Freshman paces USCB men to 3rd-place finish at Georgia tournament

Freshman Newport Laparojkit followed up an opening 73 with a closing 3-under-par 69, helping USC Beaufort finish a close third Tuesday at the Thomas University Fall Invitational in Valdosta, Ga.

The Sand Sharks finished two strokes behind 12th-ranked Southeastern for the team title at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, with No.11 Dalton State between them in second. USCB finished ahead of three other teams ranked in the NAIA men's top 25, including No.7 Coastal Georgia and No.8 Keiser.

Laparojkit's total of 2-under 142 also left him in third individually, four shots behind Dalton State's S.M. Lee and two behind Southeastern's Carlos Ardila.

USCB sophomore Riley Schank tied for sixth after scores of 71-74, with Jonathan Sundstrom (71-76) grabbing a share of 11th.

The Sand Sharks return to competition next Monday, hosting the Sand Shark Innisbrook Invitational near Tampa, Fla.

This story was originally published September 28, 2016 at 9:49 AM with the headline "Freshman paces USCB men to 3rd-place finish at Georgia tournament."