Caty Huntington gets ready for her sophomore season next year with the Lumberjacks. Huntington, a 5’9” guard from Bakersfield, Calif., did well on defense last season with a total of 38 steals and 50 defensive rebounds. - Jacob Petersen/ The Lumberjack

Caty Huntington, a freshman guard for the women’s basketball team, finished out her first season with the Lumberjacks on March 12, reaching the Big Sky quarterfinals.

A graduate of Liberty High School in Bakersfield, Calif., Huntington was recruited to NAU for her strong defensive skills.

“She’s got great explosiveness,” said assistant coach Monique LeBlanc. “Her foot speed is equal to or greater than every other guard in the conference.”

Last season, Huntington was third in steals for the tournament with three steals in one game and fourth for 3-point field goal attempts, sinking two out of three for a percentage of 66.7.

Sophomore center Laura Hoisington described Huntington as the most energetic person she knows.

“She’s always up and down the court,” Hoisington said. “You can see her on one side of the court, and when you get down to the other, she’s already there. You never know where she is or when to expect her.”

Since she began playing basketball seven years ago, Huntington has reached a level she never expected. She has become a scoring threat in addition to her energetic defense as a guard, achieving a career-high of 21 points against Montana State on Feb. 12.

“I think Caty even might have surprised herself this year at times by the numbers that she put up offensively and her scoring ability,” LeBlanc said. “She clearly displayed that she can contribute high on the offensive end. So I think in three years, you (will) see a really complete player — somebody that can shoot the ball with great consistency at the 3-point line but can score in a plethora of ways.”

Over the season, Huntington has had to learn to focus her energy.

“I like to go really fast,” she said. “But when I go really fast, I tend to lose a lot of energy and lose my breath. I really had to focus on containing my energy at little points to be able to keep going longer on the games, and that made me a better player.”

Huntington describes her experience playing basketball with the Lumberjacks as “a lot of fun.”

“The girls really welcomed me,” Huntington said. “They’ve really made me feel comfortable on the court playing with them, and the school has been great.”

LeBlanc said she has noted Huntington is becoming more expressive with her teammates.

“I think the biggest thing for her is that she’s made good strides in this post season in terms of coming out of her shell,” LeBlanc said. “She used to be more inward and very down on herself if she didn’t do well in a drill. She has a good attitude about basketball and really wants to be a good player.” 

Huntington will return to NAU next season as one of three sophomores. Her experience from this season will translate into a leadership role, as the Jacks currently carry just one senior on their roster.