No. 5 MERCYHURST (14-7) vs. No. 4 MISSOURI STATE (16-14)
Friday, April 25 – 8 a.m. CDT / 9 a.m. EDT 
Nashville, Tenn.   
TV: Flo Cheer
 
The Mercyhurst STUNT team enters this year's national tournament as the fifth seed with an overall record of 14-7. They are slated to play No. 4 Missouri State in the first round of the tournament. If they win, they will play No. 1 Cal Baptist in the next round. If they lose, they will play the loser of No. 2 Kentucky and No. 3 Cal Poly. The tournament is double elimination, so there are two chances to make the final for every team.

Viewers can find all the games streamed on Flo Cheer. 
 
Season Results
The Lakers began their season competing at the Bluegrass Classic in Kentucky. On day one, they played Tiffin and beat the Dragons, 27-9. They then began MAWC play against No. 8 NKU. They led the Norse for the entirety of the game and defeated them, 26-5. 
 
On day two of the tournament, the Lakers played St. Mary's. This contest was a little bit closer, but Mercyhurst was performing really well. They beat the Rattlers, 25-12. The toughest game of the tournament came in a MAWC content against the hosts, No. 2 Kentucky. The Lakers performed well, but the Wildcats kept securing two-points in several rounds. The final score ended up being 39-17 in favor of Kentucky. 
 
They fell 24-23 to Ashland before they went to the Scots Tournament in Michigan. Here, they beat Central Michigan, Lewis, and Purdue Northwest with 20 or more points. 
 
The Lakers then competed in the Music City Classic in Nashville. They opened the competition with a 30-28 overtime win over No. 4 UT Martin. They then fell to No. 1 Cal Baptist and No. 6 Missouri State before putting up a program-high 33 points in a 33-22 win over No. 7 Central Arkansas. 
 
To end the regular season MU hosted East Stroudsburg and Aquinas on their Senior Day. They beat ESU, 27-16, then defeated Aquinas in an eight-round game, 12-0. 
 
In the MAWC Championship, the Lakers defeated No. 5 Central Arkansas and No. 6 Northern Kentucky. They fell to No. 1 Kentucky and No. 3 UT Martin. 

Missouri State Matchup Insights 
The Lakers are 3-1 vs. Missouri State all time. The first matchup was March 29, 2025, where they won, 16-14. They then beat them in two consecutive days in the MAWC Championship in 2025. Most recently, the Bears defeated the Lakers in Nashville, 30-21. 
 
Scouting the Competition 
There are five teams in this year's national championship. The highest seed is Cal Baptist, who to this point, is undefeated this season. Their 30-0 record is the best in the country. 

The No. 2 seed is Kentucky. The Wildcats have been almost perfect this season. They are 29-2 overall and have only lost to Oklahoma Baptist and Cal Baptist, the number one teams in Division I and II. 

Cal Poly occupies the third seed. The first-year program is 11-5 overall on the season. Notably, they have beaten No. 6 Missouri State and No. 7 Missouri State on the same day. 

In the fourth spot is Missouri State. The Bears are 16-14 this season. They are 1-3 vs. Mercyhurst all-time. However, their most recent matchup was a 30-21 win for them this season. MSU has beat No. 6 UT Martin three times this season and beat No. 7 Central Arkansas. 

Mercyhurst was seeded fifth. Their biggest ranked win was a 30-28 OT victory vs. UT Martin.