WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- Christopher Newport senior Lauren Sims (+1) fired a 72 on the first day and sits in third place overall to lead the Captains women's golf team on day one of the Williams Golf Championship. CNU sits in fifth place with a 315 (+31) and is currently 11 strokes off the pace set by New York University 304 (+20). 

Playing at the Par 71 Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Massachusetts, the Captains had a strong overall performance with all five golfers firing an 86 or better. The Captains and the rest of the nine-team field will return to the course for the second and final round on Sunday. 

Sims shot a 72 or better for the fifth time in her career and is just one stroke off the pace currently shared by Tiya Chowdary (NYU) and Jacqueline Lu (Williams) with matching Even Par scorecards. For CNU, rookie Katie Watson registered the finest round of her young career with a six-over 77, besting her previous mark by ten strokes. She is locked in a tie for 14th on the individual leaderboard. 

Alex Delgado (+11) is tied for 33rd after signing for an 82, while Elena Rezac (+13) is tied fo 42nd and Julia Pelletier (+15) is tied for 46th. 

The 315 stroke finish in the first round is the lowest team score for the Captains since the final round of the 2021 Golfweek DIII Fall Invite on October 19. 

Final scores and a recap after Sunday's second round will be available on CNUsports.com.