Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Men's Water Polo prepares for their final event of the season as they are set to compete in the Mid-Atlantic Championships this weekend. The Lakers travel to New York, N.Y. in hopes of making some noise in the tournament to round out their 2022-23 campaign.

Mercyhurst comes into the conference tournament as the 11th seed and are set to take on the 6th seen Navy. The two teams met once during the regular season with the Midshipmen able to take home the win by a final of17-3 during the Conference Crossover on October 8th. Navy scored six in each of the first two periods on their way to the double-digit win while for the Lakers, Nate Cheney, Teagan Thomas, and Owen Hardner each scored one goal apiece.

The Lakers are coming off their third win of the season in their senior night game with Penn State Behrend. The two teams met up inside the Hallman Aquatic Center on November 13th with Mercyhurst getting the better of the matchup by a final of 14-9. It was a 4-0 second period that made all the difference in that one with Hardner scoring a pair of goals in the frame while Danilo Vujovic and Brennan Cumby each having a goal as well.

Vujovic leads the way for the Lakers on offense with a team-high in shots, goals, points, and shot percentage. The junior has 41 goals to his line for, doubling up the second-place Hardner who has 20. Teagan Thomas has been the main facilitator for the team this season with 18 assists while coign second in steals with 14 to Tony Golin's 22. Golin has been the go-to goalkeeper for Mercyhurst with 19 games played and nearly 500 minutes in the water while saving 218 shots.

The Lakers play two games during the tournament with them set to compete against either Mount St. Mary's or John Hopkins on Saturday. If Mercyhurst drops the event opener, they play at 1:00 p.m. Saturday in the consolation bracket while a win would give them a 5:00 p.m. game time.