Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Duquesne University bowling team earned its first tournament title of the 2025-26 season Sunday at Steel City Bowl & Brews in Bethlehem, Pa., claiming the NEC #2 championship with a 10-2 record. Thanks to the performance, the Dukes claimed a share of the 2026 Northeast Conference regular-season championship with Niagara with a league record of 17-7 (.708). Overall this season, Duquesne has amassed a record of 51-37 (.580).
 
STARTING STRONG
Traditional play opened NEC #2 Friday, with the Dukes finishing a perfect 4-0 on the first day of action. Duquesne opened with a 916-764 victory over LIU before earning a 959-564 triumph over Wagner. The third match of the day featured the Dukes downing No. 11 Niagara, 1,116-1,003 before closing out action with a 1,000-993 win over FDU. The first two matches of Saturday's action saw traditional play completed, with Duquesne falling to No. 18 Monmouth, 989-958, before rebounding to garner a 1,035-919 win over Mercyhurst.
 
BAKER ROLLS
Traditional play complete, the format switched to Baker for the second half of action Saturday, with the Dukes opening with a 922-829 win over the Knights. A rematch with the Purple Eagles followed, and this time Niagara earned a 17-pin victory, 968-951. The Dukes would again rebound, closing the second day of competition with a 940-883 triumph over the Sharks. Sunday featured the completion of Baker action, with Duquesne surging to victories over the Lakers, 912-848, the Hawks, 1,052-961, and the Seahawks, 946-599, to win an NEC competition for the fourth consecutive year. The opening lineup against FDU in Baker action featured freshmen Taylor Miller and Jazmyn Scott, junior Ivanna Fraticelli, senior Emma Siekierski and junior Maribeth Baker, with sophomore Anna Clark subbing in for multiple games against the Knights. Clark was also part of the starting lineup against Niagara, LIU and Mercyhurst, with Scott also filling in during the victory over Mercyhurst.
 
LOCKED IN
Three Dukes finished in the top five individually during traditional play, with Siekierski finishing second with 1,307 total pins in six games, an average of 217.83. She rolled a 226 in the opener against LIU and also fired a 241 in the win over Niagara to go along with a 234 Saturday against Monmouth. Baker finished fourth with 1,244 total pins (207.33 average), including a 234 in back-to-back victories over the Purple Eagles and Knights, while Miller closed in fifth with 1,194 total pins, an average of 199.0. Her weekend high of 246 came in the victory over Niagara. Fraticelli finished just outside the top 10, knocking down 1,129 pins, an average of 188.17, to finish 12th. Clark saw action in four traditional games and averaged 190.75, while Scott averaged 173.50 Saturday against Monmouth and in the win over Mercyhurst.
 
AT THE TOP
The team title for Duquesne at NEC #2 marks the fifth win in a conference competition in the last four years as well as the second time in program history the Dukes have earned the championship of NEC #2. Duquesne also won the tournament in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in December of 2023 with a 7-0 record. The Dukes have also won NEC #1 twice, including titles in November of 2022 and 2024, as well NEC #3 in Manchester, N.H., during the 2023-24 season. Niagara earns the No. 1 seed for the 2026 NEC Championship thanks to a head-to-head record of 3-1 against Duquesne over the course of the two conference competitions this season. The Purple Eagles finished 9-3 at NEC #2, followed by both Monmouth and Fairleigh Dickinson at 7-5. The Hawks finished a game back at 16-8 overall in NEC action and will be the No. 3 seed, while Mercyhurst, at 13-13, is the No. 4 seed.
 
STRIKES & SPARES
Over the course of the tournament, the Dukes finished with 11,707 total pins, an average of 195.1 per game … Niagara finished second in total pins (11,438) … The Dukes scored at least 1,000 four times at NEC #2, as many as Niagara, Monmouth and FDU combined … In Baker play, Duquesne held a 35-pin lead over Niagara through four games before the Purple Eagles claimed the win with a 234-182 triumph in game five … Duquesne surged against the Hawks in Baker play, eclipsing 200 in four of the five games, including a 245-177 victory in game three that opened up a 46-pin lead … In game four against Monmouth in Baker, the Dukes earned a 42-pin win, 211-169, to take control ... All-time in 10 years in the NEC, Duquesne has amassed a record of 129-75 (.632) in conference competition, producing eight consecutive seasons of .500 or better. 
 
UP NEXT
Duquesne wraps the 2025-26 regular season by taking part in the Stallings Invitational, which is hosted by North Carolina A&T. Play at Triad Lanes in Greensboro, N.C., begins Friday, Feb. 27, and concludes Sunday, March 1.
 
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