LORETTO, Pa. - The Saint Francis University bowling team will be without fourth-year Head Coach Ashley Bingham at the Northeast Conference Championship on March 22-24, the team and athletic department announced Thursday.

Bingham, who has been battling undisclosed health issues since the Northeast Classic in January, has not been cleared by doctors to travel by plane or bus to New Jersey to coach the Red Flash bowling team throughout the conference postseason tournament. Instead, Senior Associate Athletic Director for Administration/Senior Woman Administrator Lisa Swope will make the trip alongside the squad.

"Coach Bingham will not be accompanying the team to New Jersey," Saint Francis Director of Athletics James Downer said in a statement to the team. "She and I have discussed extensively and in the best interest of her health, she will not make the trip in person. Lisa Swope will be accompanying the team to the NEC Championships and will serve in a supervisory capacity."

The January incident forced Bingham to leave the tournament early, handing the team over to Volunteer Assistant Coach Jamie Yorio for the remainder of Saturday's competition. Bingham returned to coach the three matches on Sunday and cautiously handled the situation as she continued leading the Red Flash down the stretch.

"These girls have worked extremely hard for this all year, and I am proud of all the hard work they have put in," Coach Bingham said in a statement. "They are going to do amazing at the NEC Championships! The team will pull together in this difficult time and work as a family. I know they can do this and work together for the end goal, and that is to win!"

Swope, now serving in an administrative role for the Saint Francis athletic department, oversees various operations for the Red Flash, including human resources, purchasing and transportation. While her background is filled with many accomplishments in the legal field, Swope also coached the Red Flash men's and women's tennis teams, where both squads saw improved win totals from her first to second seasons at the helm.

The fifth-seeded Red Flash open NEC Championship competition against fourth-seed Merrimack on Friday, Mar. 22. The Warriors hold a 2-1 regular season advantage over the Red Flash, with the lone Saint Francis win coming at the second NEC regular season tournament in December. Merrimack, ranked No. 16 in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association top-25 polls, has only one loss to the Red Flash since becoming a program last season.

The Northeast Conference Championship matches will be broadcast live on NEC Front Row, the Northeast Conference's official broadcasting service. For more information on the Red Flash, visit sfuathletics.com and follow RedFlashBowling on Facebook, Instagram, and X.