The Saint Francis University bowling team dominated the field in baker play on the first day of the UMES Hawk Classic in Woodbridge, Va., on Friday, posting a 4-1 record and finishing the day in seventh place in the 22-team field.

HOW IT WENT DOWN
The Red Flash picked up four wins on the day, opening with wins over Bryant and No. 20 Wisconsin-Whitewater. They captured wins over No. 1 Vanderbilt and Wilmington to conclude the first day of competition. Their 5,266 pin total placed them seventh overall heading into the tournament's second day.

Fourth-year head coach Ashley Bingham started the same lineup through the first four tournaments, as seniors Samantha Timm, Marissa Metcalfe, Emma Meade and Kassidy Landwehr teamed up with sophomore Mackenzie Keane to lead the Flash to a 3-1 opening record. Sophomore Ayanna Carroll came in during the Vanderbilt match, striking in three of her four frames in the win over the Commodores while posting a strong performance in the win over Wilmington.

NOT A FLUKE
After the first Northeast Conference tournament last weekend, it remained to be seen whether the Red Flash could maintain the high level of performance they showed in New Jersey, not only in traditional competition but also in baker play.

Those doubts were most certainly erased after their performances throughout the first day of the Hawk Classic, as they not only won against unranked teams but challenged and defeated some of the toughest competition in the nation. Their consistent effort to fill frames overwhelmed most teams, and the long runs of strikes they compiled often countered whatever other teams threw at them.

YES, WE BEAT VANDY
Vanderbilt, the preseason No. 1 team and the reigning national champion, is among the nation's toughest competition. Not only is Vanderbilt known as a premier bowling program that regularly produces top-notch bowlers, but their brand speaks for itself as well.

Saint Francis has been able to match up well with the Commodores as of late. After losing six straight matchups between 2019 and 2021, the Frankies have topped the Dores in three of their last four meetings. Today's match was among the most noteworthy, as none of the past three matches came when Vanderbilt was ranked No. 1 in the nation.

Saint Francis held onto a slim lead through four games against the Commodores, but after maintaining only a 10-pin margin, they would need a strong fifth frame to snuff out the threat that could come from Vanderbilt. That came in the form of six straight strikes, starting in the fifth frame and ending in the tenth from the anchor Landwehr, who played a pivotal role in the upset victory.

FINALS FROM FRIDAY
SFU 1096, Bryant 889
SFU 1124, No. 20 Wisconsin-Whitewater 985
No. 6 Youngstown State 1139, SFU 951
SFU 1053, No. 1 Vanderbilt 999
SFU 1042, Wilmington 880

SATURDAY'S SLATE
No. 19 Central Missouri
No. 8 Sam Houston State
No. 7 Jacksonville State
Adelphi
No. 21 Lincoln Memorial

FOLLOW ALONG
The UMES Hawk Classic will not be live-streamed on the team's Facebook page but will instead be broadcast on BowlTV for a fee. The latest updates will still be posted on the team's Facebook and X pages.

For more information on the Red Flash, visit sfuathletics.com and follow RedFlashBowling on Facebook, Instagram, and X.