The Saint Francis University bowling team will hit the road this weekend, traveling to Mount Joy, Pa., to compete in the 6th Annual Mount Shootout Tournament hosted by Mount St. Mary's at Clearview Lanes on February 9-11.

The Red Flash (37-42, 9-5 NEC) return from an off-week after hosting the Red Flash Invitational, where they placed fifth out of 10 teams in attendance. No. 15 Mount St. Mary's, the host of this weekend's tournament, finished second at the Frankies' home competition a few weeks back.

WHAT WE'RE UP AGAINST
The Mount Shootout will feature a pair of teams the Red Flash have yet to face in Alvernia and Dominican, along with former rivals in Kutztown, Norfolk State and New Jersey City who competed against Saint Francis when the teams regularly faced each other as some of the best teams in the country.

The tournament consists of five teams ranked in the National Tenpin Coaches Association top-25 poll released in December, including No. 5 North Carolina A&T and No. 15 Mount St. Mary's, both of whom are in line for an NCAA tournament berth at season's end. The tournament also includes three teams ranked in the preseason Division II and III top-15 poll: No. 5 Mercyhurst, No. 7 Lincoln Memorial, and No. 15 Kutztown.

Three Northeast Conference teams will appear in the 17-team tournament, with the Red Flash possibly facing No. 25 Fairleigh Dickinson and Niagara in non-conference battles before the third NEC regular season tournament next weekend. Saint Francis is a perfect 4-0 in conference play against the Knights and Purple Eagles, but a loss to Niagara has the Flash winless against the two teams in non-conference competition.

GUESS WHO'S BACK
The Red Flash have appeared in the Mount Shootout twice before, finishing ninth in 2019 and winning the championship in 2018, the tournament's inaugural season.

The 2018 season saw the Flash lose just once in the two-day tournament, defeating top-ranked teams on their way to a championship battle against the host team. While the Mountaineers claimed more All-Tournament honors than the Red Flash, the Frankies emerged victorious in the best-of-seven baker battle, winning 4-1 while claiming the first tournament championship following the departure of head coach Tom Falbo.

PERFORMANCES TO LOOK FOR
While fourth-year head coach Ashley Bingham continues to shuffle the lineup, viewers have seen different bowlers stand out from week to week. Two different seniors have earned conference Prime Performer honors, as Emma Meade carried the load at the Northeast Classic while Marissa Metcalfe's performance at the home tournament was worthy of a spot on the All-Tournament Team. The Flash will continue to rely on at least one of the three seniors to lead them down the final stretch of the season.

While freshman bowlers Hayden Bennett and Jewel Johnson weren't relied on as much in the first half of the season, more opportunities have been made available for the first-year student-athletes to carve out a role in the five-person rotation. Johnson took advantage of the opportunities in the Northeast Classic as frames opened up for the Flash, while Bennett found a role in the rotation by the end of the home tournament. Both freshmen will likely see similar opportunities again this weekend as they look to continue their growth in the second half of the season.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Feb. 9: 5 Baker matches starting at 10:55 a.m.
Saturday, Feb. 10: 5 Traditional matches starting at 9:55 a.m.
Sunday, Feb. 11: 3 best-of-seven baker matches starting at 9:00 a.m.

FOLLOW US
The 6th Annual Mount Shootout Tournament will be live-streamed on the team's Facebook page, and the latest updates will 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.