Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University bowling team competed in its second Northeast Conference (NEC) competition of the 2024-25 season this weekend, posting a record of 6-6 (.500) in Altoona, Pa., at Holiday Bowl. The Dukes own an overall record of 49-40 (.551) this year, including a mark of 15-9 (.625) in conference action.
THE TOP SPOT
FDU finished with a record of 9-3 at NEC #2 and claimed the 2025 conference regular-season championship with an overall league mark of 17-7 (.708). The Knights have earned the No. 1 seed for the 2025 NEC Championship, which is set for Friday, March 21, through Sunday, March 23, in Hamilton, N.J., at Hamilton Lanes. Duquesne and Mercyhurst finish in a tie for second place in the conference standings with league records of 15-9 (.625), with the Dukes holding the No. 2 seed thanks to a 3-1 head-to-head record against the Lakers during league play. Monmouth closes in fourth place with an NEC mark of 14-10 (.583), followed by Niagara (11-13), Wagner (10-14) and LIU (2-22).
FOR OPENERS
NEC #2 opened with traditional play Friday, with Duquesne posting a record of 1-3 on the first day of action. The Dukes fell to Niagara, 943-926, followed by a 1,028-916 setback to Monmouth. Duquesne rebounded to earn a 994-660 triumph over LIU before the Knights, ranked No. 22 in the latest National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) rankings, defeated the Dukes by just a pair of pins, 848-846. Duquesne concluded traditional play Saturday with a 912-878 win over Mercyhurst before falling to Wagner, 921-906.
BAKER PLAY
Saturday also featured Baker play at the conclusion of traditional, with the Knights knocking off the Dukes to open action, 934-873. Duquesne rebounded to close out play Saturday with a 1,005-934 triumph over Niagara as well as a 984-888 win over Wagner. Concluding play Sunday, the Lakers earned a 950-884 win before the Dukes closed with a pair of victories, including 1,024-725 over LIU and a six-pin victory over Monmouth, 935-929. The top game for Duquesne in Baker action came Saturday in game three against the Purple Eagles, with the Dukes firing a 233. It followed a game two in which Duquesne posted a 223.
THE LINEUP
The Baker lineup for Duquesne opened with senior
Ranelle Ulanday, sophomores
Maribeth Baker and
Ivanna Fraticelli, junior
Emma Siekierski and fifth year
Shannon Small, with grad student
Samantha Timm subbing in against FDU. Baker would slide back in the lineup against Mercyhurst, which also featured senior
Morgan Brookover.
LARGE AND SMALL
Small would pace Duquesne in traditional play with 1,170 pins over six games, an average score of 195.0. The average was enough for her to take home the individual championship, her first of the 2024-25 season after multiple finishes in the top five. Small's best game was against LIU, as she fired a 237, the highest score of NEC #2 individually for the Dukes. The performance at NEC #2 marks the third career individual title for Small, as she was a back-to-back winner of the Red Flash Invitational in 2023 and 2024. Small also entered NEC #2 atop the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) leaderboard with an average score of 211.875, just ahead of Brooke Salzman (211.152) of Mount Mercy.
INDIVIDUALITY
Also producing for Duquesne at NEC #2 was Siekierski, who knocked down a total of 1,119 pins (186.5), just four more than Ulanday, who averaged 185.8. Ulanday rolled a 212 in the opener against Niagara for her top score of the competition, while Siekierski posted a 204 against both the Purple Eagles and Sharks. Siekierski would finish seventh individually, while Ulanday claimed ninth. Brookover, meanwhile, rolled a 206 in the win over the Sharks after joining the lineup. As a team, Duquesne tallied 11,205 pins over the course of the weekend, the highest total during competition, for an average game of 186.8.
UP NEXT
Next on the slate for Duquesne is the Stallings Invitational Friday, Feb. 28, through Sunday, March 2. The competition will take place in Greensboro, N.C., at AMF All Star Lanes and is hosted by North Carolina A&T.
FOLLOW THE DUKES
For the latest news and updates on Duquesne bowling, follow the Dukes on X and Instagram.
