PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Gabriela Becerra Diaz earned tournament MVP honors as the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's bowling team finished second at the Duquesne Invitational, held on Nov. 6-8, after posting a 6-2 qualifying record and totaling a tournament-high 9,336 pins.

Becerra Diaz led the field with 988 pins across five traditional games, averaging 197.6 pins per game. Teammate Mariane Almeida also earned all-tournament team honors, finishing third individually with 977 pins and a 195.4 average.

UMES opened Friday's Baker competition with a 937-917 loss to host Duquesne before bouncing back with a 907-825 victory over Coppin State. The Hawks followed with wins over Daemen, 988-895, and Mercyhurst, 960-853, to finish Baker competition with a 3-1 record.

The Hawks carried that momentum into Saturday's traditional competition, opening with a 1,014-934 victory over Adelphi. UMES followed with a 915-880 win over Howard and an 899-892 victory against Duquesne before falling to Coppin State, 937-908.

Maryland Eastern Shore concluded qualifying competition atop the standings with 4,666 Baker pins and 4,670 traditional pins for a tournament-leading 9,336 pins.

Entering Sunday's championship bracket as the top seed, UMES defeated Mercyhurst 4-2 in the opening round to advance to the championship match against Duquesne. The Hawks fell to the host Dukes 4-2 in the final to secure second place overall.

Along with Becerra Diaz and Almeida's performances, Sydney Smoot finished 13th individually with 912 pins and a 182.4 average. Sofia Tosto Valenzuela placed 16th with 903 pins and a 180.6 average, while Angela Steinke finished 17th with 890 pins and a 178.0 average.

The Hawks concluded the tournament with two all-tournament selections, including tournament MVP Becerra Diaz, and the highest qualifying pinfall among participating teams.