LANSING, Mich. -- Duplicating its finish from each of the past two years, the University of St. Francis men's bowling team came home once again boasting a tie for seventh place in the nation following its 1-1 elimination bracket day at the 2026 NAIA National Championships on Friday at Royal Scot Bowling Center.

The No. 7-seeded Fighting Saints rallied for a 4-1 victory over No. 11 Cumberland University (Tenn.).  After falling short by 14 pins in the first game, USF won its second game 202-160 to knot the match at one-all.  St. Francis then edged out the Phoenix by a slim 4-pin margin (226-222) in game three, before storming ahead and eventually gaining advancement by winning the final two sets (223-194, 214-194).

A matchup with No. 3 seed Savannah College of Art & Design (Ga.) followed with the two teams splitting their first two games.  SCAD-Savannah then took a 3-1 lead with its 198-169, 233-171 victories in games three and four, respectively, only to have St. Francis win its second game of the match with its 236-191 victory in game five.  The Bees then went on to win game six by a 225-210 count to advance thus ending USF's tournament run.

Up Next
The Saints will compete in the United States Bowling Congress Intercollegiate Team Championships April 13-18 in Las Vegas, Nev.

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