Mercyhurst Rowing put together a strong showing in a pair of races as the men competed in the Mid-America Collegiate Rowing Association Championship, coming away with a pair of wins, while the women claimed two top finishes of their own at the Canisius Invite.
The Lakers began their day in the MACRAs with a win by the varsity fours. They found themselves in lane five in the first heat of the day and came away with the win with a time of 7:09.6 as Michigan State and Grand Valley rounded out the top three. In the second heat, they claimed third place with a time of 7:24.3. The varsity eights were next in the water with them able to claim a win of their own, coming in with a time of 6:19.5, finishing eight seconds in front of Minnesota.
The women began the Canisius Invite with their first win of the day, hitting the water against D'Youville, and crossing the finish line with a time of 7:42.3. The varsity fours were next up for the Lakers with them coming in behind Canisius as the Griffins finished with a time of 8:51.1 and the Lakers at 9:00.4. The varsity eights saw Canisius in their second race of the day and claimed their second win, coming in at 7:04.2.
Hear From Coach
"The conditions were surprisingly very good today and it made for some great racing," said Director of Rowing Adrian Spracklen when asked about the Canisius Invite. "Next week is a big week as we face East Regional Invite opponents. It could determine whether we can improve our regional ranking which will get us into the postseason; this is a huge week for us."
"All crews raced great today," said Assistant Coach Jakob Mathieu. "Increasing winds and rainy conditions throughout the day made racing quite challenging, however we pushed through and ended the day with great results."
What's Next
Men's Heavyweight and Lightweight now eye the Dad Vails, scheduled for Friday, May 12th, and Saturday, May 13th, in Cherry Hill, N.J. The women are set to travel to Hamilton, N.Y. next to take part in the East Regional Invite set for next Sunday, May 7th.
