NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. -- Facing an incredibly talented field at the NCAA Division III Championship Preview, the Christopher Newport men's golf team earned one of the most impressive wins in program history on Tuesday with a 14-stroke victory at the Keene Trace Golf Club. Taking on a field that included 16 nationally-ranked teams, including the top six teams listed in the Bushnell/Golfweek Division III Coaches' Poll, CNU captured both the team and individual medalist honors with the dominant overall performance. 

Senior Alex Price (-7) pulled away for a convincing nine-stroke victory over a pair of golfers at two-over in second place. He was under par in all three rounds, finishing with a 209 (71-67-71) on the Par 72 track in Kentucky. His 54-hole finish ranks second in team history only to his own 2022 appearance at the Jekyll Island Collegiate where he shattered the program record with a 205 (-11). 

Price secured his second career tournament victory on Tuesday after another exceptional round of golf. He sank four more birdies and added 11 pars for a one-under 71. The Captains' lefty led the tournament in under-par holes with 17 (14 birdies, 2 eagles) and was also the top golfer in Par 4 and Par 5 scoring. He finished the three-round event with a 3.90 (-3) average on the Par 4's, while dominating the long holes with a 4.25 (-9) average on the Par 5's. 

With his medalist finish, Price adds another first to his mantel, becoming the first Captain to finish under par three or more times in a 54-hole tournament. CNU Athletics Hall of Famer Joseph Evans accomplished the feat twice with a pair of one-under finishes at the Camp Lejeune Intercollegiate in 2009 and 2011. Price has now finished under par in three-round events at the 2021 Savannah Invitational (-1), the 2022 Jekyll Island Collegiate (-11), and the 2022 NCAA DIII Championship Preview (-7). 

With Price cruising to the individual win, the Captains also coasted to an impressive team victory as well. CNU bested a four-way tie for second between No. 1 Methodist, No. 4 Carnegie Mellon, No. 10 Wittenberg, and No. 13 Washington and Lee by 14 strokes. The Captains signed for the only sub-900 finish in the tournament with a 886 (299-294-293), inserting the performance on the all-time charts as a team as well. The 886 ranks eighth for low tournament total score while relative to par, it ranks as the fifth best finish in team history for a 54-hole tournament. 

Helping anchor a terrific finish for the Captains were Even par 72's by rookie Austin Smith (+6) and senior Robb Kinder (+10). Smith wrapped up his first career top-ten finish with another impressive round to start his career on Tuesday. The Williamsburg, Va. native tied for 10th after notching five more birdies to finish the tournament with nine over three rounds of action. Kinder improved his score each round at the DIII Preview and shot up to a tie for 20th place overall while sinking four birdies on Tuesday. 

Jack Gessaman (+13) wasn't far behind and tied for 31st to help round out the scoring for the Captains with a six-over 78 on day three. The CNU sophomore birdied the 545-yard Par 5 11th hole and added 11 pars to finish with 32 in the tournament. 

The 14-stroke victory is the widest margin of victory for a team in the NCAA Preview event since 2018 when Emory captured a 24-stroke win over Wittenberg, ironically on the same course. The 2023 NCAA Division III National Championships will be played at the Keene Trace GC from May 16-19 in Nicholasville, Ky.