Adrian Spracklen, a native of Marlow, England, has been the Head Women’s Rowing Coach since 1992 and the Men's Head Coach since 1998. He started sculling at the age of eight under the direction of his legendary father, Mike Spracklen. Coach Spracklen’s success has been both as an athlete on the British National Team and as a coach earning DII National Coach of the Year in 2004, 2009, 2010, 2022.
Under Spracklen’s guidance, the Lakers women's rowing team has competed at the NCAA Division II National Championship from 2002-2005 and again from 2008-2018 along with 2020 and 2022. Highlights of those appearances resulted in the program winning three NCAA championships in 2004, 2010, and 2022. From those crews, there have been 24 First Team All-Americans and 36 Academic All-Americans. Mercyhurst was also the national runner-up in 2005, 2009, 2011, 2015, and 2020. The women’s varsity eight has also won four consecutive Dad Vail titles between 2009 and 2012 while adding another in 2023. From 2000 to 2002 the women's lightweight eight won the ECAC Championships and also placed fourth at the IRA Division I Championships in 2002.
The Men’s team has been equally successful, winning eight Dad Vail trophies in the last 10 years. From 2010 to 2012, men’s lightweight eight won three consecutive Dad Vail Championships, a first for a varsity eight at Mercyhurst. They have continued to perform well at Dad Vails; most recently in 2018 the lightweight men were Dad Vail Champions in the lightweight eight, lightweight four, and the collegiate quad. In 2018, for the first time in program history, the lightweight men swept Dartmouth College in the first and second varsity eight. In 2019 the lightweight men went to the grand final in the IRA Championships.
The Lakers have also experienced success abroad where they competed at the prestigious Royal Henley Regatta in England in 2009, 2013, and 2017. In 2009, the Lakers made an historic run defeating two seeded crews on their way to the final where they lost to a crew from Oxford University.
From 2015-2016, Spracklen took a sabbatical from Mercyhurst and coached the Women’s Russian Olympic Rowing team. Under his leadership, the Russian women’s eight won the bronze medal at both the first World Cup in Varese, Italy and 2016 European Rowing Championships.
Through Spracklen’s guidance, several Mercyhurst rowers have made appearances on their respective national teams including Michael Orzolek (2009 U23 World Rowing Championships), Amanda Carlyon (2012 USRowing ID Camp Invite), Galen Bernick and Danny Madden (2016 U23 World Rowing Championships), and Ivan Palikuca (2018 Serbian National Team).
Spracklen is also a Clinical Instructor for USRowing and has spoken at numerous national conventions and conducted coaching clinics across the country. His coaching talents have taken him to India and Canada in various roles. He has also worked with the US National Team's medical staff since 1995.
Spracklen graduated from Mercyhurst in 1990 with a Bachelor's degree in Sport Medicine and earned a Master's in Sport Medicine/Athletic Training from Western Michigan University in 1991.
He is married to 1994 Mercyhurst alumna Mia (Urycki), and is the father of three girls and a boy: Henley (born in 1999), Teagan (2001), Luca (2003), and Rowan (2008).
