Scavenger hunt leads to marriage proposal

PITTSBURGH, May 22 (UPI) -- A Pittsburgh man who won a 1.6-carat diamond ring worth $15,000 in a scavenger hunt accepted the prize and promptly proposed marriage to his girlfriend.

Mark Seneca, 30, said he entered the Henne Jewelers Diamond Dash, a 2-hour scavenger hunt in Pittsburgh, because he couldn't afford the wedding ring he wanted to buy his girlfriend, Nicole McQuay, 29, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported Sunday.

The couple have been dating for seven years, and Seneca said he intended to propose as part of a 30th birthday surprise for McQuay but thought the contest would be a more adventurous opportunity.

To win, contestants had to answer trivia and math questions about local Pittsburgh Golden Triangle landmarks via text messages.

When Seneca and McQuay went on stage at a Station Square restaurant to accept the ring, Seneca dropped to one knee and proposed in front of a crowd of cheering scavenger hunt competitors as the occasion turned into an impromptu engagement party.

"We've been talking about getting engaged, but I told him, 'You don't have to do it today,'" McQuay said. "But I guess we are now, so there's really no turning back!"