PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. -- Playing a 54-hole tournament in the season opener this weekend, the 18th-ranked Christopher Newport women's golf team captured a seventh place finish at the 2019 DIII Women's National Preview hosted by Emory University at PGA National this weekend. The Captains fired a +115 (979; 329-325-325) in the two-day event that included 36 holes on Saturday and the final round on Sunday. 

Christopher Newport finished just nine strokes behind Methodist University for a top-five finishing mark and were just 21 strokes back of a top-three performance. Rookie Teagan Fritts had the best round of the day on Sunday for the Captains as the newcomer set and reset her young scoring record in each of the three rounds this weekend. Fritts finished the third round with a seven-over 79 and finished the tournament tied for 19th individually. 

The finest 54-hole score of the weekend for the Captains was junior Erica Whitehouse's +21 (237; 78-78-81). The 2018 NCAA National Qualifier opened up her third season with the Captains just one stroke shy of a top-ten individual effort. 

Behind Whitehouse's overall tournament finish, the third round was the best for the remaining four Captains. Sophomore Shreya Ganta matched her second round 82 while newcomer Lauren Sims notched a personal best 83. Katie Thome wrapped up her weekend by repeating an 87 to match her best 18-hole effort of the tournament. 

As a team, the Captains ranked fourth in both Par 3 and Par 5 scoring while combining for 19 birdies as a team. Christopher Newport ranked fifth in total birdies while Fritts was the only player to sink a birdie in the entire event. Four of the five Captains golfers had at least one birdie in their round on Sunday as they helped the team hold their position at seventh on the leaderboard. 

Christopher Newport is now off for three weeks before traveling to the Pittsburgh, Pa. area to play in the Tartan Invitational hosted by Carnegie Mellon University. That tournament is set for October 7-8