OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - The Mercyhurst University men's varsity eight boat finished second in the "C" Final on Sunday morning at the SIRA Regatta in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

The varsity eight boat, consisting of John Thiede, Ivan Palikuca, Jake Schuppe, Xavier Alexander, Dave Cullmer, Marcin Osjada, Sam Rouse, Caleb Schuder, and Zack Pappas, clocked in with a time of 6:05.43, finishing just behind Rollins, who came in at 6:02.60.

"This regatta was a great indicator of where we are at this point in the season," said head coach Adrian Spracklen. "Our goals never change, however we need to re-focus. We have three weeks to prepare for the Dad Vail and we're going to need every day of it. This weekend was a lot like a boxing match, we got knocked down, but we've got to get back up and keep fighting."

North Carolina finished third with a time of 6:08.20, while Delaware, Wichita State, and Colorado finished fourth through sixth respectively.

Mercyhurst's varsity eight got to the "C" Final by finishing third in Saturday morning's heat with a time of 6:05.76. Then, in the hotly-contested semifinal, Mercyhurst narrowly missed a trip to the Petite Final, finishing in fifth place in the race, one-and-a-half seconds behind St. Joseph for fourth place. The Lakers crossed the finish line in a time of 6:01.65, two seconds ahead of last-place Delaware. Virginia won the race in 5:47.90, while Temple and Georgia Tech rounded out the top three.
 
Mercyhurst will be at the MACRA Regatta in Grand Rapids, Michigan next Saturday and Sunday, April 28 and 29.