CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- The Mercyhurst College women's rowing team captured second-place at the 2009 NCAA Rowing Championships on the Cooper River.

In the day's first grand final, the Lakers varsity four battled with rival Western Washington for the entire 2,000 meters and nearly pulled off a second-place finish, but instead took home bronze after the Vikings clipped Mercyhurst at the finish line by 0.4 seconds to cross the line first in 7:57.34.

In the varsity eight, Mercyhurst seemed to be the clear cut favorite after spending five consecutive weeks  at No. 1 in the polls and posting the fastest heat of the Friday's qualifying rounds.  However, the four-time defending champion Western Washington used a strong surge in the second-500 meters to overtake Mercyhurst's lead.  From there, the Lakers used several powerful strokes to pull back in striking distance but just could not overcome the Vikings lead in the final 500 meters.

Western Washington finished in 6:52.60 to take the eight championship and the overall team title for the fifth-straight year while the Lakers finished at 6:57.22 for the silver in both the eight and team championship.

For Mercyhurst, this is the first medal finish at the NCAA championships since the 2005 squad also earned runner-up status.  The 2004 edition won the program's first and only national championship to date.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
Western Washington 18
Mercyhurst 13
Nova Southeastern 11
Philadelphia University 8