore status. The native of Mesa, Ariz., has even notched a career-best minus-3, 69 this fall en route to a 16th-place finish at the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate.

The Fighting Camel Fall Classic is set to start tomorrow morning from the Keith Hills Golf Club in Buies Creek, N.C., with the teams playing three 18-holes rounds extending into Tuesday. Campbell University will serve as the host for the event, with 15 schools making up the tournament field.

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