READING, Pa. (Jan. 27, 2013) - In a field comprised of some of the best teams in the country, the Saint Francis U bowling team notched a fifth place finish among 28 competitors Sunday at the final round of the Kutztown Invitational.

"Finishing fifth this weekend and going 3-1 against top 10 teams was important," head coach Tom Falbo said. "Sunday's round again featured the depth on our squad and staying on top of transition. This entire group is working hard to improve and that will remain our focus. We've got to rest, work smart and set our goals for our conference event next weekend."

The Red Flash battled back in Sunday's best four-of-seven baker style format. The team began the day with a 4-0 loss to Northeast Conference foe No. 12 Sacred Heart. From there the 11th ranked Flash clawed its way back through the bracket standings and edged tournament host and 10th ranked Kutztown 4-3 in the second match of the afternoon. In its final meeting of the tournament Saint Francis then overtook No. 9 Wisconsin Whitewater 4-2 to secure the top-five team finish.

For the tournament, SFU leaves Reading with an overall record of 10-5, bumping its season total to 34-13.

No. 2 Maryland Eastern Shore took home the tournament title after downing third-ranked Vanderbilt 4-1 in the championship match. UMES finished as the only team in the field of 28 to have just one loss on the weekend.

Saint Francis travels to New Jersey next weekend Feb. 2-3 as Monmouth hosts the second Northeast Conference meet of the season. SFU currently has a 5-4 record in conference play.