GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Mercyhurst University men's rowing team had a strong showing at the MACRA Championships in Grand Rapids, Michigan over the weekend, with the team posting two-out-of-three top three finishes in the finals.

Head coach Adrian Spracklen is hoping that the team can build off the positive steps the team took this weekend for the Dad Vails in two weeks. ""The team took some positive steps over the weekend and we have some positive momentum leading into our final preparations for the post-season. The team is ready to make their final push to acquire the speed we seek to be successful at the Dad Vail Regatta in two weeks."

In the men's lightweight four Grand Final for the Jim Buckalew Cup, the Mercyhurst boat finished in third place behind the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Michigan. The top three schools in the race were separated by just under eight seconds. The Laker boat, consisting of Jessica Ritchie, Amel Younis, Zack Pappas, Gary Loo, and Ben Urbanowski, came in with a time of 6:43.58. MSOE won the event by clocking in at 6:36.07, while Michigan finished second at 6:40.55. The Lakers finished ahead of Purdue, Michigan's "B" boat, and Chicago.

In the following race, Jeff Murt in the men's single finals, finished in a close second place to Case Western's single representative. Murt came in with a time of 7:22.87, a shade over three seconds behind the winner. Murt finished ahead of two separate representatives from Grand Valley State, and singles from Notre Dame, Xavier, and Case Western.

Finally, in the last race of the championships, the men's varsity eight finished sixth out of six boats in the Grand Final for the Ralph Lindamood Cup. The race was hotly contested, with all six boats finishing just under 12 seconds apart. Michigan won the race with a time of 5:39.06, with Grand Valley State finishing six-tenths of a second behind. Notre Dame place third. The Laker boat, comprised of John Thiede, Ivan Palikuca, Xavier Alexander, Jake Schuppe, Dave Cullmer, Marcin Osajda, Caleb Schuder, Sam Rouse, and Mike Gallagher, came in with a time of 5:51.01.

Mercyhurst will next compete at the Dad Vail Regatta in Philadelphia on Friday, May 11 and Saturday, May 12.