NAU Golf Travels to Las Cruces for NM State Aggie Invitational

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (October 5, 2018) – The Northern Arizona University women's golf team will be heading to Las Cruces, N.M. from Oct. 8^th-10^th to participate in the New Mexico State Aggie Invitational at the New Mexico State University Golf Course. Each round will be played on a separate day.
 
The NMSU Golf Course has a par of 72 and is 6,392 yards in length.
 
The Invitational will feature 16 teams which will also comprise of four total members of the Big Sky Conference. NAU's conference opponents attending the event will consist of Southern Utah, Weber State and Portland State. Non-Big Sky opponents will include Cal Baptist, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, North Dakota, Oral Roberts, Portland State, South Dakota State, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, UC Riverside, Utah Valley, UTEP, UTRGV and host NMSU.
 
The Lumberjacks are coming off of a 13^th place finish at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational. The team finished at 15-over par against some of the top tier competition in NCAA Division I women's golf.
 
A strong third round finish was the highlight of the previous match for NAU. In the third round of that tournament NAU posted a 15-over par for a team tally of 299. The team would end with a 42-over par for a final total of 894. All three international freshmen Aleksandra Chekalina, Ashley Croft and Elle Kocourkova are expected to compete again for the squad.
 
"Except for one or two rounds each of the freshmen have all been very competitive and helping our team," said Head Women's Golf Coach Brad Bedortha. "The more they can get into competition and compete, the better it is going to make them over time. They've all played in international events and on some pretty big stages so this kind of environment is nothing new to them."
 
Despite being a young team on the surface NAU has already gotten its newcomers some solid playing time in the first two tournaments. All three participated in both the Hobble Creek Fall Classic hosted by Utah Valley State and the previously mentioned Coeur d'Alene Resort Collegiate Invitational hosted by Gonzaga University.
 
The three day Invitational could work to the Lumberjacks benefit as it will give them more time to rest and focus on each round individually. Each round will begin with a shotgun start.
 
"The challenge has not necessarily been on the course itself for these girls," concluded Bedortha. "The student-athlete lifestyle is certainly something they have had to transition into. However, in regards to strictly golfing and being out in competition it is nothing new to these girls. It is something they have done all around the world and in many different ways so if anyone can handle competition it is them."
 
All three rounds will begin with a shotgun start with the first round teeing off at 7:30 a.m. MST on Oct. 8th.