Erie, Pa. - After a strong last weekend down south, the Lakers head west this time around for Indianapolis, In. for one one their bigger races of the season in the MACRAs. The teams are set to compete on Sunday, April 28th, looking to further cement themselves as one of the top teams in the country.
A Look Back
Mercyhurst is coming off of one of their stronger showings so far in the 2023-24 campaign in the SIRAs this past weekend in Oakridge, Tn., hoping for similar results this time around. Over two days of competition the Lakers were able to grab four podium finishes with three silver medals to their ledger while claiming one gold. That top spot belonged to the men's lightweight fours who ended up coming out on top in their finale thanks to a time of 6:50.165 which proved to be almost a full 10 seconds faster than second place Alabama.
History Lesson
The Lakers are not strangers to the MACRAs, competing in the event several times before with an appearance a season ago. Last time around, the men's heavy and lightweights took the water in Indianapolis, In. with both able to grab wins on the day with the men's fours able to come away with first place in their first heat. The men's eights then followed with a first place finish of their own with the team able to come in with a time of 6:19.5, coming in nearly eight seconds in from of second-place Minnesota.
Moving On Up
The Lakers have been a staple of the POCOCK CRCA Division II poll so far this year and this week was no different. The team has been hanging around the top five or most of the year, moving between fifth and sixth but managed to climb one more spot at fourth, announced by the poll this past week. The team put together a very strong run in the SIRAs and were awarded for their efforts as they now have their highest ranking of the year so far, looking to climb even higher as the season begins to wind down. The top three of the poll remained the same as a week ago as Central Oklahoma claimed the top spot while Embry-Riddle came in just behind with Cal Poly Humboldt rounding out the top three.
Next Race
The teams take some time off before their next competition with their first race in the month of May not being until the second weekend when they go to race in the Dad Vails. That event is set to take place in Cherry Hill, N.J. beginning on Friday, May 10th, with things rounding out the following day.
